Ashutosh Dixit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Of Integrated Defence Staff | |
| Assumed office 1 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Johnson P Mathew |
| Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command | |
| In office 1 September 2024 – 30 April 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor |
| Succeeded by | Balakrishnan Manikantan |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | Air Force Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 6 December 1986 – Present |
| Rank |  Air Marshal |
| Unit | No. 9 Squadron |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | Operation Rakshak Kargil War Operation Safed Sagar |
| Service number | 18558[1] |
| Awards | |
Air MarshalAshutosh Dixit,AVSM,VM,VSM is a serving officer of theIndian Air Force. He is currently serving as theChief of Integrated Defence Staff. He assumed the post on 1 May 2025 after the superannuation ofLieutenant GeneralJohnson P Mathew.[2] He was previously serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command ,[3] prior to that he served as the Senior Air Staff Officer,South Western Air Command.
He is an alumnus ofNational Defence Academy,Pune and theAir Force Academy,Dundigal. He is also an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College,Bangladesh and National Defence College andNational Defence College,New Delhi.[4]
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was commissioned as a fighter pilot in theIndian Air Force on 6 December 1986 from theAir Force Academy, Dundigal. During his illustrious career spanning more than 37 years, the Air Officer has held several significant field and staff appointments. The Air Officer is an experimental test pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor with more than 3300 hours of flying experience on a variety of aircraft in the IAF inventory.[5] He has participated inOperation Rakshak andOperation Safed Sagar during theKargil War. As a Commanding Officer, he re-equipped one of the Squadrons ofIndian Air Force with the state-of-the-art Mirage aircraft and later commanded a front-line fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premiere fighter training base in the Southern Sector. He has extensive flying experience primarily onMirage 2000. He served as the Commanding officer ofNo. 9 Squadron as well as the Flying Training School inBengaluru.[4] He has also served as a Directing Staff at the Air Force Test Pilots School.
AsAir Commodore, he served as the Principal Director for Air Staff Requirements at the Air Headquarter,New Delhi and later served as the Air Officer Commanding ofAir Force Station Bidar,Karnataka.[3][6] AsAir Vice Marshal, he served as the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Air Headquarter,New Delhi. Later, he served as the Air Defence Commander of theSouthern Air Command,Trivandrum and Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Plans at the Air Headquarters,New Delhi.[7]
After being promoted to the rank ofAir Marshal in October 2021, he served as the Senior Air Staff Officer,South Western Air Command till 14 May 2023.[8] On 15 May 2023, he took over as theDeputy Chief of the Air Staff fromAir MarshalNarmdeshwar Tiwari. As the Deputy Chief of Air Staff in Air Headquarters, Dixit played a critical role in pushing forward the Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) initiative of the defence forces. He has headed several projects with the adaption of future technologies and worked towards ensuring that the IAF achieves modernization while maintaining a steady focus on 'Aatmanirbharta Self Reliance.[9] A number of indigenous aircraft projects including LCA Mark-1A, Mark-2 and AMCA have seen significant forward movement during his tenure as Deputy Chief.[10]
On 1 September 2024,Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as theAir Officer Commanding-in-Chief,Central Air Command succeedingAir MarshalRavi Gopal Krishana Kapoor who superannuated from service on 31 August 2024.[2]
During his career, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been awarded theAti Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023,[11]Vayu Sena Medal in 2006[12] andVishisht Seva Medal[13] in 2011 for his service.
  | |||
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Of Integrated Defence Staff 1 May 2025 – Present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command 1 September 2024 – 30 April 2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Chief of the Air Staff 15 May 2023 – 31 August 2024 | Succeeded by Tejinder Singh |
| Preceded by | Senior Air Staff Officer South Western Air Command 1 October 2022 – 14 May 2023 | Succeeded by Manish Khanna |