Excellent fighter and test pilot Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of Air Staff of the country. Ashutosh Dixit will assume his new post on July 1. Air Marshal was inducted into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy, Defense Services Staff College, Khadakwasla (Bangladesh) and the National Defense College, New Delhi.
He is a qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot with over 3,300 hours of experience flying more than 20 types of aircraft including Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Jaguar. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit also took command of a major fighter training base in the southern sector. Here, under his leadership, that base was chosen as the best base of the command.
Ace fighter and test pilot Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of the Air Staff and will assume his new charge on July 1. pic.twitter.com/kFKz346HSL
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2026
Worked as a test pilot
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit worked as a test pilot at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, Bangalore. Later, as the Commanding Officer of the Flight Test Squadron, he was involved in many indigenous upgrade and development programs. These also include avionics upgrades for Jaguar and MiG-27. As Director of Air Staff Requirements, he played a key role in the planning and conduct of trials of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft.
Under his excellent leadership, Wing Commander Dixit completed 500 hours of successful flying between 15 December 2004 and 31 March 2005. He oversaw the approval and safe transfer of 10 new Mirage-2000 aircraft from France. Besides, Mirage Mission Preparation System (MIPSY) has been improved and used successfully in ‘Exercise Golden Eagle’ and other missions. He is a skilled commander and technology expert.
Has also been honored with Vishisht Seva Medal
Group Captain Ashutosh Dixit was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for making the Mirage-2000 squadron ‘BEST’ and successfully completing the indigenous upgrade projects of Jaguar and MiG-27. As Director of MMRCA Project, he enhanced the operational efficiency of IAF by completing complex field trials of 6 foreign fighter jets in record time and in a transparent manner.
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