Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been appointed the next Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 05, 2026. He is scheduled to assume office from July 01. He will succeed Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who took charge as VCAS on 1 January 2026.
He is currently serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. Air Marshal Dixit has a significant role in enhancing the jointness in the defence forces as they move towards theatrisation. He played a key role in the modernisation of the force and has promoted indigenous fighter projects in the IAF during his different stints in the Air Headquarters.
Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on December 06, 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune; Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh) and the National Defence College, New Delhi.
He is an ace fighter pilot and an experienced test pilot with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on over 20 types of aircraft, including Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Jaguar.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit participated in Operation Safed Sagar and Rakshak.
He commanded a Mirage 2000 Squadron, a frontline fighter base in the western sector. He also served as Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and was Senior Air Staff Officer, South Western Air Command.
Air Marshal Dixit, as a test pilot and later Commanding Officer of the Flight Test Squadron at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, Bangalore, was involved in various indigenous upgrades and development programmes including upgrade programmes for Jaguar and MiG-27 aircraft.
He played a key role in the planning and conduct of the medium multi-role combat aircraft trials as Director of Air Staff Requirements.
