NEW DELHI: IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the force's senior-most air marshal, has been appointed the next IAF chief. He will take over from Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, who retires on October 31, the government announced on Tuesday.
Air Marshal Dixit, who will be the 29th IAF chief, will have a tenure of a little over two years, till December 2028.He will have his task cut out. The IAF is down to just 29 fighter squadrons against the 42.5 sanctioned to tackle the collusive threat from China and Pakistan. Tejas Mk-1A deliveries are running late and the proposed acquisition of 114 Rafales is still a work in progress.
The shortfall in force multipliers is equally stark as the IAF has just six Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, three Israeli Phalcons and three indigenous Netras, with 12 more in the pipeline. Its six IL-78 mid-air refuellers, inducted from 2003 onwards, are dogged by poor serviceability. The plan to convert six used Boeing 767s into tankers is yet to be translated into inductions.
Operation Sindoor has also added urgency to the push for electronic warfare, drones and counter-drone systems.
Theaterisation will be another major item on his plate. As Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) from May last year to June this year, a stint that included Op Sindoor, Air Marshal Dixit was closely involved in drawing up the theatre command proposals submitted to the defence ministry.
The IAF has long been wary of splitting its limited fighters and other air assets among multiple theatre commands. Having worked on the blueprint from the tri-service side, Air Marshal Dixit is expected to be well placed to address these concerns.
Commissioned into the fighter stream in December 1986, he has logged over 3,500 hours of flying. A qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot, he has flown over 20 aircraft types, including the Mirage-2000, MiG-21, Jaguar and Tejas.
He has headed the Central Air Command and commanded a frontline fighter base and the Flight Test Squadron in Bengaluru. He also took part in Op Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil conflict and Op Rakshak.
