Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit to take over as head of IAF’s Prayagraj-based Central Air Command

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will take over as the new head of Indian Air Force's Prayagraj-based Central Air Command from September 1.

He will succeed Air Marshal RGK Kapoor who superannuated on Saturday.

Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He is an Experimental Test Plot and a Qualified Flying Instructor with more than 3,300 hours of flying experience on a variety of aircraft in the IAF inventory.

He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College.

He was actively involved in IAF’s several operations and exercises such as Op Safed Sagar in the Kargil War and Op-Bakshak.

In past, the IAF officer held the appointment of Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and also tenanted the appointments of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects) and Assistant Chief of the Air Stall (Plans) at Air Headquarters.

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'.

Earlier in August, the Indian Air Force gave clearance to public sector firm Bharat Dynamics Limited for the production of 200 Astra Mark 1 air-to-air missiles.

The Astra Mark1 missiles have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation with BDL as its production agency.

The production clearance to the BDL was given during a visit by the Deputy Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit to Hyderabad recently.

The Astra missiles will be integrated on both the Russian-origin Su-30 as well as the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft after production.

The Astra programme is being progressed gradually by the DRDO and IAF and they are now looking at testing the Mark 2 of the weapon system at around 130 Kms.