New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was appointed as the next Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday.

The distinguished officer is a test pilot, flying instructor and also a fighter combat leader with more than 3300 hours of flying experience across various fighter jets, including the MiG-21, HAWK and Jaguar. He is currently serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) at Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff.

The distinguished officer will take charge as the Indian Air Force’s next Vice Chief on July 1.

In a career spanning over more than three decades, the decorated officer played a key role in the promotion of indigenous projects within the Indian Air Force (IAF) and also the modernisation of the force, during various assignments at the Air Headquarters.

Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 06, 1986, he is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (Khadakwasla). He is a qualified flying instructor and test pilot with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on over 20 types of aircraft, including Mirage-2000, MiG-21 & Jaguar.

He commanded a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector, leading it to be adjudged as the best in the Command during his tenure.

Over the years, the Air Marshal has held a variety of Command, Staff & Instructional appointments, and has been conferred with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal & Vayu Sena Medal for his distinguished services.

As a test pilot and later Commanding Officer of the Flight Test Squadron at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, he was involved in several indigenous upgrades and development programmes, including the avionics upgrades for Jaguar & MiG-27.

As Director of Air Staff Requirements, he played a key role in the planning and conduct of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft trials.

–IANS

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