Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit inspects the ceremonial Guard of Honour at Air Force Station New Delhi following his assumption of charge as the Chief of the Air Staff on November 1. (PIB Photo)
New Delhi, November 1 (MExN): Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on November 1, unveiling ‘VAYU’ as his guiding vision for the force.
He began his tenure by paying homage to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial, followed by a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Air Force Station New Delhi, according to a Ministry of Defence release issued through the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
An experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor, Dixit has over 3,500 hours of flying experience. He has previously served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command and Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
As per the release, the guiding vision, ‘VAYU’, a Sanskrit word meaning air or wind, outlines four priorities for the IAF. V stands for Vigilance, Victory and Readiness, focusing on operational preparedness and restoring combat strength to sanctioned levels; A for Aatmanirbharta, emphasising self-reliance through indigenous defence capabilities; Y for Yukti, promoting innovation in doctrine, technology and operational procedures, including AI-enabled command and control and counter-drone capabilities; and U for Unity of Effort, strengthening joint operations with the Army, Navy and other national agencies.
Through this vision, Dixit aims to build an operationally ready, technologically advanced, self-reliant and integrated Air Force capable of safeguarding national interests and deterring conflict through credible air power, it added.
