New Delhi: Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit outlined his priorities for the Indian Air Force under the ‘VAYU’ vision on Sunday, a day after taking over as India’s 29th Chief of the Air Staff.
He succeeds Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, who retired after 42 years of service.
His priorities shall be summed up in one word: ‘VAYU’, Air Chief Marshal Dixit said while addressing a gathering during the guard of honour ceremony.
The new air chief’s ‘VAYU’ vision highlighted combat readiness, rebuilding sanctioned combat strength, indigenous defence capabilities, technological innovation and closer coordination among the armed forces.
V stands for Vigilance and Readiness, he said. “Every squadron, every radar, every air defence unit, along with each and every air warrior, must be ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Restoring our combat strength towards the sanctioned level will also be my foremost task.”
He said that A stands for Aatmanirbharta, adding: “The Tejas Mk1A and II, the AMCA, Indian sensors and Indian weapons are our highest priority. We will fight with Indian solutions, and we will hold them in numbers that meet sustainment demands. Our responsibility is to fight and win, but most importantly, it is to deter conflict through credible air power.”
ACM Dixit said that Y stands for Yukti, or ingenuity. “Innovation in doctrine, procedures and technology: networked, AI-enabled command and control; layered counter-drone defence; responsive maintenance, force protection, resilience and use of near-space as operational domains for the Air Force are all areas which will be constantly monitored and progressed,” he explained.
U stands for Unity of effort, he added. “In step with the vision of JAI, Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation, we will plan and fight as one along with our Army, our Navy and our national agencies.”
New technologies and systems were changing the nature of warfare, he said and added that the IAF must adapt to meet the country’s needs over the next decade while remaining ready to fight and win, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“Our security environment remains demanding. In addition, the character of war is being reshaped by new technologies and systems like drones, long-range precision weapons, space, cyber, AI and the electromagnetic spectrum,” the air chief said.
“The Air Force, while transforming into the force that India will need in the next decade, must always be ready to fight and win,” he added.
ACM Dixit was commissioned into the Indian Air Force’s fighter stream in December 1986.
The 59-year-old is an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor. He has logged more than 3,500 flying hours on several aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, various MiG models, Jaguar and Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1).
Dixit took part in several operations, including Operation Safed Sagar during the Kargil war and Operation Rakshak in Jammu and Kashmir. He was CISC during Operation Sindoor, the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror strike last year.
He has commanded a Mirage-2000 squadron and a fighter training base in the southern sector.
