According to the Defence Ministry, Marshal Tejinder Singh assumed the role of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff for the Indian Air Force on Sunday.
Upon taking charge of command at the Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan), the Air Marshal paid tribute to the courageous individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice, by placing a wreath at the National War Memorial. With a background as an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Singh was officially enlisted in the fighter division of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 13, 1987.
According to a statement from the ministry, he is a highly qualified flying instructor with extensive experience. He has completed his training at the Defence Service Staff College and National Defence College. In his career, he has held various positions including commanding a fighter squadron, radar station, and premier fighter base. He also served as the Air Officer Commanding in Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, he has served in staff roles such as Operational Staff at a Command HQ, Air Commodore at Air HQ, Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Financial (Planning) at HQ IDS, Air Commodore (Aerospace Safety), Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Offensive) and ACAS Ops (Strategy) at Air HQ.
Previously, he served as the Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ Eastern Air Command of the IAF in Shillong, Meghalaya. In acknowledgement of his exceptional service, he received the Vayu Sena Medal in 2007 and the Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2022 from the President of India. The defence ministry also announced that on Sunday, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command.
On December 6, 1986, Air Marshal Dixit joined the fighter stream of the IAF. According to a statement, he has an impressive resume as an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor with over 3,300 hours of flight time on various IAF aircraft. He is also a graduate of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh), and National Defence College. Additionally, he has been involved in multiple operations and exercises such as ‘Op Safed Sagar’ and ‘Op Rakshak’.
In his distinguished 37-year career, the Air Officer has held numerous important field and staff roles. As a Commanding Officer, he upgraded a squadron in the IAF with advanced Mirage aircraft and later led a prominent fighter air base in the Western Sector and a leading fighter training base in the Southern Sector, according to reports.
The Air Officer has been at the helm of several pioneering projects in his previous term, utilizing cutting-edge technologies and prioritizing the IAF’s modernization while upholding a strong commitment to self-sufficiency. The main focus of the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief will be to maintain the Central Air Command’s preparedness for all possible situations, as per the Ministry’s statement.
For his commendable services, the President of India has honored him with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vayu Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
