On 1 July 2026, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force, part of a wave of senior appointments that also saw new Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief for Southern Air Command and South Western Air Command. A fighter pilot commissioned in 1986, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, an Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor with over 3,500 flying hours on aircraft from the Mirage-2000 to the Tejas, the new Vice Chief previously served as AOC-in-C, Central Air Command and as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC). For an NDA/CDS aspirant — many of whom aim for the Air Force — this is the ideal prompt to master the Indian Air Force's structure and air-power fundamentals.
The IAF and its leadership
Start with the top of the organisation:
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces, headed by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) — a four-star Air Chief Marshal, the professional head of the force, at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan), New Delhi.
- The Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) is the second-in-command, an Air Marshal who assists the Chief in running the force.
- The IAF's motto is "Nabhah Sparsham Deeptam" ("Touch the Sky with Glory"), and its raising day is 8 October 1932 — celebrated as Air Force Day.
- Like the other services, the CAS sits on the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and works within the tri-service framework led by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) — a post the new Vice Chief previously held — heads the Integrated Defence Staff that supports jointness across the services.
Fix this leadership backbone, exactly the kind built up in the NDA general-knowledge study material.
The seven commands of the IAF
The IAF is organised into seven commands — a very testable list of five operational + two functional:
- Western Air Command — New Delhi;
- Eastern Air Command — Shillong;
- Central Air Command — Prayagraj (Allahabad);
- South Western Air Command — Gandhinagar;
- Southern Air Command — Thiruvananthapuram;
- Training Command — Bengaluru (functional);
- Maintenance Command — Nagpur (functional).
Each command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the rank of Air Marshal. The five operational commands control the fighter, transport and helicopter squadrons in their region; Training Command runs the academies and flying schools; Maintenance Command keeps the fleet airworthy. Note the parallel to the Army's seven commands — but the IAF's are geographic air commands, not land theatres.
IAF rank structure
Air-force ranks differ from the Army's and are frequently tested. From the top:
- Air Chief Marshal (four-star, the CAS) → Air Marshal (three-star) → Air Vice Marshal (two-star) → Air Commodore (one-star) → Group Captain → Wing Commander → Squadron Leader → Flight Lieutenant → Flying Officer.
- The five-star rank is Marshal of the Indian Air Force — a ceremonial rank held by only one officer in history, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.
A useful mapping: Air Marshal ≈ Lieutenant General; Air Vice Marshal ≈ Major General; Group Captain ≈ Colonel; Wing Commander ≈ Lieutenant Colonel; Squadron Leader ≈ Major. The basic flying unit is the squadron (commanded by a Wing Commander/Group Captain), grouped under wings and air-force stations. The Arjan Singh five-star fact is a classic crossover with the Army's Field-Marshal question, the kind faculty flag in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Key aircraft of the IAF
NDA/CDS papers love "which aircraft / what type" questions. Fix the marquee platforms:
- Fighter/combat aircraft: the Rafale (French, multirole), Su-30MKI (Russian-origin, the mainstay air-superiority fighter), the indigenous Tejas (LCA), the Mirage-2000, MiG-29 and Jaguar.
- Transport aircraft: the C-17 Globemaster III (heavy-lift), C-130J Super Hercules (special operations), and the An-32 and IL-76.
- Helicopters: the indigenous Prachand (LCH) and Dhruv (ALH), the Apache (attack) and Chinook (heavy-lift).
- Force multipliers: AWACS/AEW&C (the indigenous Netra and the Phalcon) for airborne early warning, and IL-78 aerial-refuelling tankers.
Knowing three or four names in each category — especially the indigenous Tejas, Prachand and Netra (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) — covers most aircraft questions.
The roles of air power
Finally, understand what an air force does — a strong lecturette and interview theme:
- Air superiority / air defence — controlling the skies and protecting Indian airspace from intrusion (the "Air Defence Commander" role).
- Strike / offensive operations — attacking enemy targets deep in its territory (as seen in operations like Op Safed Sagar during Kargil).
- Airlift and logistics — moving troops, equipment and relief at speed across the country.
- Reconnaissance, surveillance and early warning — the "eyes" provided by AEW&C and reconnaissance aircraft.
- Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) — evacuations and relief in floods, earthquakes and overseas crises.
Air power's defining qualities are speed, reach and flexibility — it can strike or assist anywhere in the country within hours. That is why command of the air is decisive in modern warfare. Track such defence developments via the daily NDA current affairs feed.
The big picture for an aspirant
Tie it together. The Indian Air Force, headed by the four-star Chief of the Air Staff (assisted by the Vice Chief, an Air Marshal), is organised into seven commands — five operational (Western–Delhi, Eastern–Shillong, Central–Prayagraj, South Western–Gandhinagar, Southern–Thiruvananthapuram) plus Training (Bengaluru) and Maintenance (Nagpur) — each under an AOC-in-C. Its ranks run from Flying Officer up to Air Chief Marshal, with the five-star Marshal of the IAF held only by Arjan Singh. It flies the Rafale, Su-30MKI, Tejas and more, and delivers air superiority, strike, airlift, surveillance and HADR with unmatched speed and reach. Air Force Day is 8 October (raised 1932); the motto is "Nabhah Sparsham Deeptam." That is a complete, examinable fact-set — strong defence GK and an excellent SSB lecturette on air power.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The professional head of the Indian Air Force is the: (a) Air Vice Marshal (b) Chief of the Air Staff (Air Chief Marshal) (c) Vice Chief of the Air Staff (d) Chief of Defence Staff → (b) — a four-star Air Chief Marshal; the Vice Chief (Air Marshal) is second-in-command.
Q2. How many commands does the Indian Air Force have? (a) five (b) six (c) seven (d) nine → (c) — seven (five operational + Training and Maintenance).
Q3. The headquarters of Western Air Command is at: (a) Shillong (b) New Delhi (c) Nagpur (d) Thiruvananthapuram → (b) — New Delhi; Eastern is Shillong, Southern is Thiruvananthapuram.
Q4. The motto of the Indian Air Force is: (a) "Vayam Rakshamah" (b) "Nabhah Sparsham Deeptam" (c) "Shano Varuna" (d) "Balidan" → (b) — "Touch the Sky with Glory"; "Shano Varuna" is the Navy's motto.
Q5. Which IAF rank is equivalent to a Major General of the Army? (a) Air Marshal (b) Air Vice Marshal (c) Group Captain (d) Wing Commander → (b) — Air Vice Marshal (two-star) ≈ Major General.
Q6. The only officer to hold the five-star rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force is: (a) Sam Manekshaw (b) Arjan Singh (c) Subroto Mukerjee (d) K.M. Cariappa → (b) — Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh; Manekshaw and Cariappa were Army Field Marshals.
Q7. Which of these is an indigenous IAF fighter aircraft? (a) Rafale (b) Su-30MKI (c) Tejas (LCA) (d) Mirage-2000 → (c) — the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is indigenous (HAL/ADA).
Q8. Air Force Day is celebrated on 8 October, marking the IAF's raising in: (a) 1932 (b) 1947 (c) 1950 (d) 1971 → (a) — the IAF was raised on 8 October 1932.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
The armed forces' organisation is a standing GK set in NDA/CDS, and the IAF is heavily tested given how many aspirants target it. The reliable items are the CAS rank (Air Chief Marshal), the number of commands (seven) and their headquarters, the rank ladder (and Army equivalents), and Air Force Day (8 Oct 1932) with the motto. A favourite crossover trap is the five-star ranks — Arjan Singh (IAF) versus Manekshaw/Cariappa (Army). Aircraft-identification ("which is indigenous / which is a transport aircraft") is common. The fresh 2026 hook is the change of Vice Chief of the Air Staff and the Air Command appointments — ideal for "who / which command / which rank" framings. We avoid quoting any specific past-paper number; the pattern reflects how the topic recurs.
Studying for NDA or CDS? The Indian Air Force — its commands, ranks, aircraft and air-power roles — is guaranteed defence GK and a superb SSB lecturette, especially if the Air Force is your goal. Track our daily NDA current affairs and train with serving-officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Maj Sunil Chopra — Veteran, Indian Army; defence-studies & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).
Source: PIB release, 1 July 2026. Facts cross-verified.