Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld will be Australia's next Chief of Air Force, starting from July.
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne announced the appointment on Thursday, pointing to Air Marshal Hupfeld's current role as Chief Joint Operations and previous leadership positions.
The current air force boss, Air Marshal Leo Davies, will leave the role on July 3 after 40 years of military service.
Mr Pyne said Air Marshal Davies was leaving the organisation in "very good nick" for his successor.
"(He) has established a record foundation for the way that the Air Force will operate in the future," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
Among the biggest challenges for Air Marshal Hupfeld will be taking over control of the force's fifth generation of air combat planes.
The first of the F-35A Joint Strike Fighters was put into use last year, with the full fleet of 72 expected to be operational by 2023.
"That'll be a significant challenge, to bring those into full operation here in Australia," Mr Pyne said.
Maintaining strong cooperation across the various arms of Australia's defence force will also be important, the minister stressed.
Major General Greg Bilton will replace Air Marshal Hupfeld as Chief Joint Operations.
