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Eleven Test Pilots and Six Flight Test Engineers of the 48th Flight Test Course graduated from the Air Force Test Pilots School (AFTPS) in Bengaluru on May 23, 2026 post completion of a rigorous 48 weeks multi-discipline training curriculum. This year, the graduating course, comprised of a cohort of 17 officers including 14 officers from Indian Air Force, one officer from Indian Army and two officers from Indian Navy. From here on, the graduates will join the Aviation Wing of the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, which is one of the premier units of the Indian Air Force.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh PVSM AVSM, Chief of the Air Staff and a distinguished alumnus of the 17th Flight Test Course, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. He presented certificates to all graduating officers and awarded trophies to the meritorious performers. This year, the prestigious "Suranjan Das Trophy" for the best all-round student Test Pilot was awarded to Sqn Ldr K.K. Singh, VM, while the "Chief of the Air Staff Trophy" for the best student Test Pilot in flight evaluation was awarded to Sqn Ldr Aditya Jamdagni. The "Maharaja Hanumanth Singh Sword" for the best all round student Flight Test Engineer was awarded to Wg Cdr Abhinav Kumar. Wg Cdr Pranav Sharma was awarded the "Dunlop Trophy" for best student Flight Test Engineer in flight evaluation and the" Kapil Bhargava Trophy" for the best student in ground subjects was awarded to Sqn Ldr Paras Sharma.
While addressing the house on the occasion, the Chief Guest exhorted the graduating officers to continue toiling hard with focus, and reminded them of the crucial role that they would go on to play towards capability building and modernisation of the Indian Armed Forces. Emphasising 'Atmanirbharta' as a strategic necessity for developing resilient indigenous defence capabilities, the CAS highlighted the onerous responsibility that the test crew needs to shoulder to proliferate the nation's indigenisation drive and strengthen the aerospace ecosystem. He emphasized the need to optimize design to delivery' time cycles while upholding highest standards of safety and quality of equipment. He further stressed the importance of professional competence to ensure that aircraft and systems meet the operational requirements of the services, while urging the officers to uphold the virtues of honesty, integrity, precision and excellence.
