11 test pilots, 6 flight engineers pass out from AFTPS

BENGALURU: Eleven test pilots and six flight test engineers graduated from the 48th Flight Test Course of the Air Force Test Pilots School after completing a 48-week multidisciplinary training programme, the Indian Air Force said.The graduating batch comprised 17 officers — 14 from the Indian Air Force (IAF), one from the Indian Army and two from the Indian Navy. The officers will now join the Aviation Wing of the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), one of IAF’s premier testing units.Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who was an alumnus of the 17th Flight Test Course, attended the graduation ceremony as chief guest. He presented certificates to the graduating officers and awarded trophies to outstanding performers.Sqn Ldr KK Singh received the Suranjan Das Trophy for the best all-round student test pilot, while Sqn Ldr Aditya Jamdagni won the Chief of the Air Staff Trophy for the best student test pilot in flight evaluation.Among flight test engineers, Wg Cdr Abhinav Kumar was awarded the Maharaja Hanumanth Singh Sword for the best all-round student. Wg Cdr Pranav Sharma received the Dunlop Trophy for the best student flight test engineer in flight evaluation, while Sqn Ldr Paras Sharma won the Kapil Bhargava Trophy for excellence in ground subjects.Air Chief Marshal Singh stressed the importance of “Atmanirbharta” in building resilient indigenous defence capabilities and said test crews would play a crucial role in strengthening India’s aerospace ecosystem and defence modernisation efforts.He urged the officers to focus on reducing “design to delivery” timelines while maintaining high standards of safety and quality. Emphasising professional competence and integrity, he said the officers would be responsible for ensuring that aircraft and systems meet the operational requirements of the armed forces.