First NDA women cadets to receive commission at Air Force Academy graduation parade

The Air Force Academy's Combined Graduate Parade will mark the commissioning of the first women cadets from the National Defence Academy. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will review the event, confer commissions, and witness spectacular aerial displays by the Indian Air Force.

Hyderabad: The Combined Graduate Parade (CGP) of 217 course will mark the commissioning of the first batch of women cadets from the National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune, at Air Force Academy (AFA) here on Saturday. These cadets passed out from the NDA on May 30, 2025, and joined the AFA for branch-specific training.

The CGP, which will be reviewed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will commemorate the successful completion of the pre-commissioning training of flight cadets across various branches of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

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During the ceremony, the Defence Minister will confer the ‘President’s Commission’ to the graduating trainees. The ceremony also includes presentation of ‘Wings’ and ‘Brevets’ upon successful completion of training to the flight cadets of the IAF, officers and trainees of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Further, Rajnath Singh will present the ‘President’s Plaque’ to the flight cadets standing first in the overall order of merit in flying, navigation stream and ground duty branches.

The event will begin with a display by the Akash Ganga and Air Warrior Drill Team (AWDT) and will be interspersed with fly-pasts led by Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh.

The fly-past will showcase four types of trainer aircraft, viz. Pilatus PC-7 MkII, Hawk, Kiran and Chetak aircraft. Aerial displays by SU-30 MKI, Sarang helicopter display team and Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) will be major attractions of the event.