History made as first NDA women cadets join Indian Air Force at AFA Dundigal

The Indian Air Force created history at AFA Dundigal as the first batch of women cadets from the National Defence Academy was commissioned into service. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the parade, which featured 231 graduating flight cadets and spectacular aerial displays.

Hyderabad: History took flight at the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) of 217 Course as the first batch of women cadets from the National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune, was commissioned into various branches of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Air Force Academy (AFA) Dundigal here on Saturday. The women cadets passed out from the NDA, Pune, on May 30, 2025, and had joined the AFA for branch-specific training.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the CGP of 217 Course, which saw 231 flight cadets – 194 men and 37 women, including the first batch of women from the NDA – graduating after completing their pre-commissioning training across different branches of the IAF.

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Nine officers from the Indian Navy, three from the Indian Coast Guard and two from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a friendly country, were awarded ‘Wings’ on the occasion. ‘Brevets’ were presented to three officers upon the completion of their navigation training during the event.

The Defence Minister presented the ‘President’s Plaque as well as the ‘Nawanagar Sword of Honour’ to Ashish Kumar Yadav, flying officer from flying branch, for standing first in the order of merit. He also presented the ‘President’s Plaque’ to flying officer Divyanshi Singh and flying officer Ekta Gupta for standing first in the overall order of merit in ground duty and navigation branches, respectively.

Interestingly, this time too, IAF Chief Air Marshal AP Singh led the fly-past formation. Previously, the Chief of Air Staff was part of the fly-past formation during the CGP of 216 Course held in December 2025. This time, the fly-past showcased four types of trainer aircraft, viz. Pilatus PC-7 MkI, Hawk, Kiran and Chetak aircraft.

The event also included a display by the Akash Ganga and “Shakti”, the Women Air Warrior Drill Team, which was well appreciated by the audience. A captivating aerobatics display by Su-30 MKI, Sarang helicopter display team and Suryakiran Aerobatic Team formed part of the grand finale of the parade. Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, Air Marshal S Shrinivas, AFA Commandant Air Marshal Rahul Bhasin and other senior IAF officials were present on the occasion.