Hyderabad, June 13: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the 217th Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) at the Air Force Academy (AFA) in Dundigal, Hyderabad, on Saturday. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, this event will celebrate the successful completion of pre-commissioning training for flight cadets from various branches of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Rajnath Singh will serve as the Reviewing Officer for the parade.
During the ceremony, he will present the ‘President Commission’ to the graduating trainees. The event will also recognize IAF flight cadets, along with officers and trainees from the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and Vietnam, who will receive ‘Wings’ and ‘Brevet’ for completing their training.
This CGP will also symbolize the commissioning of the first batch of female cadets from the National Defense Academy (NDA), Pune, who graduated on May 30, 2025, and joined the AFA for branch-specific training.
The Defense Minister will award the ‘President Plaque’ to flight cadets who topped the overall merit list in the Flying, Navigation Stream, and Ground Duty branches.
The parade will feature military drills and aerial displays. The program will kick off with performances by the Akash Ganga Skydiving Team and the Air Warrior Drill Team (AWDT). There will also be fly-pasts led by IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh throughout the event.
The fly-past will include four types of trainer aircraft: Pilatus PC-7 MKII, Hawk, Kiran, and Chetak. Highlights of the ceremony will feature aerial displays from the SU-30 MKI, Sarang Helicopter Display Team, and the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT).
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