Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) is unique in Asia. As its name implies, ASTE evaluates aircraft and systems for induction into user organisations. Most new aircraft types and major airborne systems must have ASTE's stamp of approval to be considered fit for service in India. While many countries have testing facilities of one kind or the other, training of flight test personnel is not often imparted in them. ASTE's Air Force Test Pilots School (AFTPS) is only the fifth such institution in the world. This is not surprising for the world's fourth largest air force. The combination of flight testing and training makes ASTE Indian Air Force's mini-Edward's Air Force Base (USA) or Boscombe Down (UK)