Important Dates
- Online Application Submission: 17 November 2025 (11:00 Hr) to 14 December 2025 (23:30 Hr)
- AFCAT Examination Date: 31 January 2026 (Saturday)
- Admit Card Download: From 22 January 2026 (11:00 Hr) onwards
- Courses Commencing: January 2027
Organization
Indian Air Force (IAF) invites Indian citizens (Men and Women) to join as Group 'A' Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches through the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT-01/2026) and NCC Special Entry.
Vacancies
Vacancies are tentative and subject to service requirements. Actual intake will depend on Manning Considerations effective January 2027. IAF reserves the right to ascertain final vacancies in each branch.
| Entry |
Branch |
Course Number |
Men (PC) |
Women (PC) |
Men (SSC) |
Women (SSC) |
| AFCAT Entry |
Flying |
221/27F/SSC/M&W |
-- |
-- |
34 |
04 |
|
Ground Duty (Technical) |
220/27T/PC/110AEC/M&W |
AE(L):03 |
AE(L):03 |
AE(L):100 |
AE(L):23 |
|
|
220/27T/SSC/110AEC/M&W |
AE(M):09 |
AE(M):03 |
AE(M):38 |
AE(M):09 |
|
Ground Duty (Non-Technical) |
220/27G/SSC/M&W |
Weapon Systems (WS) Branch:21 Admin:48 Lgs:09 Accts:08 Edn:02 Met:01 |
Weapon Systems (WS) Branch:05 Admin:12 Lgs:02 Accts:02 Edn:02 Met:02 |
|
|
| NCC Special Entry |
Flying |
221/27F/PC/M and 221/27F/SSC/M&W |
-- |
-- |
10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC |
|
Type of Commission
- Permanent Commission (PC) for Men & Women: For Technical Branch, officers serve till the age of superannuation.
- Short Service Commission (SSC) for Men & Women:
- Flying Branch: Engagement period is fourteen years from the date of Commissioning.
- Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical): Initial tenure is ten years, extendable by four years based on service requirements, vacancies, willingness, suitability, and merit.
- Grant of PC at a later date is considered based on service requirements, vacancies, willingness, suitability, merit, and prevailing policies.
- SSC officers are not entitled to pension.
Eligibility Conditions
- Nationality: Must be a citizen of India.
- Age (as on 01 January 2027):
- Flying Branch (through AFCAT and NCC Special Entry): 20 to 24 years (born between 02 January 2003 to 01 January 2007, both dates inclusive).
- Flying Branch (with valid Commercial Pilot License): Upper age limit relaxable up to 26 years (born between 02 January 2001 to 01 January 2007, both dates inclusive).
- Ground Duty (Technical & Non-Technical) Branch: 20 to 26 years (born between 02 January 2001 to 01 January 2007, both dates inclusive).
- Marital Status: Unmarried at the commencement of the course; marriage during training is not permitted and will lead to discharge and refund of expenditure.
- Date of Birth: Accepted as recorded in Matriculation/Secondary School Leaving Certificate or equivalent. Candidates must exercise due care while entering DOB.
Educational Qualifications
-
Flying Branch: Candidates must have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks each in Mathematics and Physics AND:
- Graduation with a minimum three-year degree course in any discipline from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. OR
- BE/B Tech degree (four-year course) from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. OR
- Cleared Section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.
-
Ground Duty (Technical) Branch: Candidates must have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks each in Physics and Mathematics AND a minimum of four years degree graduation/integrated post-graduation qualification in Engineering/Technology from a recognized University or cleared Sections A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India or Graduate membership examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers by actual studies with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in specific disciplines. A comprehensive list of disciplines for Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) and Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) is provided in the official notification.
-
Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches:
- Weapon Systems (WS) Branch: Candidates must have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks each in Maths and Physics AND Graduation with a minimum three-year degree course in any discipline from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent. OR BE/B Tech degree (four-year course) from a recognized University with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.
- Administration & Logistics: Passed 10+2 and a Graduate Degree (minimum three-year course) in any discipline from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent OR cleared section A & B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognised university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent.
- Accounts Branch: Passed 10+2 and done graduation in any of the following streams with 60% marks or equivalent from a recognized university: B. Com Degree (Min three years course), Bachelor of Business Administration (with specialization in Finance)/ Bachelor of Management Studies (with specialization in Finance)/ Bachelor of Business Studies (with specialization in Finance), Qualified CA/CMA/CS/CFA, B.Sc. with specialization in Finance.
- Education: Passed 10+2 and Post-Graduation with 50% marks in any discipline including integrated courses offering PG (Single degree without permission to exit and lateral entry) and with 60% marks in Graduation in any discipline.
- Meteorology: Passed 10+2 and B.Sc with Physics and Mathematics with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent or four-year Graduation in Engineering/Technology discipline with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent in various streams (details in notification).
Important Notes on Eligibility
- Only candidates who have given the 12th standard in the 10+2 pattern of examination are eligible.
- Two seats are reserved for Law qualified candidates in Ground Duty (Non-Tech) branches.
- CGPA conversion to percentage of marks must be certified by the University. If no scheme, 10-point scale applies.
- Final year/semester students can apply if they have no current backlog and secured a minimum of 60% marks up to the last declared semester/year results. They must submit proof of completion by 30 November 2026.
- Candidates who failed the Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS) in an earlier attempt or were suspended from flying training are ineligible for Flying Branch.
Application Process
- Online Application: Aspirants must apply online via https://afcat.edcil.co.in. Aadhaar Card is mandatory for registration.
- Application Fee: ₹550/- + 18% GST (non-refundable) for AFCAT entry. This fee is not applicable for NCC special entry.
- Required Documents (Scanned Images):
- Recent passport size colour photograph (100KB to 200KB, JPG/JPEG format).
- Signature (80KB to 150KB, JPG/JPEG format).
- Thumb impression (50KB to 100KB, JPG/JPEG/PDF formats; male: left thumb, female: right thumb).
- Instructions: Read the advertisement carefully. Details once filled in the online application form cannot be changed after final submission.
Examination Scheme
- Exam Date: 31 January 2026 (Saturday)
- Reporting Time: 08:00 Hr
- Gate Closing Time: 09:30 Hr
- Subjects: General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test.
- Duration: 02 Hours
- Total Questions: 100
- Maximum Marks: 300
- Medium: English only, objective type questions.
- Marking Scheme: +3 marks for every correct answer, -1 mark for every incorrect answer. No marks for un-attempted questions.
- Normalisation of Marks: Undertaken if the number of shifts is more than one.
Air Force Selection Board (AFSB)
- Candidates successful in the Online AFCAT will be called for AFSB testing.
- NCC Special Entry candidates are directly called for AFSB testing.
- AFSB Centres: Dehradun (1 AFSB), Mysuru (2 AFSB), Gandhinagar (3 AFSB), Varanasi (4 AFSB), and Guwahati (5 AFSB).
- Stages of AFSB Testing:
- Stage-I: Officer Intelligence Rating Test, Picture Perception and Discussion Test, and document check (screening test).
- Stage-II: Psychological test, Group Tests, and Interview (for Stage-I qualified candidates).
- Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS): Administered to recommended candidates for Flying Branch (once in a lifetime test).
- Travel Allowance (TA): To and fro travelling fare (AC-III Tier/AC Chair Car or normal bus fare) reimbursed for the first time appearing in AFSB.
- Documents for AFSB: AFCAT Admit Card, original Matriculation/10+2/Graduation/Post Graduation certificates and mark sheets, NCC Certificate (if applicable), NOC from employers (if government employee), valid Commercial Pilot License (if applicable), travel tickets, and 20 passport-size colour photographs.
Examination Cities
Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar, Aizawl, Ambala, Amritsar, Baddi, Bareilly, Belagavi, Bengaluru, Bhagalpur, Bhatinda, Bhilai/Durg, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Bhuj, Bikaner, Chandigarh/Mohali, Chennai, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi and NCR, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Durgapur, Ernakulam, Ganganagar, Gangtok, Gaya, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haldwani, Hamirpur, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kangra, Kannur, Kanpur, Kolhapur, Kolkata, Kurukshetra, Leh, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mandi, Madurai, Mangaluru, Meerut, Mumbai/MMR, Muzzafarpur, Mysore, Nagpur, Nasik, Panaji, Patna, Patiala, Port Blair, Prayagraj, Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Roorkee, Sikkar, Siliguri, Shillong, Shivmogga, Solapur, Srinagar, Solan, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Tirupati, Udaipur, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam.
Training
- Commencement: First week of January 2027.
- Duration:
- Flying and Ground Duty (Technical) Branches: 62 weeks
- Ground Duty (Non-technical) Branches: 50 weeks
- Location: Air Force Training Establishments.
- Physical Conditioning: Candidates must be physically fit to adapt to strenuous physical training at AFA (running, skipping, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, rope climbing, swimming).
Pay and Allowances (on Commissioning - 7th CPC)
- Rank: Flying Officer
- Pay as per Defence Matrix (Level 10): Rs. 56100 - 177500
- Military Service Pay (MSP): Rs. 15500
- Stipend during training: Rs. 56,100/- per month for Flight Cadets.
- Various allowances (Flying Allowance, Transport Allowance, Technical Allowance, etc.) are applicable.
Insurance
- Rs. 1.25 crore Insurance Cover (on contribution) is applicable to IAF officers from Air Force Group Insurance Society (AFGIS).
Medical Standards
Detailed medical standards are outlined in Appendix A of the official notification. This includes requirements for general physical assessment, measurements and physique, and specific system-wise criteria (Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Urogenital, Endocrine, Dermatological, Musculoskeletal, Central Nervous System, Ear Nose & Throat, Ophthalmic).
Key Medical Aspects:
- Physical Fitness: Candidates must meet basic physical fitness standards for training and service.
- Laboratory & Radiological Investigations: Includes Haemogram, Hb Electrophoresis, LFT, RFT, Blood Glucose, Lipid Profile, Urine RE, ECG, various Radiographs, and USG Abdomen.
- Height: Minimums vary by branch and gender (e.g., Ground Duty Male: 157 cm, Flying Duty: 162 cm).
- Weight: Must conform to height/age charts provided in Annexure 1 (Males) and Annexure 2 (Females) of Appendix A.
- Tattoos: Permanent body tattoos are generally not permitted, with specific exceptions for the inner face of forearms and reverse side of palm/back of hands. Tribal communities with customary tattoos may be permitted with a valid certificate (Annexure 6 & 7).
- Vision: Detailed visual acuity, refractive error, and colour vision standards are provided in Annexure 4 of Appendix A. Refractive surgeries are permissible under specific conditions (e.g., not before age 20, 12 months post-surgery, residual refraction within limits).
- Dental: Minimum 14 dental points required, with specific functional teeth in upper and lower jaws (detailed in the notification).
Disclaimer
Information provided in this notification and on the websites (https://afcat.edcil.co.in and careerairforce.gov.in) serves as a guideline. In case of any ambiguity, the existing policies, rules, and regulations of IAF/Government of India will be final. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.
Statutory Warning
Selection in the Indian Air Force is merit-based. Any attempt to influence the selection process through unfair means, forgery, impersonation, or false information will result in the termination of candidature and legal action.