Indian Air Force AFCAT Recruitment 2026
Indian Air Force has released an employment notification for the recruitment of AFCAT (01/2027) for Flying Branch & Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches and NCC Special Entry/ GATE Score Entry for Courses Commencing in January 2028. Under this recruitment process, 284 Group A Gazetted officers will be hired to be a part of this elite force. Interested and eligible candidates may check this article for detailed official notification, educational qualification, age limit, salary details, and application procedure to be followed.
Last date of submission of online application is 11th December 2026.
Indian Air Force AFCAT Vacancy Details
Name of posts:
1. AFCAT Entry
- Flying Branch: 36 posts
- Ground Duty (Technical) Branch: 124 posts
- Ground Duty (Non- Technical): 108 posts
2. NCC Special Entry
- Flying Branch: 10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC .
3. GATE Score Entry
- Ground Duty (Technical) Branch: 16 posts
Eligibility Criteria of Indian Air Force Recruitment
Age Limit
Flying Branch through AFCAT and NCC Special Entry: Candidates must be between 20 and 24 years of age as on 1 January 2028, meaning they must have been born between 2 January 2004 and 1 January 2008 (both dates inclusive).
However, candidates holding a valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) issued by DGCA, India, are eligible for an upper age limit of 26 years. They must have been born between 2 January 2002 and 1 January 2008 (both dates inclusive).
Ground Duty (Technical/ Non-Technical) Branches, GATE Entry: Candidates must be between 20 and 26 years of age as on 1 January 2028. This means applicants must have been born between 2 January 2002 and 1 January 2008, both dates inclusive.
Marital Status
Candidates must be unmarried at the time of commencement of the course and marriage is not permitted during training. Candidates who marry during the period of training shall be terminated and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him/her by the Government.
Educational Qualification
(i) Flying Branch
Candidates must have passed Mathematics and Physics at the 10+2 level and possess any one of the following educational qualifications:
1. A Bachelor’s degree of at least three years in any discipline from a recognised university.
2. A BE/BTech degree (four-year course) from a recognised university.
3. Candidates who have successfully cleared Sections A and B examinations of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India.
(ii) Ground Duty (Technical) Branch
Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) {AE (L)}:
Candidates must have passed Mathematics and Physics at the 10+2 level and possess any one of the following educational qualifications:
1. A Bachelor’s degree of at least three years in any discipline from a recognised university.
2. A BE/BTech degree (four-year course) from a recognised university.
3. Candidates who have successfully cleared Sections A and B examinations of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India.
(ii) Ground Duty (Technical) Branch
Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) {AE (L)}:
Candidates must have passed Physics and Mathematics at the 10+2 level and fulfill any one of the following educational qualification requirements:
- An MSc in Electronics along with a BSc in Physics.
- A minimum four-year degree in Engineering/Technology or an integrated postgraduate qualification from a recognised university.
- Successful completion of Sections A and B examinations of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India.
- Successful completion of the Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) through regular studies in the specified disciplines.
Candidates must have passed Physics and Mathematics at the 10+2 level and meet any one of the following educational qualification requirements:
- A minimum four-year degree in Engineering/Technology or an integrated postgraduate qualification from a recognised university.
- Successful completion of Sections A and B examinations of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India through regular studies in the specified disciplines.
GATE Score Entry (Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) {AE (L)} and Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) {AE (M)}:
Candidates must hold a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) or Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in any of the 133 disciplines mentioned in the official notification. They must also have qualified in any one of the 10 specified GATE examination disciplines to be eligible for selection through GATE Score Entry.
Candidates can use a GATE score obtained within the three years preceding the commencement of the course. The GATE result must have been declared between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2027 (both dates inclusive).
Candidates can use a GATE score obtained within the three years preceding the commencement of the course. The GATE result must have been declared between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2027 (both dates inclusive).
(iii) Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches
Weapon Systems (WS) Branch: Candidates must have passed Mathematics and Physics at the 10+2 level and possess any one of the following educational qualifications:
1. A minimum three-year Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
2. A four-year BE/BTech degree from a recognised university.
Weapon Systems (WS) Branch: Candidates must have passed Mathematics and Physics at the 10+2 level and possess any one of the following educational qualifications:
1. A minimum three-year Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
2. A four-year BE/BTech degree from a recognised university.
Administration & Logistics: Candidates must have passed 10+2 and hold a Bachelor's degree of at least three years in any discipline from a recognised university.
Alternatively, candidates who have successfully cleared Sections A and B examinations of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India from a recognised university are also eligible.
Accounts Branch: Candidates must have passed 10+2 and hold a graduation degree in any one of the following disciplines from a recognised university:
Alternatively, candidates who have successfully cleared Sections A and B examinations of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or the Aeronautical Society of India from a recognised university are also eligible.
Accounts Branch: Candidates must have passed 10+2 and hold a graduation degree in any one of the following disciplines from a recognised university:
1. B.Com: A minimum three-year Bachelor of Commerce degree.
2. BBA/BMS/BBS: A degree in Business Administration, Management Studies or Business Studies with a specialisation in Finance.
3. Professional Qualifications: Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA), Cost and Management Accountant (CMA), Company Secretary (CS) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
4. B.Sc.: A Bachelor of Science degree with a specialisation in Finance.
Education: Candidates must have passed 10+2 and hold a graduation degree in any discipline, along with a postgraduate qualification in any subject. Integrated courses that offer a postgraduate degree are also accepted, provided they are completed as a single degree without any exit option or lateral entry.
Meteorology: Candidates must have passed 10+2 and possess either a B.Sc. degree with Physics and Mathematics or a four-year Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Technology in any of the specified disciplines.
Application Fee
Online examination will be conducted for AFCAT entry at various centers. Candidates registering for AFCAT entry will have to pay an amount of Rs. 550/- + GST (non-refundable) as examination fee . However, candidates registering for NCC Special entry are not required to pay.
How to Apply for Indian Air Force Recruitment ?
Interested and eligible candidates may apply online for these vacancy by visiting official Recruitment Portal of IAF. Candidates may follow below mentioned steps to apply online.
- Scroll down, go to Important Web-Links section .
- Click on the "Online Application Form" and complete the registration process by clicking "New Registration".
- In the next stage, click on "Online Application Form" Link and Login.
- Fill your all personal and educational details and upload necessary documents.
- At the end, pay the application fee and submit the form.
- Don't forget to take a print out of the application form .
Important Dates of IAF AFCAT Entry 2026
- Starting date to apply online: 12th November 2026
- Last date to apply online: 11th December 2026
- AFCAT online examination: 31st January 2027 (Sunday)
- AFCAT admit card available: From 27th January 2027 onwards, 11 AM
- Commencement of course: January 20278
Important Web-Links of Indian Air Force AFCAT Vacancy
| Online Application Form | Click Here |
| Official Notification | Click Here |
| Join WhatsApp Channel | Click Here |
| Join Telegram Channel | Click Here |
| Official Website | Click Here |
Selection Process of IAF AFCAT Entry
The selection process of AFCAT entry consists of an online exam, followed by Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) testing, medical examination and final merit list.
AFCAT Online Examination
| Exam | Subject | Duration | No. of Questions | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFCAT | General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning & Military Aptitude Test. | 2 Hours | 100 | 300 |
An objective type online examination will be held as per the details mentioned below. For every corrected answer three (3) marks will be awarded; whereas one mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) Testing
The testing at AFSB would consists of following three stages.
Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating Test along with Picture Perception and discussion test will be held on the first day; which is a screening test only.
Stage‑II: Psychological test will be conducted on Day 1(Evening) and the Group Tests and Interview would be conducted after documents check.
Flying Branch: Computerized Pilot Selection System for Flying Branch candidates would be held.
The testing at AFSB would consists of following three stages.
Stage I: Officer Intelligence Rating Test along with Picture Perception and discussion test will be held on the first day; which is a screening test only.
Stage‑II: Psychological test will be conducted on Day 1(Evening) and the Group Tests and Interview would be conducted after documents check.
Flying Branch: Computerized Pilot Selection System for Flying Branch candidates would be held.
Medical Examination & Final Merit List
The final merit list consist of the name of candidates recommended by AFSB and found medically fit by the appropriate medical board for training strictly in order of merit on the basis of the total marks secured by them in the written examination and in the AFSB tests.
The final merit list consist of the name of candidates recommended by AFSB and found medically fit by the appropriate medical board for training strictly in order of merit on the basis of the total marks secured by them in the written examination and in the AFSB tests.
AFCAT Syllabus 2026
The standard of questions in AFCAT 2026 will be of graduation level (Indian University). However, the standard of Numerical Ability Questions will be of Matriculation level.
- English: Comprehension, error detection, sentence completion, synonyms/antonyms, cloze test, idioms & phrases, analogy, sentence rearrangement, one‑word substitution, homonyms.
- General Awareness: History, Geography, Sports, National & International Organisations, Art & Culture, Personalities, Environment & Ecology, Polity, Economy, Basic Science, Science & Technology, Current Affairs, Defence.
- Numerical Ability: Fractions, Time & Work, Average, Percentage, Profit & Loss, Ratio & Proportion, Interest, Time & Distance, Area & Perimeter, Probability, Number System, Mixture & Allegation, Squares/Cubes, HCF & LCM, Mensuration, Heights & Distances, Statistics.
- Reasoning & Military Aptitude: Verbal and Non‑Verbal Reasoning.
