Table of Contents
- Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) – 01/2025/ NCC special entry for courses commencing in January, 2026
- Important Information Summary
- Important Dates
- Branches, Course Number and Vacancies.
- Type of Commission
- Age
- Notification
- Physical/ Medical Standards, Educational Qualifications and Selection Procedure
- Training
- IAF Offers You Pay on Commissioning (As per 7th CPC).
- Allowances
- Privileges
- Insurance
- Sports and Adventure
- Important Instructions
Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) – 01/2025/ NCC special entry for courses commencing in January, 2026
Important Information Summary
| Field | Particulars |
| Position | AFCAT |
| Salary | 56100 |
| Min Education Qualification | PUC |
| Age Limit | 20 – 24 years (Flying Branch) 20- 26 years (Ground Duty Branches) |
| Date of Notification | 22nd November 2024 |
| Date of Examination | Written Examination-22nd & 23rd Dec 2024 |
| Vacancies | 336 |
| Split of the vacancies | Please refer table below (Link) |
| Structure of the Examination | Written Examination |
| Application mode | Online |
| Exam mode | Offline |
| Official Website | https://afcat.cdac.in/AFCAT/ |
| Organization conducting the exam | Indian Air Force |
Important Dates
| Field | Date |
| Notification Date | 22nd November 2024 |
| Registration Date starts on | 22nd November 2024 |
| Last Date for Fee payment | 2nd December 2024 |
| Last date of Final application submission | 2nd December 2024 |
| Examination dates | 22nd & 23rd Dec 2024 |
| Results Date | Final Result- Jan 2025 |
Online applications are invited for the courses commencing in January 2026 for grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) in Flying Branch and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches. Online applications are also invited for NCC Special Entry Scheme (For flying branch).
Branches, Course Number and Vacancies.
| Entry | Branch | Course Number | Vacancies* | |
| Men (SSC) | Women (SSC) | |||
| AFCAT Entry | Flying | 219/26F/SSC/M & W | 21 | 9 |
| Ground Duty (Technical) | 218/26T/SSC/108AEC/ M & W | AE(L) : 95 AE(M) : 53 | AE(L) : 27 AE(M) : 14 | |
| Ground Duty (Non- Technical) | 218/26G/SSC/M & W | Weapon Systems(WS) Branch:14 | Weapon Systems(WS) Branch : 03 | |
| Admin: 42 | Admin : 11 | |||
| Lgs: 13 | Lgs : 03 | |||
| Accts: 11 | Accts : 02 | |||
| Edn: 07 | Edn : 02 | |||
| Met: 07 | Met : 02 | |||
| NCC Special Entry | Flying | 219/26F/PC/M and 219/26F/SSC/M & W | 10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC | |
*Disclaimer: The vacancies indicated are tentative and subject to change without notice. Actual intake would depend on organizational requirements, various cadre control mechanisms, availability of training slots and actual number of vacancies accruing in January 2026. No representation in this regard will be entertained. One seat is reserved from Ground Duty (Non-Tech) vacancies for Law qualified candidates.
Type of Commission
SSC for Men & Women
(i) The engagement period for Flying Branch SSC officers is fourteen years from the date of Commissioning.
(ii) The initial tenure for SSC officers in Ground Duty (Tech and Non-Tech) branches would be for a period of ten years. An extension of four years may be granted subject to service requirements, availability of vacancies, willingness, suitability and merit.
(iii) Grant of Permanent Commission (PC) (at a later date) would be considered subject to service requirements, availability of vacancies, willingness, suitability and merit and as per prevailing policies on the subject.
(iv) SSC officers are not entitled for grant of pension.
Age
Flying Branch
20 to 24 years as on 01 January 2026 i.e. born between 02 January 2002 to 01 January 2006 (both dates inclusive). Upper age limit for candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot License issued by DGCA (India) is relaxable upto 26 year i.e. born between 02 January 2000 to 01 January 2006 (both dates inclusive). (b) Ground Duty (Technical/ Non-Technical) Branches. 20 to 26 years as on 01 January 2026 i.e. born between 02 January 2000 to 01 January 2006 both dates Inclusive)
Ground Duty (Technical/ Non-Technical) Branches
20 to 26 years as on 01 January 2026 i.e. born between 02 January 2000 to 01 January 2006 both dates Inclusive).
Notification
Detailed notification is available on website https:// careerindianairforce.cdac.in or https://afcat.cdac.in. Candidates are to ensure that they have read and understood the details available in the notification before registering.
Physical/ Medical Standards, Educational Qualifications and Selection Procedure
Details on physical/ medical standards, educational qualifications and selection procedure are available in detailed notification on the website.
Training
Training will commence in the first week of January 2026 for all courses at Air Force Academy Dundigal (Hyderabad). The duration of training for Flying and Ground Duty (Technical) Branches is 62 weeks and that of Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches is 52 weeks at Air Force Training Establishments. PAN Card and account in SBI/ Nationalised Bank is mandatory at the time of joining Air Force Academy. Aadhaar Card is mandatory for registration.
IAF Offers You Pay on Commissioning (As per 7th CPC).
| Rank | Pay as per Defence Matrix | Level | MSP |
| Flying Officer | Rs. 56100 – 177500 | 10 | Rs. 15500 |
Note. Flight Cadets shall receive a fixed stipend of Rs 56,100/- per month during one year of training.
Allowances
In addition to pay, allowances are applicable based on the nature of duty/ place of posting and it includes Flying, Transport, Technical, Field Area, Special Compensatory (Hill area), Special Force, Siachen, Island Special Duty, Test Pilot & Flight Test Engineer, Area and Remote Locality Allowance, etc.
Privileges
Air Force Officers are entitled to furnished accommodation, comprehensive medical cover for self and dependents, Canteen, Officers’ Mess, loans at subsidised rates, LTC etc. Leave (60 days annual and 20 days casual), subject to service exigencies.
Insurance
Rs. 1.25 crore Insurance Cover (on contribution) is applicable to service officer from Air Force Group Insurance Society (AFGIS).
Sports and Adventure
Indian Air Force provides state of the art facilities to play various sports and adventure activities (sky diving, micro light flying, mountaineering, water rafting etc.).
Important Instructions
Eligible candidates are to register online through separate tabs available for AFCAT Entry/ NCC Special Entry. Candidates eligible for one/more entries are to register separately in each entry.
Tattoos
The policy on permanent body tattoos is as follows:-
(a) Permanent body tattoos are not permitted on any other body part either visible or non-visible part, except on the Inner face of forearms i.e. from Inside of the elbow to the wrist of both the hands and Reverse side of the palm / back (dorsal) side of both hands for which a candidate will be required to sign a Self-declaration Certificate. Small innocuous tattoos that are not prejudicial to good order and military discipline, are permitted e.g. religious symbols or names of near and dear ones.
(b) Tribes with tattoo marks on the face or body as per their existing customs and traditions will be permitted on a case to case basis.
Narcotics
Use/ possession of narcotics is banned. Candidate may be tested for presence of drugs in the body during Medicals and subsequently during training/ service career as an officer. If candidate is found to be using/ in possession of narcotics during any time of training/ service career, candidate would be debarred from joining the Indian Air Force or be removed from service if already joined.
Conduct of Online Testing for AFCAT Examination and Fee Structure
Online testing will be conducted for AFCAT entry at various centers. Candidates registering for AFCAT entry will have to pay an amount of Rs. 550/- + GST (nonrefundable) as examination fee. However, candidates registering for NCC Special entry are not required to pay. Details of conduct of exam, examination centers and mode of payment are available in the notification.
Marital Status
Candidates must be unmarried at the time of commencement of the course and marriage is not permitted during training. A candidate who marries during the period of training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him/ her by the Government.
Candidates are required to maintain their unique registered E-Mail ID and mobile phone number active throughout the selection process.
Please note that information filled up by the candidates in online application form will be considered final and no amendments will be allowed subsequently. Candidates should exercise due care while entering their date of birth.
Travel Allowance (TA)
To and fro travelling fare by the shortest route of AC-III Tier/ AC Chair Car or actual normal bus fare will be reimbursed to the candidates appearing in Air Force Selection Board for the first time. For all other modes of travel, TA will be admissible as per the Government authorized rules. No TA is admissible, if you have already appeared for the same type of entry at any of the Selection Boards. Candidates are to furnish the correct and active Saving Bank Account which needs to be in their name and no other name or Bank Accounts like Sukanya Samridhi etc will be acceptable for transfer of the claim. In case of any delay in furnishing admissible tickets/bank account etc, a maximum period of one month from the date of commencement of SSB will be considered after which no TA claim will be paid and the amount will be returned to the Government. No further queries/claims will be accepted in this regard.
Physical Conditioning
You are advised to be physically fit when you report for SSB in order to be able to undergo the tests at AFSB. You should aim to achieve an ability to run 01 mile (1.6 kms) in 10 minutes, do 10 push ups and 03 chin ups. Prospective candidates are also advised to keep themselves in good physical condition to adapt to physical training at AFA which encompasses running, swimming, rope climbing and other forms of physical training/ conditioning in which they would undergo mandatory tests during training.
Query
For queries related to conduct of online examination, registration process and admit cards contact 020-25503105 or 020-25503106 or E-Mail afcatcell@cdac.in . For queries regarding eligibility, allotment of AFSB centres, date of AFSB interview, merit list and Joining Instructions contact 011-23010231 Extn 7610 or Toll free number 1800-11-2448.
Disclaimer
Information given in the advertisement and on the website are only guidelines. In case of any ambiguity, the existing policies, rules and regulations of IAF/ Govt. of India as amended from time to time will be final and binding. Terms and conditions given in the advertisement are only guidelines and are subject to change without notice.
Statutory Warning
Selection in the Indian Air Force is fair and merit based. Attempt to influence the selection process at any stage, or use of any unfair means like forgery, impersonation or supplying false information etc. is liable to lead to termination of candidature or initiation of service and legal action against the concerned individual.