Indian Air Force Announces Eligibility, Pay Scale And Selection Process For AFCAT 2026

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will begin the online application for the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) 2026 and NCC Special Entry vacancies from tomorrow (November 10). Candidates can visit the official website of the IAF (afcat.edcil.co.in) to check the recruitment details uploaded by the IAF on November 9.

The application is invited for Flying, Ground Duty (Technical), and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches. For NCC Special Entry, the IAF opens posts for the Flying branch, which includes 10 percent of seats out of CDSE vacancies and 10 percent of vacancies out of AFCAT.

Eligibility Criteria:

For Flying Graduates these are the three modes of entry for graduates/engineers to join the Flying Branch:

Combined Defence Services Examination (for men only):

1. Eligibility criteria:

* Age: 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of the course)

* Nationality: Indian

* Marital Status: Single

* Gender: Men only

* Educational Qualifications:

* Graduate (Three-Year Course) in any discipline from a recognized university (with Physics and Mathematics at the 10+2 level)/BE/B Tech (Four-Year Course).

* Final year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they produce a degree certificate issued by the university as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.

* No percentage bar for CDSE entry.

NCC Special Entry (for men and women):

1. As an Air Wing Senior Division 'C' Certificate holder of the National Cadet Corps, you can apply to the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force. Men and women can join the Air Force through this mode of entry. A Permanent Commission is offered for men, and a Short Service Commission for men and women.

2. Eligibility criteria:

* Age: 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of the course). The upper age limit for candidates holding a valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxed up to 26 years (at the time of commencement of the course).

* Nationality: Indian

* Marital Status: Single

* Gender: Men and women

* Educational Qualifications:

* Minimum 50 per cent marks each in Maths and Physics at the 10+2 level.

* Graduate (Three-Year Course) in any discipline from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent or BE/B Tech (Four-Year Course) from a recognized university with a minimum of 60 per cent marks or equivalent OR

* Cleared Section A & B examination of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with a minimum of 60 per cent marks or equivalent.

* Final year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they do not have any present backlogs at the time of AFSB.

* NCC Air Wing Senior Division 'C' Certificate, and the validity of the certificate would be two years before the date of advertisement.

Short Service Commission Entry (for men and women):

1. Short Service Commission in the Flying Branch is for 14 years with no further extension.

2. Eligibility criteria:

* Age: 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of the course). The upper age limit for candidates holding a valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxed up to 26 years (at the time of commencement of the course).

* Nationality: Indian

* Marital Status: Single

* Gender: Men and women

* Educational Qualifications:

* Minimum 50 per cent marks each in Maths and Physics at the 10+2 level.

* Graduates (Three-Year Course) in any discipline from a recognized university who have attained a minimum of 60 per cent marks or equivalent OR

* BE/B Tech (Four-Year Course) from a recognized university with a minimum of 60 per cent marks or equivalent OR

* Cleared Section A & B examination of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India from a recognized university with a minimum of 60 per cent marks or equivalent.

* Final year students are also eligible to apply, provided they do not have any backlog at the time of AFSB Testing and produce a degree certificate issued by the university as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.

For Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branches:

General Eligibility Criteria:

* Age: 20 to 26 years for graduates (at the time of commencement of the course).

* Marital Status: Candidates below the age of 25 years must be unmarried.

* Nationality: Indian

* Gender: Both men and women

As a Ground Duty candidate, you can join the Weapon System (WS) Branch, Administration, Accounts, Logistics, and Meteorology branches.

For Ground Duty (Technical):

* As an officer in the Ground Duty (Technical) Branch, the minimum age is 20 and the maximum is 26 years (at the time of commencement of the course).

* Nationality: Indian

* Marital Status: Candidates below the age of 25 years should be unmarried.

* Entry can be done through the Aeronautical Engineering Course, and candidates must have scored a minimum of 60 per cent marks or equivalent in any one of the listed disciplines.

For Post-Graduate Ground Duty (Non-Technical) Branch:

* Age: 20 to 26 years for postgraduates (at the time of commencement of the course).

* Marital Status: Candidates below the age of 25 years must be unmarried.

* Nationality: Indian

* Gender: Both men and women

* Passed 10+2 and post-graduation with 50 per cent in any discipline, including integrated courses offering PG (single degree without permission to exit and lateral entry), and with 60 per cent marks in graduation in any discipline.

* For integrated courses (single degree without permission to exit and lateral entry), the minimum duration must be as per prevailing UGC guidelines, with a minimum of 50 per cent marks in aggregate of all papers put together.

Pay Scale:

Before commissioning: Rs 56,100 during one year of training. Flying Officers will be paid between Rs 56,100 and Rs 1,77,500 (Level 10 pay) and a Military Service Pay (MSP) of Rs 15,500. After commissioning, candidates are eligible for allowances as per the nature of duty/place of posting.

Candidates can also download the question papers for AFCAT 1 and 2. Additionally, the answer key for the questions is also provided by the IAF on their official website.

Selection Process for the Vacancies:

* Apply for vacancies followed by a written test.

* Go through Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) two-stage testing.

* Pass the medical examination.

* Results will be based on an all-India merit list according to performance.

Note: The application will be closed on December 9, 2025.