IAF AFCAT 2026: Opportunity to become an officer in the Air Force, forms will start from November 17, know how many vacancies

IAF AFCAT 2026: If you are dreaming of becoming an officer in the Indian Air Force, then there is a big update for you. Indian Air Force has released the notification of AFCAT 2026 (Air Force Common Admission Test). Through this recruitment, candidates will be selected for the posts of Flying Branch and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical). Interested candidates can apply online through the official website afcat.edcil.co.in.

When will the applications for AFCAT 2026 start?

The application process for Air Force Common Admission Test 2026 will start from 17th November 2025 and will continue till 14th December 2025. Whereas, online examination will be conducted on 31 January 2026.

How much is AFCAT 2026 vacancy?

This time, under AFCAT 2026 recruitment, Indian Air Force has invited both boys and girls to apply for Flying Branch, Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) and NCC Special Entry. A total of 340 posts will be recruited in AFCAT 2026, the maximum number of seats are 38 in Flying Branch and 188 in Ground Duty. In which seats for NCC are not decided separately. Know how many seats are there in which branch –

flying branch

• Recruitment will be done in Flying Branch under Short Service Commission (SSC). Here 34 seats have been kept for male candidates and 4 seats for women.

Ground Duty (Technical Branch)

• There are two sections in the technical branch – AE (Electronics) and AE (Mechanical). There are plenty of seats here.
• For male candidates, AE (L) has 3 seats (PC) and 100 seats (SSC), while AE (M) has 9 seats (PC) and 38 seats (SSC).
• For women, AE (L) has 3 seats (PC) and 23 seats (SSC), while AE (M) has 3 seats (PC) and 9 seats (SSC).

Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branch)

• In non-technical branches, recruitment will be done only under Short Service Commission (SSC). There are seats in many different departments here-
• Weapon System Branch: 21 seats for men and 5 seats for women.
• Administration: 48 seats for men and 12 seats for women.
• Logistics: 9 seats for men and 2 seats for women.
• Accounts Department: 8 seats for men and 2 seats for women.
• Education Department: 2 seats each for men and women.
• Meteorology Department: 1 seat for men and 2 seats for women.

NCC Special Entry (Flying Branch)

• If you have ‘C’ certificate of NCC, then there is a special opportunity for you also. Under NCC Special Entry, one can get entry in both Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC). Out of the total seats, 10% seats under CDSE and 10% seats under AFCAT will be reserved for NCC candidates.

What is AFCAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria?

Candidates who want to appear in this examination can see complete details of their educational qualification in the official notification. Different qualifications have been fixed for each branch (flying or ground duty). The link of the official notification is also given below.

IAF AFCAT 2026 Detailed Notification Link Here

Air Force Common Admission Test 2026: Age Limit

Flying Branch (AFCAT/NCC Special Entry): The age of the candidate should be between 20 to 24 years as on January 1, 2027. That means those who were born between January 2, 2003 and January 1, 2007 can apply. For candidates who have valid Commercial Pilot License issued by DGCA India, the maximum age limit is capped at 26 years.

Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical): Candidate’s age should be between 20 to 26 years as on 1st January 2027 i.e. born between 2nd January 2001 to 1st January 2007.

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