Introduction
The IAF published the official notification for the IAF Commissioned Officer Recruitment 02/2026 on May 12th, 2026. This notification states 300+ vacancies for Flying officers and Ground Duty in technical and non-technical roles. The application process for the AFCAT 02-2026 exams will be strictly online. The online application forms will be available on the official website of the IAF from May 20th to June 19th, 2026. This recruitment is exam-based, followed by physical, mental, and psychological tests and a personal interview. IAF announces recruitments twice a year, for commissioned officers' posts. This notification of the IAF Commissioned Officer Recruitment is for the July 2027 course. The 300 vacancies listed are tentative and subject to change based on the organization's requirements and training slots occurring in July 2027.
Overview of the Official Notification for IAF Recruitment 2026
- Organization Name: Indian Air Force (IAF), Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India
- Advertisement Name: AFCAT 02/2026 / NCC Special Entry / GATE Score Entry
- Job Post Name: Commissioned Officer (Flying Officer, Ground Duty - Technical & Non-Technical)
- Type of Commission: Permanent Commission (PC) & Short-Service Commission (SSC) for Men & Women
- Course Commencement: July 2027
- Application Mode: Online only
- AFCAT Exam Fee: Rs. 550/- + GST (non-refundable) | NCC Special Entry & GATE Score Entry: NIL
- Pay Scale (on Commissioning): Flying Officer - Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 1,77,500 (Level 10 as per 7th CPC) + MSP Rs. 15,500/-
- Online Registration Starts From: May 20th, 2026, (11:00 Hrs)
- Last Date for Online Registraion: June 19th, 2026, (23:30 Hrs)
About IAF Commissioned Officer Recruitment 2026 Vacancies
The official notification for the Indian Air Force Commissioned Recruitment 2026 listed the tentative vacancies available for each entry. These vacancies span across the Flying Branch and Ground Duty (technical and non-technical) Branches. In this Indian Air Force Recruitment the vacancies listed are tentative and subject to change without notice. The actual vacancies are entirely dependent on the organizational requirements, various cadre control mechanisms, the availability of training slots, and the actual number of vacancies occurring in July 2027. Two seats from Ground Duty (non-technical) in the listed vacancies in the official notification are reserved for Law-Qualified candidates.
AFCAT 2026 Vacancy Details
| Entry | Branch | Course Number | SSC Men | SSC Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFCAT Entry | Flying | 222/27F/SSC/M&W | 30 | 5 |
| AFCAT Entry | Ground Duty (Technical) | 221/27T/PC/M, 111AEC/M&W, 221/27T/SSC/M&W | As published in 02/2026 | As published in 02/2026 |
| AFCAT Entry | Weapon Systems (WS) |
Eligibility Criteria for AFCAT 2/2026 Exam
| Aspect | Flying Branch (AFCAT & NCC Special Entry) | Ground Duty (Technical & Non Technical) |
|---|---|---|
| Age Limit (as on 01/07/2027) | 20 to 24 years• Born between 02 Jul 2003 – 01 Jul 2007 (both inclusive) | 20 to 26 years• Born between 02 Jul 2001 – 01 Jul 2007 (both inclusive) |
| Marital Status | Must be unmarried at course commencement; marriage not allowed during training; violation leads to discharge & reimbursement of government expenses | Same rules apply: must remain unmarried during training; violation leads to discharge & repayment |
| Educational Qualification – Basic Requirement | Minimum 50% marks each in Maths & Physics at 10+2 level | Varies by technical branch; AE(L) requires 60% marks in Physics & Maths at 10+2 |
Points to Consider Before Application
Candidates eligible for one or more entries are required to register separately for each entry. After completion of the application process, the candidate must download the application slip generated by the system with a unique application number for future reference. Information filled in the online application form will be considered final, and no corrections will be entertained later on. Interested candidates for IAF AFCAT 02/2026 recruitment must maintain their registered email ID and phone number active throughout the application and selection process. Candidate's Aadhar Card, PAN card, and account in SBI / Nationalized Bank are mandatory at the time of joining the Air Force Academy. Apart from this, candidates must be unmarried at the time of course commencement. Marriage during the training period will result in the discharge and liability to refund all the expenses incurred by the Government.
How to Apply Online for Indian Air Force Recruitment 2026?
- 1Visit the official AFCAT website and click on the application link to initiate the application process.
- 2Complete your initial registration by filling in your name, email ID, phone number, etc., to generate a unique applicant profile.
- 3Log in using your newly generated credentials.
- 4Carefully fill the application form with personal details, educational background, entry, and other required information.
- 5Upload necessary documents like photo, signature, and thumb impression, sized between 10kb and 50kb in jpg/jpeg format.
- 6Choose the preferred city to take your AFCAT exam from the list provided.
- 7
Selection Process Stages
- 1AFSB Stage 1:- This screening round consists of Officer Intelligence Training (OIR) and the Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PP&DT). The candidate who fails to clear stage 1 will not be able to appear for stage 2.
- 2AFSB Stage 2:- This stage evaluates candidates who have cleared stage 1 of testing. In this stage, candidates will undergo psychological testing, group tasks, and a personal interview to evaluate their leadership, communication, and psychological fitness. Plus, candidates who are applying for the Flying Branch must take the Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS) test for assessment of the suitability of the candidate to become a pilot.
- 3Medical Examination:- Recommended candidates from the AFSB testing rounds are called for medical examination at IAM Bengaluru or AFCME Delhi.
- 4Final merit list and joining instructions.
Pay Scale for IAF Commissioned Officers
- Pay Band - INR 56,100 per month (Level 10 - pay matrix)
- Military Service Pay - INR 15,500 per month
- CPC - INR 56,100 to INR 1,77,500
Exam Pattern for AFCAT 02/2026
The latest AFCAT 2026 notification mentions the exam pattern in detail, so candidates can understand the structure and prepare effectively. All about the key subjects, marks distribution, and exam duration is covered in the official notification. - The exam consists of 100 questions to be completed in a duration of two hours. - Subjects include General Awareness, Verbal Ability in English, Numerical Ability, Reasoning, and Military Aptitude. - The total marks of the AFCAT exams are 300.
Syllabus for IAF 2/2026 Recruitment
The syllabus for the AFCAT 2026 02 exam is as follows: - English: Synonyms, antonyms, comprehension, error detection, sentence rearrangement, sentence completion, idioms, phrases, cloze test, analogy, and one-word substitution. - General Awareness: History, geography, civics, environment, basic science, polity, art & culture, defence, personalities, current affairs, sports, and organizations. - Numerical Ability: Time & work, percentage, ratio & proportion, simple and compound interest, profit & loss, time & distance, area & perimeter, probability, number system, mixture & allegation, and clocks. - Reasoning & Military Aptitude: Verbal & non-verbal reasoning, coding-decoding, series, analogy, classifications, Venn diagrams, data interpretation, mental ability, and military aptitude.
Tips from Gyapak Experts for AFCAT 2 2026
Candidates must train physically, mentally, and psychologically to clear the Indian Air Force Recruitment and upcoming government exams. To prepare for AFCAT 02/2026, you can take help from the following books: - English Verbal Ability: Verbal Reasoning by Bhupendra Kumar & Objective General English by Dr. R.S. Aggarwal. - General Awareness: The Malayala Manorama English Yearbook, Plinth to Paramount by Neetu Singh (KD Publications) & Lucent's General Knowledge. - Numerical Ability: Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation by Disha Publications, Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal. - Reasoning & Military Aptitude: Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by McGraw-Hill Education. To prepare for the IAF Commissioned Officer Recruitment 2026, candidates must be in good physical condition. Also, candidates must regularly give mock tests and solve previous year's question papers to understand the patterns and question framing.
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