Indian Air Force AFCAT 02/2025: Your Opportunity to Become an Officer

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is inviting aspiring individuals to join its esteemed ranks as officers through the Air Force Common Admission Online Test (AFCAT) 02/2025. This recruitment drive offers exciting opportunities across various branches for courses scheduled to commence in July 2026. Both men and women are encouraged to apply for Short Service Commission (SSC) in the Flying and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. Additionally, the IAF is also accepting applications for Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC) under the NCC Special Entry Scheme for the flying branch, and for the Meteorology entry.

Diverse Vacancies Across Branches

A total of 304 officer vacancies are available in AFCAT 02/2025, distributed across different branches and commissions. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Flying Branch (Short Service Commission – SSC): 29 vacancies (18 for Men, 11 for Women).
Ground Duty Branch (Technical) – Aeronautical Engineering Electronics (AE(L)):
- Men: 88 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 23 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Technical) – Aeronautical Engineering Mechanical (AE(M)):
- Men: 36 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 9 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Non-Technical) – Weapon Systems (WS) Branch:
- Men: 14 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 3 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Non-Technical) – Administration (Admin):
- Men: 43 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 11 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Non-Technical) – Logistics:
- Men: 13 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 4 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Non-Technical) – Accounts:
- Men: 10 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 2 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Non-Technical) – Education:
- Men: 7 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 2 vacancies (SSC)
Ground Duty Branch (Non-Technical) – Meteorology:
- Men: 8 vacancies (SSC)
- Women: 2 vacancies (SSC)

NCC Special Entry Details

For NCC Cadets, special provisions are available:

NCC Branch Special Entry Flying (Permanent Commission – PC) Men: 10% of seats are reserved out of the CDSE (Combined Defence Services Examination) vacancies for PC.
NCC Branch Special Entry Flying (Short Service Commission – SSC) Men/Women: 10% of seats are reserved out of the AFCAT vacancies for SSC.

Eligibility Criteria and Remuneration

Candidates interested in applying should note the following age criteria:

Flying Branch: 20 to 24 years of age.
Ground Duty Branches: 20 to 26 years of age.

Successful candidates will be offered an attractive pay scale based on the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, with a Pay Level 10 of ₹56100-177500. In addition to this, officers will also receive numerous allowances, including a Military Service Pay (MSP) of ₹15000/-.

Application Process and Important Dates

The AFCAT 02/2025 online examination is scheduled to be conducted in September/October 2025.

Eligible and enthusiastic candidates must apply online through the official Air Force AFCAT recruitment website: https://afcat.cdac.in/AFCAT/. The application window opens on June 2, 2025, and will close on July 1, 2025. Make sure to submit your application within this timeframe.

Don’t miss this chance to embark on a prestigious career in the Indian Air Force!