AFCAT 2026 Notification — Dates, Eligibility & Apply Link: Vacancy

AFCAT 2026 Notification — this page consolidates the durable, evergreen structure of the AFCAT recruitment cycle so that candidates can plan their preparation and application without juggling unverified rumours from social media. The cycle-specific application window, fee, vacancy break-up and exam dates for AFCAT 2026 are the ones printed in the official Indian Air Force notification PDF on afcat.cdac.in; check the official notification for exact dates, vacancy counts and post-wise reservation.

About AFCAT

AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) is conducted by the Indian Air Force typically twice a year to recruit officers in the Flying Branch and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches under Short Service Commission. Candidates clearing AFCAT undergo SSB testing and medical examination before being commissioned.

AFCAT is conducted by Indian Air Force (Indian Air Force). Notifications for every cycle are published on the official portal afcat.cdac.in along with the abridged advertisement that appears in the Employment News. This page mirrors the structure of an official AFCAT notification — eligibility, age, fee, selection stages, exam pattern and timeline — so that candidates can quickly cross-reference each clause before starting the online application.

Latest 2026 status

If the official AFCAT 2026 notification PDF is already live on afcat.cdac.in, the verified application window, fee and exam date appear in the live-updates section below this article. If no 2026 notification has been released yet, treat any date floating on social media as tentative; this page is updated only when Indian Air Force publishes the official advertisement.

Posts recruited through AFCAT

AFCAT typically recruits for the following posts/services. The exact basket of posts in any particular cycle depends on indents from the user departments and is restated in the official notification.

• Flying Branch — Short Service Commission
• Ground Duty (Technical) — Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical/Electronics)
• Ground Duty (Non-Technical) — Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education and Meteorology

Eligibility overview

AFCAT is open to Indian citizens who satisfy the educational qualification prescribed in the official notification — typically a graduate degree with Mathematics and Physics at 10+2 for the Flying Branch, an engineering degree for Technical Branch, and a graduate degree (post-graduate degree for some streams) for Ground Duty Non-Technical Branches. Check the official notification for the exact age limit, marital-status condition and physical standards.

Always read the eligibility paragraph in the official AFCAT notification verbatim — the educational qualification, the recognising authority of the certifying body and the cut-off date for age and qualification are non-negotiable.

Selection process

AFCAT follows a structured, multi-stage selection process:

1. AFCAT — Online Test
2. Engineering Knowledge Test (EKT) — only for Technical Branch candidates
3. Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) Testing — Stage I and Stage II (five-day procedure)
4. Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) — for Flying Branch candidates
5. Medical Examination by IAM, Bengaluru
6. All-India Merit List and Joining

Each stage is qualifying for the next. The exact weightage of stages and the formula for the final merit list are defined in the official notification for the cycle and may vary slightly between cycles.

Application process overview

1. Open afcat.cdac.in during the application window and read the detailed AFCAT notification PDF along with the abridged advertisement.
2. Register using a valid email ID and mobile number (one-time registration on the Indian Air Force portal where applicable).
3. Fill the AFCAT application form with personal, educational, communication and category details exactly as they appear on official certificates.
4. Upload your photograph, signature and any post-specific documents in the prescribed format and size.
5. Pay the application fee online (UPI / Net Banking / Debit / Credit Card). Check the official notification for the exact fee applicable to your category in the current cycle.
6. Submit the form and save the confirmation page, registration number and password — these are reused for admit-card download and result lookup later.

Salary, posting and benefits overview

AFCAT candidates receive a stipend during the training period. On commissioning as a Flying Officer, officers are placed at Pay Level 10 of the Defence Pay Matrix, with Military Service Pay, Dearness Allowance, flying allowance (for Flying Branch), technical pay (for Technical Branch) and post-specific allowances. Verify exact figures with the latest official notification and the defence service pay rules.

In addition to monetary compensation, AFCAT recruitment opens up a structured Government of India career with defined promotion channels, pension/contributory pension under the prevailing rules, medical cover for self and dependents, leave entitlements and job security. Posting locations and transfer policy vary by post and cadre — refer to the recruitment notice and the cadre-specific service rules for details.

Documents required

• Class 10 mark sheet/certificate (proof of date of birth).
• Class 12 mark sheet/certificate, where required by the post.
• Graduation/diploma/professional degree certificates and consolidated mark sheets, as applicable.
• Category certificate (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS) in the prescribed Government of India format.
• PwBD certificate from a notified medical authority, where applicable.
• Ex-Servicemen discharge or service certificate, where applicable.
• Valid photo identification — Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID or Passport.
• Recent passport-size photograph and signature scans in the dimensions specified by the notification.

How to verify any update for AFCAT

The single authoritative source for AFCAT updates is the official Indian Air Force portal at afcat.cdac.in. Every paragraph on this page is written from the long-term, evergreen structure of AFCAT — the post profile, the selection process and the broad shape of the syllabus and exam pattern. Specifics such as the exact application window, the cycle-wise vacancy count, the precise application fee, the cut-off marks, the venue allotment, the answer key release schedule and the final result date are always cycle-specific. For those, open the latest official notification PDF on afcat.cdac.in and read the relevant clause directly.

We refresh this page when Indian Air Force publishes new AFCAT information so that the structural details here stay aligned with the latest official guidance. We do not publish unverified release dates, leaked answer keys, rumoured vacancy splits or unofficial cut-off claims. If a date is uncertain, this page will say so plainly and point you to the official notification rather than guess.

Things to avoid while preparing for AFCAT

• Do not rely on a single coaching prediction for the application window or the exam date — the only binding source is the official Indian Air Force notification on afcat.cdac.in.
• Do not assume that age relaxation, fee or syllabus weightage from a previous cycle automatically applies to the current cycle. Reservation clauses and fee structures are restated in every notification.
• Do not trust unofficial answer keys, leaked papers or social-media cut-off claims; the official answer key window is the only safe input for raw-score estimation.
• Do not delay document collection. Class 10, Class 12, graduation, category, EWS, PwBD and ID proofs in the prescribed format should be ready before the application window opens — a missing certificate at verification can lead to disqualification.
• Do not skip the official mock test on the Indian Air Force portal before the computer-based stage — familiarity with the testing interface saves crucial minutes on exam day.

Related Indian Air Force pages

Use the related links below to navigate between the eligibility, syllabus, exam-pattern, admit-card and result pages for AFCAT and other Defence Recruitment pages on this site. All of these pages follow the same evergreen, verification-first structure.