AFCAT 01/2027 Notification: 284 Posts, Apply by 11 Dec

The Indian Air Force has released the detailed notification for AFCAT 01/2027, and it carries 284 vacancies. Registration opens on 12 November 2026 at 11 am and closes on 11 December 2026 at 11:30 pm on afcat.edcil.co.in. The fee is Rs 550 plus 18 percent GST for AFCAT entry, and the online exam is on 31 January 2027, a Sunday. The courses begin in the first week of January 2028 at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad.

This cycle covers the Flying Branch and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches, along with NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry. The 284 seats split as 36 in the Flying Branch, 124 in Ground Duty (Technical), 108 in Ground Duty (Non-Technical) and 16 through GATE Score Entry. The notification prints no grand total, so 284 is the sum of the fixed figures in its own table. The NCC Special Entry has no fixed number, it is set as 10 percent of the relevant vacancies. Every vacancy figure is tentative and can change without notice.

AFCAT 01/2027 at a glance

284 seats, and where they sit

The Flying Branch takes 36, all on Short Service Commission, 28 men and 8 women, with no Permanent Commission seats in this cycle. Ground Duty (Technical) takes the largest share at 124, across Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) and Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical), split between Permanent and Short Service Commission for men and women. Ground Duty (Non-Technical) takes 108, across Weapon Systems, Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education and Meteorology. GATE Score Entry adds 16 more seats in Ground Duty (Technical).

Two seats inside Ground Duty (Non-Technical) are reserved for law qualified candidates. The Meteorology branch takes just 2 seats, one man and one woman, both on Permanent Commission. The NCC Special Entry works differently, it takes 10 percent of the CDSE vacancies for Permanent Commission (men) and 10 percent of the AFCAT vacancies for Short Service Commission (men and women), so it has no fixed number in the table.

The figure of 379 posts that several websites quoted does not appear in the detailed notification either. It was never in the short notice, and it is not in the 66 page notification. The only number the Air Force has published is the branch wise table, and that table adds to 284. Treat even that as tentative, because the notification says the vacancies can change without notice.

Who can apply

Only Indian citizens can apply, and both men and women are eligible, subject to the conditions for each branch. Candidates must be unmarried when the course begins. Marriage is not allowed during training, and the notice says a violation leads to discharge and recovery of training expenses. An Aadhaar card is mandatory for registration.

The Air Force counts the age limits as on 1 January 2028. For the Flying Branch, the age is 20 to 24 years, which means a date of birth between 2 January 2004 and 1 January 2008, both dates included. Candidates holding a valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence from the DGCA get the upper limit relaxed to 26 years, so their date of birth can fall between 2 January 2002 and 1 January 2008.

For Ground Duty, Technical and Non-Technical, including GATE Score Entry, the age is 20 to 26 years as on 1 January 2028, which means a date of birth between 2 January 2002 and 1 January 2008.

The detailed notification also settles the qualifications, and it holds one surprise. It states no minimum percentage for any branch. Not for Flying, not for the engineering branches, not for the non-technical branches. The only percentage rule is a conversion method for CGPA holders, with no threshold attached. So if a coaching site quotes 50 or 60 percent for this cycle, that number is not in the notification.

Flying needs Physics and Mathematics at 10+2, plus a three year graduation in any discipline, or a four year BE or BTech, or the Associate Membership exams of the Institution of Engineers or the Aeronautical Society of India.

Ground Duty (Technical) splits two ways. Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) needs Physics and Mathematics at 10+2, plus an MSc in Electronics with a BSc in Physics, or a four year engineering degree in one of 94 listed disciplines, or the Associate Membership exams, or graduate membership of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers. Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) needs Physics and Mathematics at 10+2, plus a four year engineering degree in one of 39 listed disciplines, or the Associate Membership exams. There is no MSc or IETE route on the Mechanical side.

GATE Score Entry needs a BE or BTech in one of those 133 disciplines, plus a valid GATE score in one of 10 listed papers, and the score must come from a result declared between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2027.

Ground Duty (Non-Technical) varies by branch. Weapon Systems needs Mathematics and Physics at 10+2, plus a three year graduation in any discipline or a BE or BTech. Administration and Logistics need only 10+2 and a three year graduation in any discipline, with no Physics or Mathematics requirement at 10+2.

Accounts needs a BCom, or a BBA, BMS or BBS with a Finance specialisation, or a qualified CA, CMA, CS or CFA, or a BSc with a Finance specialisation. Education needs a post-graduation in any discipline along with a graduation. Meteorology needs a BSc with Physics and Mathematics, or a four year engineering degree in one of 22 listed streams.

Final year students can apply, provided they have no backlog when they submit the form, and they must submit proof of completing their final exams by 30 November 2027, with no extension. A diploma in place of 10+2 does not count, only the 10+2 pattern is accepted. Candidates who failed the Computerised Pilot Selection System before, or were suspended from flying training, cannot apply for the Flying Branch.

Two small details from the notice are easy to miss. The notice reserves two seats in Ground Duty (Non-Technical) for law qualified candidates, and only a three year professional LLB after graduation or a five year professional LLB after 10+2 counts. And NCC Special Entry for the Flying Branch takes about 10 percent of the relevant vacancies, with men eligible for Permanent Commission and both men and women for Short Service Commission.

What you get paid, and how long you serve

Flight cadets receive a fixed stipend of Rs 56,100 per month while training. On commissioning, a Flying Officer draws pay in Level 10, from Rs 56,100 to Rs 1,77,500, plus Military Service Pay of Rs 15,500 per month. Flying, Technical, Transport, Risk and Hardship allowances apply on top, depending on branch and posting.

The commission terms differ by branch. The Flying Branch is Short Service Commission for 14 years from the date of commissioning, with no pension for a pure SSC tenure. Ground Duty SSC officers serve an initial 10 years, with a possible four year extension. The Air Force may consider Permanent Commission later under the rules in force at the time. Officers also get medical cover, accommodation, canteen facilities, Leave Travel Concession and insurance through the Air Force Group Insurance Society.

How to apply on afcat.edcil.co.in

AFCAT 2027 apply online starts on 12 November at 11 am. Go to afcat.edcil.co.in and pick the right registration tab. The portal splits registration by entry type, so choose the tab that matches yours. Register with an email ID and mobile number you will keep active through the whole selection, because the Air Force uses them for every later message.

Fill the form with care. The notice warns that you cannot change details such as date of birth after submission, and the Air Force treats everything you enter as final. Upload the photo and signature in the sizes the form asks for. If a file comes out the wrong size, the site's exam photo resizer fixes it in a minute.

Pay the fee online if you are applying through AFCAT entry. NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry candidates pay nothing. Submit the form before 11 December at 11:30 pm, and do not leave it for the last evening. The portal slows down near every deadline, and a form that fails to submit at 11:25 pm is a form that was never filed.

After the written exam on 31 January 2027, the selection runs through Air Force Selection Board testing, which covers psychological tests and group tasks before the interview. Flying Branch candidates also go through the Computerised Pilot Selection System. Ground Duty (Technical) candidates take an Engineering Knowledge Test as well. A medical examination follows, and the Air Force draws up the final merit list on overall performance.

If defence entries interest you beyond the Air Force, this site's CDS I final result post covers the UPSC CDS final result for the 2026 cycle, and that route leads to the Army, Navy and Air Force through a different exam.

Sources & verification: Indian Air Force, AFCAT 01/2027 short notice, Employment News advertisement CBC 10801/11/0010/2627, released 2 November 2026, read 7 November 2026. Indian Air Force, detailed notification for AFCAT 01/2027, 66 page PDF listed on afcat.edcil.co.in on 11 November 2026 and read in full on 13 November 2026: vacancy table on page 1, age rules on page 2, educational qualifications on pages 3 to 8, fee rules on page 11. The notification prints no grand vacancy total and no issue date; 284 is the sum of the fixed figures in its table, and the vacancies are tentative. The apply online link on the portal was checked live on 13 November 2026 and opens the applicant login page for AFCAT 01/2027.