To join the Indian Air Force is a dream of many aspirants and in this article, you can find the different ways to join the Indian Air Force. There are three different branches of Indian Air Force namely Flying Branch, Ground Duty Technical Branch and Ground Duty Non-Technical Branch. Since few years the ways to join the Indian Air Force as an officer has changed and limited to few major entries we are going to talk about in detail.
Four major ways to join the Indian Air Force
- NDA Entry
- CDSE Entry
- AFCAT Entry
- NCC Special Entry
It is a dream of millions to Join Indian Air Force and get the wings to live a life filled with glory and pride. There are a number of ways in which the aspirants can turn this dream into reality and Join Indian Air Force as an officer. The major training academy is Air Force Academy (AFA), located in Dundigal, Hyderabad. Here are the above-mentioned ways in which you can Join Indian Air Force:
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Different Ways To Join Indian Air Force As An Officer
- NDA Entry: This is the first opportunity which you get to join the Air Force. Though limited to flying branch, and exclusive to boys, this is an excellent opportunity which boys get after class 12th to join IAF. They spend three years in National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune, which is like a feeder institution for Air Force Academy, Dundigal. Candidates get a three-year common training at NDA, and are then shifted to AFA for basic Flying Training, prior to commissioning then they are allocated their aircraft type and given further training at the designated flying training school. The exam for this is conducted twice every year, by UPSC.
- The advertisement for NDA is released twice a year in the months of June and December by UPSC.
- Candidates are to apply as per the advertisement.
- The written tests are conducted by UPSC only. For details visit www.upsc.gov.in
| Exam type | Written exam followed by SSB for successful candidates. |
| Gender | Men |
| Format | Two papers consisting of General awareness, Mathematics and English |
| Educational Qualification | 10+2 (with physics and mathematics). Final Years eligible |
| Age | 16 ½ to 19 ½ years(at the time of commencement of course) |
| Notification date | May and December (Approx.) |
| Exam date | April and September (Approx.) |
| Commission type | Permanent commission |
- CDSE Entry: Again an exclusive entry for men, after graduation and meant only for flying branch. CDSE is an exam conducted by UPSC, twice every year. The training is conducted in AFA, and then the candidate is moved to the specialized flying training establishment. This entry too is meant for all the three forces, just like NDA.
- The advertisement for CDSE in the months of July and November by UPSC.
- Candidates are to apply as per the advertisement.
- The written tests are conducted by UPSC only. For details visit www.upsc.gov.in
| Exam type | Written exam followed by SSB for successful candidates. |
| Gender | Men |
| Format | Three papers consisting of General awareness, English and Mathematics. |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) / BE / B Tech (Four Year Course). Final years eligible. |
| Age | 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of course) |
| Notification date | June and October (Approx.) |
| Exam date | February and September (Approx.) |
| Commission type | Permanent commission |
- NCC Special Entry: Once again an exclusive entry for men aiming for the flying branch. Training procedure almost same as CDSE. As an Air Wing Senior Division ’C’ Certificate holder of the National Cadet Corps, you can apply to the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force. Air Sqn NCC Senior division ‘C’ certificate holders are to apply online through NCC Special entry. The notification comes along with the AFCAT notification.
| Exam type | Direct SSB call for Air Wing Senior Division ’C’ Certificate holder of the National Cadet Corps. |
| Gender | Men and Women |
| Format | SSB |
| Educational Qualification | · Graduate (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognized University with minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together and have passed Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 levelORBE / B Tech (Four Year Course) from a recognized University with minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together. · Final Year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they do not have any present backlogs at the time of SSB Testing and produce Degree certificate issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement. · NCC Air Wing Senior Division ’C’ certificate. |
| Age | 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of course) |
| Notification date | NCC Cadets are to apply through respective NCC Air Squadrons/DG NCC |
| Commission type | Permanent commission |
- UES Entry (Discontinued): University Entry Scheme is meant for engineering student of pre final year, for the technical branch of IAF. This is entry for men and the training is in AFA, followed by Air Force Technical College in Bangalore. The advertisement is released along with AFCAT.
| Exam type | Written exam followed by SSB for successful candidates. |
| Gender | Men |
| Educational Qualification | The candidate must be currently studying in Pre-final year of BE / BTech degree course with choice of subject as mentioned in the advertisement. There must be No backlog / arrears of papers of previous semesters at the time of SSB Testing. On completion of degree, minimum 60% of marks in aggregate in all papers put together are mandatory. |
| Age | 20 to 26 years (at the time of commencement of course) |
| Notification date | December (Approx.) |
| Commission type | Permanent commission |
- AFCAT Entry: This is the biggest test conducted for inducting officer in IAF. This test inducts both men and women as officers in all the three branches of IAF, i.e. Flying, Technical and Ground Duty. AFCAT is conducted twice every year by the Air Force and includes an added test called EKT (Engineering Knowledge Test) for Technical branch aspirants. The eligibility and training differ according to each branch. Since AFCAT 2 2017, the exam is conducted Online by the CDAC, earlier it was conducted offline by the Indian Air Force. Here are general details regarding this test. AFCAT – AIR FORCE COMMON ADMISSION TEST
- For all entries other than NDA and CDSE and for all branches, candidates have to undergo the AFCAT.
- The test is conducted twice a year in February and August.
- Advertisements inviting applications for AFCAT are out in June and December. Candidates are to apply as per the advertisement.
- The test is conducted all across India by the Indian Air Force.
| Exam type | Written exam followed by SSB for successful candidates. |
| Gender | Men and Women |
| Format | One paper consisting of General awareness, English, Mathematics and Military Aptitude. EKT for Technical branch |
| Qualification | The eligibility criteria with respect to age limit, educational qualifications etc. for AFCAT are spelled out in the advertisement published. Minimum qualification required is graduation. |
| Branches | Flying, Technical and Ground Duty. |
| Notification date | June and December (Approx.) |
| Exam date | February and August (Approx.) |
| Commission type | Permanent commission for men and Short Service Commission for men and women. |
- Meteorological Branch: This is branch only for Post Graduate students. Permanent and short service commissions are given to men and women. The notification comes along with the AFCAT notification.
| Exam type | Direct applications followed by SSB for chosen candidates. |
| Gender | Men and Women |
| Educational Qualification | Post Graduate Degree in any Science stream / Mathematics / Statistics / Geography / Computer Applications / Environmental Science / Applied Physics / Oceanography / Meteorology / Agricultural Meteorology / Ecology & Environment / Geo-physics / Environmental Biology with minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all papers put together (Provided Maths and Physics were studied at Graduation Level, with a minimum of 55% marks in both). |
| Age | 20 to 26 years (at the time of commencement of course) |
| Notification date | Keep checking the website for details |
| Commission type | Permanent commission for men and Short Service commission for men and women |
- Fast Track Mode (Discontinued): Generally the selection procedure is spread for a duration of six months, however via Fast Track Selection it is ensured that it is completed within ten days’ time. This mode is mostly meant for Flying Branch and Meteorological Branch. There is no fixed time for advertisement schedule. You need to keep checking the website for such opportunity.
| Exam type | Written exam followed by SSB for successful candidates. |
| Gender | Men and Women |
| Educational Qualification | Depends on the branch |
| Age | Depends on the branch |
| Notification date | Not fixed |
| Commission type | Permanent commission for men and Short Service commission for men and women |
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Also Read:
- 10 Different Ways To Join Indian Army As an Officer
- How To Join RAW – Research and Analysis Wing
- How To Join Indian Army After Graduation
- How To Join Indian Armed Forces After 12th
- How To Join Indian Air Force After Engineering
- How To Join Indian Airforce After 10+2
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When do we get more?
do they call for Technical entry in FTS ? any chance for that ??