What is Short Service Commission in Indian Air Force?

SSC or Short Service Commission in Indian Air Force means a career of maximum 10+4 years and minimum 10 years in the Indian Air Force.  The training is done in Air Force Academy, Dundigal. Women can join IAF as SSC officers only, while men can join as both SSC and PC officers.

In IAF you can join as SSC officers through AFCAT or Air Force Common Admission Test entries. This test is conducted twice a year and it is an objective type test consisting of different types of questions from areas ranging from GK to Math, English and Reasoning. When you clear the written test, i.e. AFCAT you are called for Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) at any of the four boards of IAF i.e. Dehradun, Mysore, Gandhinagar and Varanasi. AFSB is a six day process and if you clear AFSB you are sent for medical tests, on clearing which you can join Air Force Academy after your name appears in the all India merit list.

Through AFCAT you can join as SSC officers in Technical, ground duty or Flying Branch. The entry into flying branch through AFCAT is SSC for both men and women. For technical and Ground Duty branch the tenure of SSC is 10 years extendable to 4 more years based on the requirement, performance and willingness of the candidate, hence total 14 years. However for Flying Branch the tenure is of 14 years and not less or more than that.

Now-a-days women are being given PC also in Accounts and Administration branch; however it is not a custom. Thus the total tenure for SSC officers (Both male and female) is maximum of 14 years.

After completing the tenure you can get placed in civil also. After leading a very active life in Air Force, majority of the retired Air Force personnel are faced with pressing need to keep themselves gainfully occupied in civil life. To help such ex- Air Force personnel find a suitable job post retirement, the Placement Cell of Air Force Association offers employment assistance to fulfill their needs. The Cell acts as a facilitator between the employer and the employee. The main function involves registration of retirees, matching their profile vis-à-vis qualitative requirements set out by the employer and arranging for their interview for final selection by the employer.

Thus it is good choice to join the IAF as an SSC officer.