Checked 25 September 2026. Vacancy tables from the AFCAT 01/2026 and 02/2026 notifications (para 3); totals are our arithmetic. The notifications call vacancies "tentative and subject to change".
AFCAT is one exam for many jobs. The Air Force fills Flying, Ground Duty (Technical) and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches through it, for men and women — mostly as short service commission; through AFCAT itself, permanent commission is offered only in the technical branches, AE(L) and AE(M). The numbers are small and uneven: in 02/2026 the technical branch took well over half the seats, while Education and Meteorology offered three each. Knowing the table is the first step in choosing branches wisely.
AFCAT 01/2026 and 02/2026 notifications, para 3; totals are our arithmetic.
The branches
| Branch | Group | What the officer does |
|---|---|---|
| Flying | Flying | Pilot — fighter, transport or helicopter streams after training |
| Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) — AE(L) | Ground Duty (Technical) | Avionics, communication, radar and computer systems |
| Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) — AE(M) | Ground Duty (Technical) | Aircraft, engines and weapons maintenance engineering |
| Weapon Systems | Ground Duty (Non-Technical) | Weapon-system operations; may be sent for flying training |
| Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education, Meteorology | Ground Duty (Non-Technical) | Administration and air traffic/fighter control, supply chain, finance, training and education, weather services |
Branch names from the notification; the "what the officer does" column is our summary from the portal's branch pages.
Vacancies: AFCAT 02/2026 (courses from July 2027)
| Branch | Men PC | Women PC | Men SSC | Women SSC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying | – | – | 30 | 5 | 35 |
| AE(L) — Electronics | 2 | 2 | 107 | 25 | 136 |
| AE(M) — Mechanical | 8 | 2 | 52 | 13 | 75 |
| Weapon Systems | – | – | 21 | 5 | 26 |
| Administration | – | – | 50 | 12 | 62 |
| Logistics | – | – | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Accounts | – | – | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Education | – | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Meteorology | – | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Other entry (02/2026) | Men PC | Women PC | Men SSC | Women SSC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GATE Score Entry — AE(L) | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 17 |
| GATE Score Entry — AE(M) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| NCC Special Entry — Flying | "10% seats out of CDSE vacancies for PC and 10% seats out of AFCAT vacancies for SSC" (PC for men; SSC for men and women) | — | — | — | — |
From para 3 of the 02/2026 notification; totals are our arithmetic. Two Ground Duty (Non-Technical) seats are reserved for law graduates, and 10% of Ground Duty seats go to NCC Air Wing Senior Division 'C' certificate holders.
Vacancies: AFCAT 01/2026 (courses from January 2027)
| Branch | Men PC | Women PC | Men SSC | Women SSC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying | – | – | 34 | 4 | 38 |
| AE(L) — Electronics | 3 | 3 | 100 | 23 | 129 |
| AE(M) — Mechanical | 9 | 3 | 38 | 9 | 59 |
| Weapon Systems | – | – | 21 | 5 | 26 |
| Administration | – | – | 48 | 12 | 60 |
| Logistics | – | – | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| Accounts | – | – | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Education | – | – | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Meteorology | – | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Our arithmetic on the notification tables; 02/2026 excludes the 26 GATE Score Entry seats.
Two patterns stand out. Technical is the biggest intake — more than half the AFCAT-route seats in both cycles — and it is the only branch where AFCAT offers permanent commission. Flying is small and all short service through AFCAT (35–38 seats), with NCC Special Entry adding more. Among non-technical branches, Weapon Systems and Administration carry most seats; Logistics, Accounts, Education and Meteorology offer only a handful each.
Seats for women
| Branch (02/2026) | Women seats |
|---|---|
| Flying | 5 (SSC) |
| AE(L) | 27 (2 PC + 25 SSC) |
| AE(M) | 15 (2 PC + 13 SSC) |
| Weapon Systems | 5 |
| Administration | 12 |
| Logistics, Accounts, Education, Meteorology | 2 each |
From the 02/2026 table; women hold 72 of the 353 AFCAT-route seats by our addition, about one in five, and every branch has at least two. Eligibility, the exam and the AFSB are the same for men and women; physical and medical standards differ in places, as Appendix A sets out.
Permanent and short service commission
| Commission | Tenure | Pension |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent Commission (PC) | Service to superannuation | Yes |
| Short Service — Flying | 14 years from commissioning, no extension | No |
| Short Service — Ground Duty | 10 years, extendable by 4 subject to service needs and merit | No |
From para 4 of the 02/2026 notification and the portal. Short service officers "would be considered" for permanent commission subject to vacancies, willingness, suitability and merit. For planning a career, treat short service as the likely tenure and permanent commission as a possibility.
How branch allotment works
The written exam and AFSB produce a single merit list — written marks plus AFSB marks — for candidates who are medically fit. Branches are then allotted by merit, medical fitness, vacancies and the preferences you gave. (NCC Special Entry and GATE Score Entry candidates skip the written exam and are shortlisted for AFSB separately.) Two consequences follow. First, a high written score widens your options, because merit decides who gets first call on scarce seats. Second, medical fitness can narrow them: a candidate who does not meet flying medical standards is considered for the ground branches they listed. IAF may also set a second, branch-wise cut-off to call more candidates for particular branches; those candidates rank below everyone who cleared the first cut-off and count only for that branch.
Why the numbers change
Vacancies are set cycle by cycle and the notifications call them "tentative and subject to change". Between 01/2026 and 02/2026 the technical intake rose from 188 to 211 while Flying fell from 38 to 35 and Logistics from 11 to 6. Small branches can swing from a handful of seats to one or two — Education had four in 01/2026 and three in 02/2026. Do not assume the next cycle repeats the last; read the table in the 01/2027 notification before setting branch preferences, and list every branch you would genuinely accept, since a longer list gives the allotment more room.
Career paths by branch
| Branch group | Training | Commission via AFCAT |
|---|---|---|
| Flying | About 62 weeks; fighter, transport or helicopter streams | SSC, 14 years |
| Technical | About 62 weeks; Air Force Technical College; M.Tech from VTU | PC or SSC (10 + 4 years) |
| Non-Technical | About 50 weeks at the Air Force Academy | SSC (10 + 4 years) |
From the notification (paras 4 and 11) and the portal's training page.
The smaller branches, explained
| Branch | Who it suits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon Systems | Any graduate with Physics and Maths at 10+2 | Selectees "may have to undergo Flying Training"; 26 seats in 02/2026 |
| Accounts | B.Com, finance BBA/BMS/BBS, BSc Finance, or CA/CMA/CS/CFA | 7 seats in 02/2026 |
| Education | Postgraduates in any discipline | 3 seats in 02/2026 |
| Meteorology | BSc with Physics and Maths, or BE/BTech in 22 listed streams | 3 seats in 02/2026 |
| Logistics | Any graduate | 6 seats in 02/2026 |
Qualifications from para 5.3 and seats from para 3 of the 02/2026 notification.
Branch preferences: two worked examples
| Candidate | Eligible for | Sensible first choice |
|---|---|---|
| BTech (Computer Science), Physics and Maths at 10+2, good eyesight | Flying, AE(L), Weapon Systems, Administration, Logistics; GATE Score Entry with a valid score | Whichever you most want to do — AE(L) has by far the most seats and offers PC; Meteorology may also be open if your stream is among its 22 |
| B.Com, no Physics or Maths at 10+2 | Accounts, Administration, Logistics | Accounts if you want finance work; Administration has more seats |
Illustrations of the 02/2026 rules; final allotment depends on merit, medical fitness and vacancies as well as your preferences.
The new GATE Score Entry
The 02/2026 notification added a GATE Score Entry for the technical branch: engineering graduates with a qualifying GATE score (within three years before the course starts, in one of ten listed GATE papers) are shortlisted on that score and go straight to the Air Force Selection Board without sitting AFCAT. It carried 26 seats in 02/2026, and no fee. AE(M) accepts GATE papers such as Aerospace, Mechanical, Production and Industrial, and Metallurgical; AE(L) accepts Computer Science and IT, Data Science and AI, Electronics, Electrical and Instrumentation.
Choosing branches
How to think about branch preferences
- Rank by what you want to do, not by seat numbers — but know that a one- or two-seat branch is a long shot.
- Flying has extra gates: the CPSS pilot aptitude test is once in a lifetime, and flying medical standards are stricter (for example no manifest myopia).
- Engineers have two routes into the technical branch now: AFCAT or, with a good GATE score, the GATE Score Entry.
- Final allotment depends on merit (written + AFSB), medical fitness, vacancies and your choices.
AFCAT 02/2026 notification, paras 3, 9 and 10.
Practise it, don't just read it
With about 350 seats a cycle, a strong written score widens your branch options. Timed quizzes help most.
The ProSyllabus AFCAT library has topic quizzes for Synonyms and Antonyms, Idioms and Phrases, Reading Comprehension, English, Numerical Ability, Number Series, Profit and Loss, Simple and Compound Interest, Time, Distance, Trains and Boats, General Awareness and Defence and Armed Forces. Each question comes with an explanation.
How many vacancies are there in AFCAT 2026?
340 in AFCAT 01/2026, and 379 in 02/2026 (353 through AFCAT and 26 through the new GATE Score Entry), by our addition of the official tables.
How many flying vacancies are there in AFCAT?
35 in 02/2026 (30 men, 5 women, short service) and 38 in 01/2026, plus the NCC Special Entry seats.
Is permanent commission available through AFCAT?
Yes, but only in the technical branches (AE(L) and AE(M)) in 02/2026 and 01/2026; every other AFCAT seat is short service commission. NCC Special Entry also takes a share of CDSE permanent-commission seats for Flying.
What is the GATE Score Entry in AFCAT?
A route added in 02/2026 for the technical branch: engineers are shortlisted on a valid GATE score and go directly to AFSB, without the AFCAT written exam.
What is Weapon Systems branch in AFCAT?
A Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branch open to graduates with Physics and Maths at 10+2. The notification notes that Weapon Systems selectees may have to undergo flying training and then undertake flying duties. It had 26 seats in 02/2026.
Can a lower written score still get a branch?
Possibly. IAF may set a second, branch-wise cut-off to call more candidates for particular branches; they rank below those who cleared the first cut-off and count only for that branch.
How many seats are there for women in AFCAT?
In 02/2026, 72 of the 353 AFCAT-route seats, by our count: 5 in Flying, 42 in the technical branches and 25 across non-technical branches.
Which AFCAT branch has the most vacancies?
The technical branch — Aeronautical Engineer (Electronics) alone had 136 seats in 02/2026, and the two technical branches together 211.
Do short service commission officers get a pension?
No. The notification states that SSC officers are not entitled to pension.
Sources
- official — IAF — AFCAT 02/2026 notification
- official — IAF — AFCAT 01/2026 notification
- official — AFCAT portal — career as per branches
- official — AFCAT portal — training
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
