Career prospects in Indian Air Force

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. To be able to lead and control, requires the ability to motivate you, inspire others and make tough decisions efficiently.

When you join to become an Air Force Officer, Indian Air Force will help you develop your leadership and management skills, preparing you fully to take on the challenge of leading in real life situations.

Lessons in team work, developing communication skills and confidence, honing strategic and dynamic thinking and preparing you to face pressures with ease are grilled into an Officer during his training.

The Air Force teaches you all, not only making men and women of young boys and girls but making them leaders in life. An officer’s strength of character and strong moral compass make him/her stand out from the crowd at all times.

As an Officer in the Indian Air Force, you will inherit a glorious heritage and timeless traditions of the IAF, blended perfectly with the latest technology.

As an officer in the Indian Air Force you will strategise, lead and manage. Depending on your qualifications, you could join one of the various branches in the IAF.

Broadly the Air Force has three branches with further sub-streams:

• Flying Branch
• Fighters
• Transports
• Helicopters
• Technical Branch
• Mechanical
• Electronics
• Ground Duty Branch
• Administration
• Accounts
• Logistics
• Education
• Meteorology

Find your future as per branches:
Flying Branch:
By joining the Flying branch of the IAF. You are trained as a Fighter pilot or a Helicopter pilot or a Transport pilot and are part of various peace and wartime missions. The various modes of entry into the Flying Branch are:
As a graduate:
As a Graduate/ Engineer, you enter the Flying branch through the Air Force Academy. The following are the three modes of entry for Graduates/ Engineers to join the Flying branch:

CDSE (COMBINED DEFENCE SERVICES EXAMINATION) (FOR MEN ONLY)
1.Men can enter through this mode of entry and will get a Permanent Commission.

2. Eligibility criteria:
Age - 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of course)
Nationality – Indian
Marital Status – Single
Gender - Men only
3. Educational Qualifications
Graduate (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) / BE / B Tech (Four Year Course).
Final Year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they produce Degree certificate issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.
No Percentage Bar for CDSE entry.
Advertisement Schedule: Advertisements are released by UPSC in the months of June and November
NCC special entry (for men only)
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. Men can join the Air Force through this mode of entry and will be given a Permanent Commission.
Eligibility criteria:
Age –20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of course)
Nationality – Indian
Marital Status – Single
Gender - Men only.
Educational qualifications
Graduate (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognised University with minimum 60% marks or equivalent and have passed Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level
OR
BE / B Tech (Four Year Course) from a recognised University with minimum 60% marks or equivalent.
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.
Advertisement Schedule: NCC Cadets are to apply through respective NCC Air Squadrons/DG NCC.
SSC (Short Service Commission) Entry (for men and women)
You can apply through AFCAT for Short Service Commission (SSC) in the Flying Branch.
Short Service Commission in flying branch is for 14 years with no further extension.
Eligibility criteria:
Age - 20 to 24 years (at the time of commencement of course).Upper age limit for Candidates holding valid and current Commercial Pilot Licence issued by DGCA (India) is relaxed up to 26 years(at the time of commencement of course).
Nationality - Indian
Marital Status – Single
Gender - Men and Women.
Educational qualifications
Graduates (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognised University who have attained minimum 60% marks or equivalent and have Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level OR BE / B Tech (Four Year Course) from a recognised university with minimum 60% marks or equivalent.
Final Year students are also eligible to apply, provided they do not have any backlog at the time of SSB Testing and produce Degree certificate issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.
Advertisement Schedule: Advertisements for AFCAT are released by the IAF in the months of June and December.
National Defence Academy:
The valiant boys could be part of the Indian Air Force family by applying for NDA (National Defence Academy)
Candidates, short-listed for Indian Air Force after the initial selection procedure, go through a rigorous three-year training regimen at the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla, followed by specialised training at one of the AF Training Establishments. On successful completion, they are commissioned as Permanent Commission Officers and posted as pilots at any of the Air Force Stations.
You can join NDA by taking the exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This exam is conducted twice a year in all major cities throughout India.
Eligibility criteria
Age - 16 ½ to 19 years (at the time of commencement of course)
Nationality - Indian
Gender - Men only
Educational Qualifications - 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. Students appearing in final year are also eligible to apply.
Aeronautical engineering branch
As an officer in the Ground Duty (Technical) Branch, you propel and manage your team to ensure that the Indian Air Force remains airworthy. You would be in-charge of some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world by joining one of the sub branches based on your qualification.
General Eligibility for Aeronautical Engineering Branch is (applicable for men and women):
Age - 20 to 26 years (at the time of commencement of course)
Nationality - Indian
Marital Status - Candidates below the age of 25 years should be unmarried
Aeronautical engineering course
After completion of Engineering degree or while in your final year/semester of Engineering
For both Men and Women. Permanent Commission (for men) / Short Service Commission (For men and women)
Marks - Must have scored a minimum of 60% marks in any one of the qualifications listed.
Final year students are eligible to apply provided they do not have any present backlog at the time of SSB testing and they produce provisional/ original degree issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.
Educational qualification
Depending upon your stream of Engineering and subjects studied, you could join one of the sub branches of the Ground Duty (Technical) branch. Check the educational qualification required for the sub branches.
Ground duty officers: (graduates/post graduates)
Managing human and material resources, the Ground Duty Branch is the mechanism that steers the Indian Air Force.
General eligibility criteria for ground duty branches
Age - 20 to 26 Years for Graduates and Post Graduates (at the time of commencement of course).
Marital Status - Candidates below the age of 25 years must be Unmarried.
Nationality - Indian
Gender - Both men and women.
As a Graduate/ Post Graduate you can join as an officer in any of the following Ground Duty Branches
Administration branch
Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
Responsible for the efficient management of both human and material resources. Some of the officers of the Administration Branch are selected and trained to carry out the following duties also:
Air Traffic Controller – Involves maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and airspace management.
Fighter Controller – Involves close contact and supervision between the air and radar for effective airspace management.
Accounts branch
Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
Responsible for efficient financial management of funds.You will also act as internal auditor to ensure a zero-defect audit from outside agencies.
Logistics branch
Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
Responsible for materials management of all Air Force resources. You would ensure efficient supervision of inventories, and involve in procurement processes of various ranges of equipment.
Education branch
Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
Meteorology branch
Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
As a Meteorology Branch Officer you would be involved handling the latest satellite imagery and state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, you would render specific advice to the operators on all aspects of weather.

-BY Gudipati Rajendera Kumar