Air Force Y Group Explained in Detail: IAF

While applying to join the Indian Air Force as an Airmen, a lot of aspirants get confused when they hear the term Group X and Group Y. This leads to many aspirants applying to the wrong branch or not applying for a trade they wanted to be in. Group X and Y are completely different from each other with different pay, career progression and the type of work you the aspirants will be doing in the service.

What is Group Y?

In Indian Air Force Y Group can be referred to Non-Technical Branch of Indian Air Force. All candidates who are looking to join the Non-technical aspect of Indian Air Force can apply to this branch. The Airmen in this branch will not be directly involved in working with Aircraft like Airmen of Group X  who maintain, Arm and prepare the Aircraft.

Airforce Y Group
Garud Special Forces come under Y Group

 

What are educational qualifications required to be eligible to apply for Group Y?

Any Student who has completed class 12th /diploma in any stream be it Commerce, Arts or Science from an institute recognized by COBSE (Like CBSE, ICSE and State Boards) is eligible to apply except for the trade of medical assistant. To become a medical assistant, you need Physics, Chemistry and Biology in 12th.

Besides the above qualifications, an aspirant should also have a minimum of 50%  marks total in all subjects of class 12th and 50% minimum marks in English subject as well. What this means is that a student should have 50 marks in English separately and his percentage should be more than 50% total. The students who all still studying in 12th but will clear class 12th before the date of joining can also apply.

What is the maximum age to apply?

Any aspirant who is 17 years of age but not older than 20 .5 years can apply. The only exception is for music trade for which, maximum age has been extended to 25years

airforce y group
IGLA Anti Air Missile being fired by Group Y airmen

What are the various Trades/Profile/Job in Group Y?

While applying to join IAF, aspirants have some job profile in the back of their mind they see themselves doing like a saving a patients life, manning a fire hose to stop a fire or even fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. There are various trades under the Y group and to understand them, we will divide them in Techincal and Non-technical Branch

Technical:

Communication Technician: A Communication Technician in the Indian Air Force will operate, service and maintain all types of communication devices, handle telephone exchanges and radio equipment.

Automobile Technician: An Automobile Technician will drive all types of light, medium and heavy automobiles, load carriers and specialist vehicles like cranes, towing tractors, fork lifters etc. as per the abilities. Technicians will also be trained to carry out minor repairs, day to day maintenance and basic level servicing of the common and specialist vehicles of the Indian Air Force.

Non-Technical:

Indian Air Force (Police): The position of Indian Air Force Police involves assuming police duties and investigation of offences inside Air Force Station. Air Force Police are also in charge of maintenance of security inside the station. They assist Civil Police in solving criminal offences relating to the Indian Air Force. The minimum height requirement for Air Force Police is 175 cms

Indian Air Force (Security): Indian Air Force (Security) personnel undertake special operations and carry out high-level security operations. The men of this unit are referred to as Garud Special Forces/Garud Commandos. Commandos from this unit conduct Counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir, assist in Naxal Hit Areas and also provide Humanitarian assistance during a disaster. When not deployed, they protect Indian Air Force Airbases from Enemy Attacks. This is an Elite Unit of IAF.

Admin Assistant: An Administrative Assistant is required to maintain and analyse records, files and information of personnel. They can also be given responsibility to manage ration supplies, cook houses and messes.

Accounts Assistant: As an Accounts Assistant will record and manage the accounts of pay and allowances, equipment, logistics transactions, public fund and cash flow etc. They will assist in the financial aspects of a base/unit.

Medical Assistant: Medical Assistants are paramedics of Indian Air Force. They are trained in first aid and nursing and will be posted to various Air Force Hospitals and  Medical Units. They also manage medical stores, dispensaries and supervise wards and assist patients.

Logistics Assistant: Logistics Assistant is involved in the procurement, storage and handling of Air Force hardware, inventory control as well as an accounting of military stores.

Environment Support Services Assistant (ESSA): This is the firefighting section of IAF. They are the first responders in case of fire in a domestic or flight operations area. Be it a service quarter or an Aircraft on fire, Airmen in this group are trained to handle them all. Fire Fighting is their primary role and ensuring the upkeep of hygiene of Air Force Campus is secondary
Ops Assistant: An Operations Assistant will assist in the operation of various systems of Air Traffic Control Centre, Air Field and Air Defence System. They will be trained in the operation of Radars, Display Units, reporting and tracking procedures of airborne weapon systems etc. Overall, they will be assisting in flight operations
Meteorological Assistant: Meteorological Assistant is trained to undertake weather observation and to maintain meteorological instruments. They are responsible for plotting of charts, taking balloon observations and compilation of weather summaries. Ensuring that weather is safe for flight operations is among their primary tasks
Ground Training Assistant: A Ground Training Instructor’s(GTI) prime responsibility is to train personnel on drill, parade, handling of arms and physical exercise.GTI’s handle sports section of IAF and are responsible for organizing and conducting all games and sports activities.GTI’s will handle all the physical aspect of training.

Musician: Airmen from Musician will become a part of the Air Force Band. They will be trained to play different musical instruments in various drills, parades and ceremonies.

What are medical standards for these Trades in Y Group?

airforce Y group
Candidates before physical test

As you can see, there is a wide variety of role offered under Air Force Y group from becoming a Garud Commando, to using Anti Air Missiles to training Cadets and so, medical standards differ from Trade to Trade.

To get selected as an Airman, an aspirant must be physically and mentally FIT to perform duties in any part of the world, climate and terrain. Physical/Medical Standards to become an Airman are as follows:-

Visual Standards and Height As per the table is given below.
Weight Weight should be proportionate to height and age. Click here to see the chart
Chest Minimum range of expansion: 5 cm
Hearing Should have normal hearing i.e. able to hear forced whisper from a distance of 6 meters by each ear separately.
Dental Should have healthy gums, a good set of teeth and a minimum 14 dental points.
Health Candidates should be of normal anatomy without loss of any appendages. He should be free from all communicable diseases & skin ailments. Candidate must be physically and mentally FIT to perform duty in any part of the world, in any climate and terrain.
Body Tattoo Permanent body tattoos are not permitted. Tattoos only on the inner face of the forearms(inside of elbow to the wrist), back(dorsal) part of the hand/reverse side of the palm and Tribals with tattoos which are as per custom Traditions of their tribes may be considered however the right to decide on acceptability /unacceptability of the individual rests with the Selection Centre. Candidates with permanent body tattoos are to submit two photographs(close up and distinct view) with details of size and type of the Tattoo.

Minimum height acceptable to join is 152.5 cms except for the trades mentioned below:

Sl No. Trade Candidates from
NE & Hill States Other States
(a) Auto Tech 162.5cm 165cm
(b) GTI and PJI 162.5cm 167cm
(c) IAF(P) 175cm 175cm
(d) Musician 162cm 162cm

Height requirement has been lowered for candidates from NE and Hill states including Gorkhas, Kumaonis, Garhwalis, Assamese and those belonging to the States of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sikkim and hilly areas of Uttaranchal.

We hope your doubts regarding Air Force Y Group are clear. Feel Free to submit your query here or Message Us Here.

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