>
| Abbreviation |
MRAF |
Air Chf Mshl or ACM |
Air Mshl or AM |
AVM |
Air Cdre |
Gp Capt |
Wg Cdr |
Sqn Ldr |
Flt Lt |
Fg Off |
Plt Off |
A/Plt Off |
OCdt |
- 1 Currently honorary/wartime rank only.
|
Origins
Lieutenant-General
David Henderson Lieutenant General Sir David Y Henderson KCB, KCVO, DSO, LLD was an officer in the British Army who came to be considered as the leading authority on tactical intelligence during the early years of the 20th century...
originally proposed that
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
officers use a combination of
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
and
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
ranks. However, the
War OfficeThe War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
argued that the RAF should have its own ranks and the
AdmiraltyThe Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Originally exercised by a single person, the office of Lord High Admiral was from the 18th century onward almost invariably put "in commission", and was exercised by a Board of Admiralty.In...
opposed any use of their rank titles.
Badges of Rank
On 1 April 1918, Air Force Memorandum 2 specified rank insignia for the newly established independent force. Rank was to be worn on the jacket cuff and was derived from the Royal Navy's rings, each equivalent rank having the same number of rings. However,
Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ ....
s (now Pilot Officers) displayed a crowned eagle only and the Navy's loop was not used for any rank. Depending on the uniform, either gold or pale blue on grey braid was worn.
In August 1918,
Air MinistryThe Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, existing from 1918 to 1964...
Weekly Order 617 added a single band of 1/4 inch braid below the Second Lieutenant's eagle and all other officer ranks also received a crowned eagle above their braid.
In 1919 the colour of the rank braid was changed to black with a central pale blue stripe. However, on RAF
mess dressMess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit...
rank continued to be displayed in gold.
Rank Titles
As mentioned above, it was originally proposed that the RAF ranks were to be derived from existing Royal Navy and Army ranks. Both services were consulted and both reacted unfavourably - the Navy unhappy about the use of its higher ranks and the Army complaining it provided the "junior ranks". This resulted in a compromise whereby the officer ranks were proposed to be
Ensign,
Lieutenant,
Flight Leader,
Squadron Leader,
Reeve,
Banneret,
Fourth Ardian,
Third Ardian,
Second Ardian,
Ardian and
Air Marshal. A further proposal was
Ensign,
Lieutenant,
Flight-Leader,
Squadron-Leader,
Wing-Leader,
Leader,
Flight Ardian,
Squadron Ardian,
Wing Ardian,
Ardian,
Air Marshal.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, these contrived ranks were rejected and on 1 August 1919,
Air MinistryThe Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, existing from 1918 to 1964...
Weekly Order 973 introduced new rank titles for RAF officers. They were based on Royal Navy ranks and their titles were influenced by the usage in the
Royal Naval Air ServiceThe Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS) during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. For example, the RAF rank of Flight Lieutenant was based on the RNAS rank of the same name. The rank of Squadron Leader derived its name from the RNAS rank of Squadron Commander. Initially the highest rank was titled Marshal of the Air. However, only a few days after it was promulgated and at the request of
King George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
, this rank title was changed to Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
Composite Braid
RAF officers typically wear composite braid rank slides with their working and operational uniforms. Composite braid consists of a single piece of fabric, where the 'background' between the rank rings is made from blue-grey material. Composite braid rank slides are often referred to as 'bar-code' in RAF slang.
Distinction between ranks and appointments
Many RAF ranks do not imply the appointment or duties of an officer. For example, a Pilot Officer may well not be trained to pilot an aircraft and a Squadron Leader does not necessarily command a squadron.
Other air forces
The following air forces use a similar or identical officer rank structure to the RAF:
- Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF began in March 1912 as the Australian Flying Corps making it the second oldest air force in the world...
- Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zealand components of the British Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the end of the 1940s...
- Hellenic Air Force
The Hellenic Air Force, abbreviated HAF is the air force of Greece. The mission of the Hellenic Air Force is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid in Greece and around the world...
- Nigerian Air Force
The Nigerian Air Force is the air arm of the Nigerian military.It is one of the largest in West Africa, consisting of grounded, unserviceable fighter aircraft including 32 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s, and 24 Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jets, and a handful of Russian made bombers and military transport...
(since 1 April 1976)
- Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the armed forces of India. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
(formerly the Royal Indian Air ForceThe Royal Indian Air Force was the title of the air force of British India and the subsequent Union of India between 1945 and 1950. The force had been established as the Indian Air Force in 1932 with the passing of the Indian Air Force Act.The prefix "Royal" was conferred by King George VI in...
)
- Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force is the air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role to provide air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role to provide strategic air transport and logistics...
(formerly the Royal Pakistan Air Force)
- Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force , is the tactical and strategic air branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. It also provides air support for ground troops...
- Sri Lanka Air Force (formerly the Royal Ceylon Air Force)
- Ghana Air Force
The Ghana Air Force is the air force of the African nation of Ghana. The GAF, along with the Ghanaian Army and Navy, make up the armed forces of Ghana which are controlled by that nation's Ministry of Defence....
- Air Force of Zimbabwe
The Air Force of Zimbabwe is the air force of Zimbabwe. It was known as the Rhodesian Air Force until 1980.At one point the air force was well respected, having been credited with helping defend Kinshasa in 1998, but most planes of Western origin have been grounded in recent years for lack of...
(formerly the Royal Rhodesian Air ForceThe Royal Rhodesian Air Force was the air arm of the British colonial state of Rhodesia. It existed between 1935 and 1980 under various names, and is now the Air Force of Zimbabwe.-History:...
)
- Royal Thai Air Force
The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. As of 2008, the Commander of the Air Force is Itthaporn Subhawong.-History:...
- Royal Air Force of Oman
The Royal Air Force of Oman is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces-History:The Sultan of Oman's Air Force was formed with British personnel and aircraft in March 1959. The first aircraft were two Scottish Aviation Pioneers transferred from the Royal Air Force...
The following air forces use rank insignia for their officers which are similar to the RAF, but employ army rank titles:
- Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.- History :The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and...
(sometimes the English translation of the Swedish Air Force officer rank titles follows the RAF pattern
- Royal Netherlands Air Force
The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with just four pilots...
- Royal Danish Air Force
- Irish Air Corps
The Irish Air Corps provides the air defence function of Oglaigh na hÉireann , in support of the Army and Naval Service, together with roles such as Search and Rescue and the Ministerial Air Transport Service...
The following air forces formerly used a similar or identical officer rank structure to the RAF:
- Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces...
(until 1968)
- Royal Malaysian Air Force
The Royal Malaysian Air Force was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Malayan Air Force . However, its roots could be traced to the Malayan Auxiliary AF formations of the British Royal Air Force in then colonial Malaya...
(until the late 1970s)
The following air forces formerly used similar rank insigia to the RAF:
- Republic of Singapore Air Force
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command .-Mission Statement:The following excerpts was taken from the : --History:...
- United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
(1993 to 1994)
See also
- RAF other ranks
- Air force officer ranks
Air forces of most of the countries use ranking system similar to Armies. However, the RAF and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries, or those formerly under a British influence, use a different set of ranks loosely based on naval equivalents; Lieutenant, Commander, Captain and Commodore...
- Ranks and insignia of NATO Air Forces Officers
The following table lists the ranks and insignia of officers in NATO air forces.-Officers :* 1 Honorary/War time rank.* 2 The higher stripe of the rank has a red outline....
- Comparative military ranks of World War I
The following table shows comparative officer ranks of the principal Allied and Central powers during World War I. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks.See also: Comparative military ranks of World War II
...
- Comparative military ranks of World War II
The following table shows comparative officer ranks of major Allied and Axis powers during World War II. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks.KEY:*Comparative military ranks of World War I*Comparative military ranks...
- Comparative military ranks
This article is a list of various states' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention NATO reference codes. These are the NATO rank reference...
- Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
- Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
- List of Royal Air Force members
External links and references