An RAF Air Commodore's sleeve/shoulder insignia

Air Commodore (Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in the Royal Air Force^[1]. The Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. It ranks above Group Captain and immediately below Air Vice-Marshal, and also exists in some other Commonwealth air forces, including the Indian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Sri Lankan Air Force, Air Force of Zimbabwe, and Pakistan Air Force. Group Captain ( Gp Capt in the RAF and Indian Air Force, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former Air Vice-Marshal ( AVM) is an Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The Sri Lanka Air Force ( SLAF) is the aerial defence division and the youngest of the Sri Lankan Tri Forces. The Air Force of Zimbabwe ( AFZ) is the Air force of Zimbabwe. Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces

Air Commodore is a 1 star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-6, equivalent to a Commodore in the Royal Navy or a Brigadier in the British Army or the Royal Marines. An officer of 1 star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-6. The North Atlantic Treaty Commodore is a Military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy Unlike these two ranks, however, it has always been a substantive rank.

The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) (until 1980) was Air Commandant. Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service ( PMRAFNS) is the Nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.

Origins

On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army, with officers at what is now Air Commodore holding the rank of Brigadier-General. Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in Armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military Naval officer of the highest rank For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank Marshal of the Air Force may be used as a generic term for a rank in some Air forces which use a similar title with their air force's name inserted as their most senior rank Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Air Chief Marshal ( Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a senior Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority Lieutenant General is a Military rank used in many countries The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the This article is about the air force rank Air marshal (or Sky marshal) is also the term given to federal security agents who travel undercover aboard commercial Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Air Vice-Marshal ( AVM) is an Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. Commodore is a Military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. For information specifically on the Royal Navy rank of captain see Captain (Royal Navy. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Group Captain ( Gp Capt in the RAF and Indian Air Force, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Wing Commander ( Wg Cdr in the RAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, W/C in the former RCAF) is a commissioned Lieutenant Commander ( Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy) is a Commissioned officer rank in many navies Superior Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Flight Lieutenant ( Flt Lt in the RAF; FLTLT in the RAAF and RNZAF, F/L in the former RCAF) is a junior Sub-Lieutenant is a military rank It is normally a junior officer rank Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Flying Officer ( Fg Off in the RAF FLGOFF in the RAAF FGOFF in the RNZAF F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF is a junior commissioned A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Leading Rating (or Leading Rate) is the most senior of the junior rates in the British Royal Navy. Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Seaman as a rate refers to one of the lowest rates in a Navy. A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in Aircraftman ( AC) or Aircraftwoman ( ACW) is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force and the Air forces of several other Commonwealth Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. In response to the proposal that the RAF should use its own rank titles, it was suggested that the RAF might use the Royal Navy's officer ranks, with the word "Air" inserted before the naval rank title. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Although the Admiralty objected to this simple modification of their rank titles, it was agreed that the RAF might base many of its officer rank titles on Navy officer ranks with differing pre-modifying terms. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. It was also suggested that Air Officer ranks could be based on the term "Ardian", which was derived from a combination of the Gaelic words for "chief" (ard) and "bird" (eun), with the term "Flight Ardian" being used for the equivalent to Brigadier-General and Commodore. An Air Officer is a British Royal Air Force officer of rank Air Commodore or higher The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect However, the rank title based on the Navy rank was preferred and Air Commodore was adopted on 1 August 1919. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

RAF Insignia, command flag and star plate

The rank insignia is a light blue band on a broad black band worn on the both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform. Insignia (the plural of Latin insigne: emblem symbol is a Symbol or Token of personal power, Status or Office On the mess uniform, Air Commodores wear a broad gold ring on both lower sleeves. Mess dress is the Military term for the formal Evening dress worn in the Mess or at other formal occasions

The Command Flag of an Air Commodore is rectangular with a cut-away section. It has one narrow red band running through the centre.

The vehicle star plate for an Air Commodore depicts a single white star (Air Commodore is equivalent to a one star rank) on an air force blue background.

An RAF Air Commodore's sleeve/shoulder insignia

Air Commodore broad pennant

Air Commodore star plate

Honorary Air Commodores

Churchill in his air commodore's uniform at the 1943 Tehran Conference

RAF flying squadrons and stations may appoint Honorary Air Commodores. For example, Prince Charles is RAF Valley's Honorary Air Commodore and Winston Churchill was 615 Squadron's Honorary Air Commodore. RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874

As the title suggests, this is an honorary position bestowed by the Queen and it does not grant the recipient command of a unit or formation. It is designed to strengthen the bond between the military unit and the individual.

Outside of the RAF other organisations utilise the rank of Air Commodore. One such organisation is The Planeteers. Air Commodore Nick Amiss (affectionately known simply as The Commdore) has been their principal executive commander since their inception in 2001.

Other air forces

The rank of Air Commodore is also used in a number of the air forces in the Commonwealth, including the Bangladesh Air Force, Ghana Air Force, Indian Air Force, Pakistan Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and Sri Lanka Air Force. The Bangladesh Air Force (বাংলােদশ িবমান বািহনী Bangladesh Biman Bahini in Bangla) is the tactical and strategic air branch The Ghana Air Force ( GAF) is the Air force of the African nation of Ghana. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The Sri Lanka Air Force ( SLAF) is the aerial defence division and the youngest of the Sri Lankan Tri Forces. It is also used in the Egyptian Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Royal Air Force of Oman and the Royal Thai Air Force. The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF (القوات الجوية المصرية) is the aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. The Hellenic Air Force ( HAF) (in Πολεμική Αεροπορία ( ΠΑ) Polemikí Aeroporía, literally "Military Aviation" The Royal Air Force of Oman ( RAFO) is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces History The Sultan of Oman's Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF ( Thai: กองทัพอากาศไทย Kong Thab Akat Thai is the Air force of the Kingdom of Thailand In the Indonesian Air Force the equivalent rank is Marsekal Pertama (literally "First Marshal") which is usually translated as Air Commodore in English. See also List of aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force ( Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara or

An RAAF air commodore's sleeve/shoulder insignia

A Hellenic Air Force Taxiarchos (air commodore's) rank insignia

The Royal Canadian Air Force used the rank until the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, when Army-type rank titles were adopted. The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence An Air Commodore then became a Brigadier-General (following the U. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. S. title, rather than the British Brigadier, which had been held by equivalent officers in the former Canadian Army). This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Land Force Command ( LFC) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force's equivalent rank is Commodore which has essentially the same rank insignia. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces

See also

• RAF officer ranks
• Ranks of the RAAF
• Air force officer rank insignia
• Comparative military ranks

References