Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force^[1] and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these cases a Squadron Leader ranks above Flight Lieutenant and immediately below Wing Commander. Flight Lieutenant ( Flt Lt in the RAF; FLTLT in the RAAF and RNZAF, F/L in the former RCAF) is a junior Wing Commander ( Wg Cdr in the RAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, W/C in the former RCAF) is a commissioned

Various abbreviations are used, including Sqn Ldr (RAF, RAAF and RNZAF) and S/L (in the former RCAF). 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.

It has a NATO ranking code of OF-3, equivalent to a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy or a Major in the British Army or the Royal Marines. The North Atlantic Treaty Lieutenant Commander ( Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy) is a Commissioned officer rank in many navies Superior The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country 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

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 Squadron Officer. Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service ( PMRAFNS) is the Nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Usage 3 Insignia and command flag 4 Other air forces 5 Non-air force use 6 See also 7 External links 8 References

Origins

The rank originated in the British Royal Air Force and was adopted by several other air forces which use, or used, the RAF rank system. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army, with Royal Naval Air Service Lieutenant-Commanders and Royal Flying Corps Majors becoming Majors in the RAF. 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. The 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 The Royal Flying Corps (RFC was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. 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) For example, the rank that later became Squadron Leader would have been Air Lieutenant-Commander. However, the Admiralty objected to this modification of their rank titles. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. The rank title Squadron Leader was chosen as Squadrons were typically led by RAF Majors and the term Squadron Commander had been used in the Royal Naval Air Service. A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army The rank of Squadron Leader has been used continuously since 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

Common military ranks
Navies1	Armies2	Air Forces3
Admiral of the Fleet	Field Marshal	Marshal of the Air Force
Admiral	General	Air Chief Marshal
Vice Admiral	Lt. General	Air Marshal
Rear Admiral	Major General	Air Vice-Marshal
Commodore	Brigadier	Air Commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group Captain
Commander	Lt. Colonel	Wing Commander
Lt. Commander	Major	Squadron Leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Flying Officer
Warrant Officer	Sergeant Major	Warrant Officer
Petty Officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading Rate	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman
1 in the English-speaking world          2 also some Air Forces 3 In many Commonwealth countries

Usage

Before the Second World War, a Squadron Leader commanded a squadron of aircraft. 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. Air Commodore ( Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in 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 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 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army Today, however, a flying squadron is usually commanded by a Wing Commander, with each of the two flights under a Squadron Leader. A flight is a Military unit in an Air force, Naval air service or Army air corps However, squadrons which are administrative sub-divisions of a Wing are ordinarily commanded by a Squadron Leader. Wing is a term used by different Air forces for a unit of command

Squadrons of the RAF Regiment are normally commanded by a Squadron Leader. The Royal Air Force Regiment ( RAF Regt) is a specialist Airfield defence Corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942 Today the rank Squadron Leader is seen as the first Senior Officer rank within the RAF.

Insignia and command flag

The rank insignia consists of a thin blue band on a slightly wider black band between two narrow blue bands on slightly wider black bands. Insignia (the plural of Latin insigne: emblem symbol is a Symbol or Token of personal power, Status or Office This is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform.

Squadron Leaders are the lowest ranking officers that may fly a command flag. The flag may be depicted on the officer's aircraft or, should the squadron leader be in command, the flag may be flown from a flagpole or displayed on an official car as a car flag. If the Squadron Leader is in command of a numbered squadron, then the number of the squadron would also be shown on the flag.

Other air forces

The rank of Squadron Leader is also used in a number of the air forces in the Commonwealth, including the Bangladesh Air Force, Ghana Air Force, Indian Air Force (IAF), Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). 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 The Sri Lanka Air Force ( SLAF) is the aerial defence division and the youngest of the Sri Lankan Tri Forces. 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. 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 The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) used the rank until the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, when army-type rank titles were adopted; Canadian Squadron Leaders were retitled as Majors. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country

Non-air force use

In the Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps, "Squadron Leader" is the title (but not the rank) often given to the commander of a squadron (company) of armoured fighting vehicles. The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the Cavalry of the Household Divisions a country’s most elite or historically The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC is currently a collection of ten regular Regiments mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged The squadron leader is usually a Major, although in the Second World War the post was often held by a Captain. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The rank has been borrowed in science fiction including the Star Wars films and its extended universe of literature and comics. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter Comics (via Latin from the Greek "" kōmikos, of or pertaining to "comedy" from kōmos "revel"

See also

• RAF officer ranks
• Comparative military ranks

External links

• RAF Command Flags

References

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