Comparative air force officer ranks of the Commonwealth

Last updated June 18, 2024

Rank comparison chart of air forces of Commonwealth of Nations states.

Officers

Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers				Junior officers			Officer cadet
Antigua and Barbuda	No air force
Royal Australian Air Force ^[1] v t e
Royal Australian Air Force ^[1] v t e	Marshal of the RAAF	Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer	Officer cadet
Bahamas	No air force
Bangladesh Air Force ^[2] v t e
Bangladesh Air Force ^[2] v t e		এয়ার চিফ মার্শাল Ēẏāra cipha mārśāla	এয়ার মার্শাল Ēẏāra mārśāla	এয়ার ভাইস মার্শাল Ēẏāra bhā'isa mārśāla	এয়ার কমোডোর Ēẏāra kamōḍōra	গ্রুপ ক্যাপ্টেন Grupa kyāpṭēna	উইং কমান্ডার U'iṁ kamānḍāra		স্কোয়াড্রন লীডার Skōẏāḍrana līḍāra	ফ্লাইট লেফটেন্যান্ট Phlā'iṭa lēphaṭēn'yānṭa	ফ্লাইং অফিসার Phlā'iṁ aphisāra	পাইলট অফিসার Pā'ilaṭa aphisāra	অফিসার ক্যাডেট Aphisāra kyāḍēṭa
Barbados	No air force
Belize Defence Force Air Wing v t e
Belize Defence Force Air Wing v t e									Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer cadet
Botswana Defence Force Air Wing ^[3] v t e
Botswana Defence Force Air Wing ^[3] v t e				Major general	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	First lieutenant	Second lieutenant
Royal Brunei Air Force v t e
Royal Brunei Air Force v t e	Marsyal udara	Jeneral (udara)	Leftenan jeneral (udara)	Mejar jeneral (udara)	Brigedier jeneral (udara)	Kolonel (udara)	Leftenan kolonel (udara)		Mejar (udara)	Kapten (udara)	Leftenan (udara)	Leftenan muda (udara)
Cameroon Air Force v t e
Cameroon Air Force v t e		Général d'armée aérienne	Général de corps aérien	Général de division aérienne	Général de brigade aérienne	Colonel	Lieutenant-Colonel		Commandant	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sous-Lieutenant
Royal Canadian Air Force ^[4]^[5] v t e
		General	Lieutenant-general	Major-general	Brigadier-general	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer cadet
		Général(e)	Lieutenant(e)-général(e)	Major(e)-général(e)	Brigadier(ère)-général(e)	Colonel(le)	Lieutenant(e)-colonel(le)		Major(e)	Capitaine	Lieutenant(e)	Sous-lieutenant(e)	Élève-officier(ère)
Cyprus Air Forces ^[6] v t e
Cyprus Air Forces ^[6] v t e					Ταξίαρχος Taxíarchos	Σμήναρχος Smínarchos	Αντισμήναρχος Antismínarchos		Επισμηναγός Episminagós	Σμηναγός Sminagós	Υποσμηναγός Yposminagós	Ανθυποσμηναγός Anthyposminagós
Dominica	No air force
Fiji	No air force
Gabonese Air Force ^[7] v t e
Gabonese Air Force ^[7] v t e		Général d'armée	Général de corps d'armée	Général de division	Général de brigade	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel		Commandant	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sous-Lieutenant
Ghana Air Force ^[8] v t e
Ghana Air Force ^[8] v t e		Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer
Grenada	No air force <
Guyana Air Corps v t e
Guyana Air Corps v t e							Lieutenant Colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer Cadet
Indian Air Force ^[9] v t e
Indian Air Force ^[9] v t e	Marshal of the Indian Air Force मार्शल ऑफ द इंडियन एयरफोर्स	Air chief marshal एयर चीफ मार्शल	Air marshal एयर मार्शल	Air vice marshal एयर वाइस मार्शल	Air commodore एयर कमोडोर	Group captain ग्रुप कैप्टन	Wing commander विंग कमांडर		Squadron leader स्क्वाड्रन लीडर	Flight lieutenant फ्लाइट लैफ्टिनेंट	Flying officer फ्लाइंग अफसर		Flight cadet फ्लाइट कैडेट
Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers				Junior officers			Officer cadet
Jamaican Air Wing v t e
Jamaican Air Wing v t e							Lieutenant Colonel		Major	Captain	First Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Officer Cadet
Kenya Air Force ^[10] v t e
Kenya Air Force ^[10] v t e	Commander-in-Chief	General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant
Kiribati	No air force
Lesotho Air Squadron v t e
Lesotho Air Squadron v t e			Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	First lieutenant	Second lieutenant
Malawi Air Force v t e
Malawi Air Force v t e		General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel		Major	Captain	First Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant
Royal Malaysian Air Force ^[11] v t e													No insignia
Royal Malaysian Air Force ^[11] v t e	Marsyal tentera udara	Jeneral TUDM	Leftenan jeneral TUDM	Mejar jeneral TUDM	Brigedier jeneral TUDM	Kolonel TUDM	Leftenan kolonel TUDM		Mejar TUDM	Kapten TUDM	Leftenan TUDM	Leftenan muda TUDM	Pegawai kadet
Mauritius	No air force
Mozambique Air Force v t e
Mozambique Air Force v t e		Coronel General	Tenente General	Major General		Coronel	Tenente Coronel		Major	Capitão	Tenente	Alferes
Namibian Air Force ^[12] v t e
Namibian Air Force ^[12] v t e		Chief air marshal	Air marshal	Air vice marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer
Nauru	No air force
Royal New Zealand Air Force ^[13] v t e
Royal New Zealand Air Force ^[13] v t e	Marshal of the RNZAF		Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer	Officer cadet
Nigerian Air Force ^[14] v t e
Nigerian Air Force ^[14] v t e	Marshal of the air force	Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer
Pakistan Air Force v t e
	Marshal of the Pakistan Air Force	Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer	Officer cadet
	سالار فضائیہ	امیرسالار فضائیہ	سالار فضائیہ	سالار فضائیہ مقابل	عَمِيد الفضاء	سردار جماعت	شارف الجناح		قائدِ دستہ	نقیبِ پرواز	منصبِ طیار
Papua New Guinea Air Element v t e
Papua New Guinea Air Element v t e						Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	First lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Senior officer cadet	Junior officer cadet
Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers				Junior officers			Officer cadet
Rwandan Air Force ^[15] v t e
Rwandan Air Force ^[15] v t e		General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier general	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant
Saint Kitts and Nevis	No air force
Saint Lucia	No air force
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	No air force
Samoa	No air force
Seychelles Air Force ^[16] v t e
Seychelles Air Force ^[16] v t e					Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer cadet
Sierra Leone	No air force
Republic of Singapore Air Force ^[17] v t e		No insignia yet
Republic of Singapore Air Force ^[17] v t e		General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier general	Colonel	Senior lieutenant colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer cadet
Solomon Islands	No air force
South African Air Force ^[18] v t e
South African Air Force ^[18] v t e		General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier general	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer candidate
Sri Lanka Air Force ^[19] v t e
Sri Lanka Air Force ^[19] v t e	Marshal of the Air Force	Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer	Officer cadet
Swaziland	No air force
Tanzania Air Force v t e
Tanzania Air Force v t e		General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier general	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer candidate
Togolese Air Force ^[20] v t e
Togolese Air Force ^[20] v t e				Général de division aérienne	Général de brigade aérienne	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel		Commandant	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sous-lieutenant
Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard ^[21] v t e
Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard ^[21] v t e				Air vice marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer	Officer cadet
Tuvalu	No air force
Ugandan Air Force v t e
Ugandan Air Force v t e		General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel		Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant	Officer cadet
Royal Air Force ^[22] v t e
Royal Air Force ^[22] v t e	Marshal of the RAF	Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander		Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer /acting pilot officer	Officer cadet
Vanuatu	No air force
Zambian Air Force v t e
Zambian Air Force v t e		General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel		Major	Captain	First Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant
Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers				Junior officers			Officer cadet

Notes

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Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces. The lowest officer rank, it is usually placed below lieutenant or first lieutenant.

Flying officer is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Squadron leader is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Air commodore is a air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure.

Flight lieutenant is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank originated in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in 1914. It fell into abeyance when the RNAS merged with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War but was revived in 1919 in the post-war RAF. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Pilot officer is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure. It is equivalent to a staff sergeant or colour sergeant in the British Army, a colour sergeant in the Royal Marines, and a chief petty officer in the Royal Navy, and has a NATO rank code of OR-7. In the RAF, flight sergeant ranks above chief technician and below warrant officer.

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References

↑ "Badges of rank" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 31 May 2021.
↑ "Officer's Ranks". joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
↑ "Ranks". Government of Botswana. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
↑ "Ranks and appointment". canada.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
↑ "The Canadian Armed Forces modernizes military ranks in French". Canada. Government of Canada. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
↑ "Βαθμοί" [Ranks]. army.gov.cy (in Greek). Cypriot National Guard. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
↑ "Nos Galons". Ministère de la Défense nationale. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
↑ "Rank Structure". gafonline.mil.gh. Ghana Air Force. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
↑ "For Officers". careerairforce.nic.in. Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
↑ "Kenya Air Force commissioned officer's ranks". mod.go.ke. Ministry of Defence - Kenya. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
↑ "Pangkat". mafhq.mil.my (in Malay). Malaysian Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
↑ "Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
↑ "Badges of Rank" (PDF). nzdf.mil.nz. New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
↑ Smaldone, Joseph P. (1992). "National Security". In Metz, Helen Chapin (ed.). Nigeria: a country study. Area Handbook (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 296–297. LCCN 92009026 . Retrieved 21 October 2021.
↑ "RDF Insignia". mod.gov.rw. Government of the Republic of Rwanda. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
↑ "Rank structure". spdf.sc. Seychelles People's Defence Forces. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
↑ "SAF Rank Insignias". mindef.gov.sg. Ministry of Defence (Singapore). Retrieved 7 June 2021.
↑ "Rank Insignia". af.mil.za. Department of Defence (South Africa). Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
↑ "Commissioned Officers". airforce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
↑ "Journal officiel de la république togolaise" (PDF) (in French). 12 February 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
↑ "Rank Chart (Commissioned Officers)". 69.0.195.188. Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
↑ "RAF Ranks". raf.mod.uk/. Royal Air Force . Retrieved 21 September 2021.

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[Australia-1] "Badges of rank" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 31 May 2021.

[2] "Officer's Ranks". joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

[Botswana-3] "Ranks". Government of Botswana. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.

[Canada-4] "Ranks and appointment". canada.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 28 May 2021.

[CA-Female-5] "The Canadian Armed Forces modernizes military ranks in French". Canada. Government of Canada. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2024.

[Cyprus-6] "Βαθμοί" [Ranks]. army.gov.cy (in Greek). Cypriot National Guard. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

[Gabon-7] "Nos Galons". Ministère de la Défense nationale. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.

[Ghana_AirForce-8] "Rank Structure". gafonline.mil.gh. Ghana Air Force. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2024.

[9] "For Officers". careerairforce.nic.in. Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2021.

[10] "Kenya Air Force commissioned officer's ranks". mod.go.ke. Ministry of Defence - Kenya. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

[Malaysia_Officer-11] "Pangkat". mafhq.mil.my (in Malay). Malaysian Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.

[Namibia-12] "Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.

[NewZealand-13] "Badges of Rank" (PDF). nzdf.mil.nz. New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved 28 July 2022.

[Nigeria-14] Smaldone, Joseph P. (1992). "National Security". In Metz, Helen Chapin (ed.). Nigeria: a country study. Area Handbook (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 296–297. LCCN 92009026 . Retrieved 21 October 2021.

[Rwanda-15] "RDF Insignia". mod.gov.rw. Government of the Republic of Rwanda. Retrieved 12 June 2021.

[Seychelles-16] "Rank structure". spdf.sc. Seychelles People's Defence Forces. Retrieved 4 June 2021.

[Singapore-17] "SAF Rank Insignias". mindef.gov.sg. Ministry of Defence (Singapore). Retrieved 7 June 2021.

[SouthAfrica_AirForce-18] "Rank Insignia". af.mil.za. Department of Defence (South Africa). Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2021.

[19] "Commissioned Officers". airforce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Retrieved 24 September 2021.

[Togo-20] "Journal officiel de la république togolaise" (PDF) (in French). 12 February 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2021.

[Trinidad&Tobago_Officer-21] "Rank Chart (Commissioned Officers)". 69.0.195.188. Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Retrieved 27 May 2021.

[UK_AirForce-22] "RAF Ranks". raf.mod.uk/. Royal Air Force . Retrieved 21 September 2021.

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Comparative air force officer ranks of the Commonwealth

Contents

Officers

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

References