| Commander of Air Force of Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|
since March 2024 | |
 Air Force of Zimbabwe | |
| Abbreviation | Comd AFZ |
| Member of | Defence Policy Council |
| Reports to | Chief of Defense |
| Website | Official website |
The Commander of the Air Force is chief of the Air Force of Zimbabwe. He commands operations, administration and logistics within the air force.
| No. | Name (born-died) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Major Dirk Cloete | 1936 | 1938 | 1–2 years | [1] |
| 2 | Lieutenant colonel Charles Meredith | 1939 | 1946 | 6–7 years | [1] |
| 3 | Lieutenant colonel Keith Taute | 1947 | 1949 | 1–2 years | [1] |
| 4 | Air vice-marshal Ted Jacklin | 1949 | 30 June 1961 | 11–12 years | [1] [2] |
| 5 | Air vice-marshal Raf Bentley | 30 June 1961 | 1965 | 3–4 years | [1] [2] |
| 6 | Air vice-marshal Harold Hawkins | 1965 | 1968 | 2–3 years | [1] [2] |
| 7 | Air marshal Archibald Wilson (1921–2014) | 8 February 1969 | 13 April 1973 | 4 years, 64 days | [1] [2] |
| 8 | Air marshal Mick McLaren (1930–2016) | 15 April 1973 | 12 April 1977 | 3 years, 362 days | [1] [2] |
| 9 | Air marshal Frank Mussell (born 1932) | 12 April 1977 | 18 April 1980 | 3 years, 6 days | [1] [2] |
| No. | Name (born-died) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Air marshal Frank Mussell (born 1932) | 18 April 1980 | 1981 | 0–1 years | [1] [2] |
| 2 | Air marshal Norman Walsh (1933–2010) | 1981 | 22 May 1983 | 1–2 years | [1] [2] |
| 3 | Air marshal Azim Daudpota (1933–2017) | July 1983 | January 1986 | 2–3 years | [1] |
| 4 | Air chief marshal Josiah Tungamirai (1948–2005) | January 1986 | 1992 | 5–6 years | [1] |
| 5 | Air marshal Perrance Shiri (1955–2020) | 1992 | 7 December 2017 | 24–25 years | [1] |
| – | Air vice-marshal Shebba Shumbayaonda acting | 7 December 2017 | 18 December 2017 | 11 days | |
| 6 | Air marshal Elson Moyo | 18 December 2017 | 16 March 2024 | 6 years, 89 days | [3] |
| 7 | Air marshal John Jacob Nzvede | 16 March 2024 | Incumbent | 245 days | [3] |
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) are the military forces responsible for the defence of Zimbabwe against external threats from other countries, and also to suppress internal armed factions. It is composed of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ).. Since December 2017 the ZDF is headed by General Philip Valerio Sibanda.
The Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) is the air force of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It was known as the Rhodesian Air Force until 1980. The Air Force of Zimbabwe saw service in the Mozambican Civil War in 1985 and the Second Congo War of 1998–2001.
Wing commander 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.
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The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Second Chimurenga as well as the Zimbabwean War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia.
Squadron Leader Christopher John Taylor Dixon D.C.D., also known by his callsign of Green Leader, was a Rhodesian military pilot for the Rhodesian Air Force and was born in Shabani, Southern Rhodesia. He was best known for leading the Rhodesian Operation Gatling bombing raid over Zambia, which later became known as the "Green Leader Raid".
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The Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) was an air force based in Salisbury which represented several entities under various names between 1935 and 1980: originally serving the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, it was the air arm of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland between 1953 and 31 December 1963; of Southern Rhodesia once again from 1 January 1964; and of the unrecognised nation of Rhodesia following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain on 11 November 1965.
Air Chief Marshal Josiah Tungamirai, born Thomas Mberikwazvo, was a Zimbabwean military officer and politician. He was commander of the Air Force and later served as Minister of State for Indigenization and Empowerment in President Robert Mugabe's government before his death in 2005.
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Elson Moyo was a Zimbabwean air officer and military general who served as commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe since December 2017 and one of the main figures in the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état attempt. He was previously deputy commander of the air force. At the time he was appointed air force commander, Moyo's military rank was upgraded from air vice-marshal to air marshal by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. In 2003 he was promoted from air commodore to air vice-marshal by former president Robert Mugabe.
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