Air Commodore

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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]. 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.

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. 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.

Contents 1 Origins 2 RAF Insignia, command flag and star plate 3 Honorary Air Commodores 4 Other air forces 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Origins

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

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. 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. 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. 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. However, the rank title based on the Navy rank was preferred and Air Commodore was adopted on 1 August 1919.

[edit] 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. On the mess uniform, Air Commodores wear a broad gold ring on both lower sleeves.

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

[edit] Honorary Air Commodores

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.

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.

[edit] 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. It is also used in the Egyptian Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Royal Air Force of Oman and the Royal Thai Air Force. In the Indonesian Air Force the equivalent rank is Marsekal Pertama (literally "First Marshal") which is usually translated as Air Commodore in English.

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. An Air Commodore then became a Brigadier-General (following the U.S. title, rather than the British Brigadier, which had been held by equivalent officers in the former Canadian Army).

The Royal Netherlands Air Force's equivalent rank is Commodore which has essentially the same rank insignia.

[edit] See also

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

[edit] References

v • d • e Commissioned Officer ranks of the British Armed Forces
	Student Officer	OF(D)	OF-1		OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-6	OF-7	OF-8	OF-9	OF-10
Royal Navy	O Cdt	Mid	SLt		Lt	Lt Cdr	Cdr	Capt	Cdre	RAdm	VAdm	Adm	Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines			2Lt	Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj-Gen	Lt Gen	Gen
Army	O Cdt		2Lt	Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj-Gen	Lt Gen	Gen	FM
Royal Air Force	OC		APO / Plt Off	Fg Off	Flt Lt	Sqn Ldr	Wg Cdr	Gp Capt	Air Cdre	AVM	Air Mshl	Air Chf Mshl	MRAF