Indian Air Force ranks and insignia

Last updated

The Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial component of the Indian Armed Forces follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhile Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). [1]

Contents

History

The Indian Air Force Ensign. Air Force Ensign of India (2023).svg
The Indian Air Force Ensign.

1947-1950

Upon the establishment of establishment of India's independence in 1947, the country became a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations; nevertheless, the armed forces, namely, the British Indian Army (BIA), the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) and the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) - under the helm of King George VI as the Commander-in-Chief, retained their respective pre-independence ranks and corresponding insignia. [2]

1950-present

In May 1949, Lord Mountbatten, the inaugural Governor-General of India and himself a naval officer, dispatched a note to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, titled Names and Insignia of Indian Armed Forces, containing a list of suggestions regarding the nomenclature of the armed forces that were to be enforced upon the dominion's conversion to a republic. [2]

In the note, Mountbatten proposed that the future IAF should retain its predecessor's nomenclature as much as possible - advocating the retention of the RIAF's ranks, insignia and uniforms. [2] It was later decided that the rank braids of the officers cadre remained unchanged, whilst the three lions of Ashoka i.e., the State Emblem of India should replace the Tudor Crown on the insignia, flying badges and peak caps of airmen ranks. [3] Additionally, busts of the State Emblem and a semi-Chakra were incorporated as the main features on the badges corresponding to Master Warrant Officers (MWO) and Warrant Officers (WO); nonetheless, the MWO's badge was decided to be superimposed on the rank braids of the Pilot Officers. [3]

In September 1949, Nehru forwarded the proposals to the country's minister of defence, Baldev Singh, recommending Mountbatten's suggestions, which were consequently enforced upon India's emergence as a republic on 26 January 1950. [2]

Structure

Presently, the IAF's rank hierarchy is divided into three broad categories:

Commissioned Officers

Rank groupGeneral / flag officersSenior officersJunior officersOfficer cadet
Epaulette/Collar rank insignia India-AirForce-OF-10-collected.svg India-AirForce-OF-9-collected.svg India-AirForce-OF-8-collected.svg India-AirForce-OF-7-collected.svg India-AirForce-OF-6-collected.svg British RAF OF-5.svg British RAF OF-4.svg British RAF OF-3.svg British RAF OF-2.svg British RAF OF-1b.svg
Air Force Ensign of India (2023).svg  Indian Air Force [4]
Indian IAF OF-10.svg Indian IAF OF-9.svg Indian IAF OF-8.svg Indian IAF OF-7.svg Indian IAF OF-6.svg Indian IAF OF-5.svg Indian IAF OF-4.svg Indian IAF OF-3.svg Indian IAF OF-2.svg Indian IAF OF-1b.svg Indian IAF OF-0.svg
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

Command flags

Flag of the Marshal of the Air Force (India).svg Flag of the Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.svg Flag of Air arshal (India).png Flag of Air Vice marshal (India).png Flag of Air commodore (India).png Flag of Group Captain (India).gif Flag of Wing Commander (India).gif
MIAFAir Chf MshlAir MshlAVMAir CdreGp CaptWg Cdr

The IAF has ten commissioned officer (CO) ranks, of which the highest is that of Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF), a ceremonial five-star rank. [5] The rank was awarded for the first, yet only time in January 2002 to then-retired Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh DFC , who served as the IAF's third Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) between 1964 and 1969, for his exceptional leadership of the IAF during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. [5]

The highest operational rank in the IAF is the four-star rank of Air Chief Marshal, currently held exclusively by the CAS; coincidentally, the first time the rank was awarded was also to Singh in 1966, when he was then a Air Marshal. [6] Prior to him, CAS appointees belonged to the three-star rank of Air Marshal. [6]

Collar tabs

Sometime towards the end of Air Chief Marshal S. K. Sareen's tenure in 1998, the IAF introduced a new series gorget patches for its CO cadre - blue collar tabs embossed with white stars denoting the rank of the particular wearer; five for MIAF, four for Air Chief Marshal, three for Air Marshal, two for Air Vice Marshal and one for Air Commodore. [7] Initially, for the rank of Air Marshal, the collar tabs did not immediately distinguish between the positions of Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS), Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) and other three-star designated positions; however, later three-star collar tabs were embossed with a wreath design to solely indicate the positions of VCAS and AOC-in-C. [7]

Junior commissioned officer and non-commissioned ranks

The rank of Master Warrant Officer was introduced in February 1950. [8]

Rank groupJunior commissioned officersNon commissioned officerEnlisted
Air Force Ensign of India (2023).svg  Indian Air Force [9]
Indian IAF OR-9.svg Indian IAF OR-8.svg Indian IAF OR-7.svg India-AirForce-OR-6.svg
India-AirForce-OR-4.svg India-AirForce-OR-2.svg No insignia
Master warrant officer
मास्टर वारंट अफसर		 Warrant officer
वारंट अफसर		 Junior warrant officer
जूनियर वारंट अफसर		 Sergeant
सार्जेंट		 Corporal
कॉरपोरल		 Leading aircraftsman
लीडिंग एयरक्राफ्ट्समैन		 Aircraftsman
एयरक्राफ्ट्समैन

Former ranks

Effective from 16 May 1977, the rank of Flight Sergeant was abolished and replaced with the rank of Junior Warrant Officer; existing warrant officer rank insignia were modified accordingly. [10] [11]

The rank of Pilot Officer is no longer in use; all new officers are commissioned as Flying Officers.


Former/Discontinued Ranks
OfficersNon-commissioned officers
Shoulder
Insignia		 Indian IAF OF-1a.svg Arm India-Air-OR-9 old.svg India-Air-OR-8 old.svg India-Air-OR-7 old.svg
Rank Pilot
officer
पायलट अफसर		 Warrant officer
वारंट अफसर		 Junior
warrant officer
जूनियर वारंट अफसर		 Flight
sergeant
फ्लाइट सार्जेंट

See also

Related Research Articles

Air marshal is an air-officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence, including many Commonwealth nations. The rank is usually equivalent to a vice admiral or a lieutenant general.

Air chief marshal is a high-ranking air 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. This rank is also equivalent to an Admiral in a navy or a full general in an army or other nations' air forces.

Chief Warrant officer is a senior warrant officer rank, used in many countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjan Singh</span> Marshal of the Indian Air Force

Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, was a senior air officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the 3rd Chief of the Air Staff from 1964 to 1969, leading the Air Force through the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was the first and only officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be promoted to five-star rank as Marshal of the Indian Air Force, equal to the army rank of Field Marshal.

The Indian Army, the land component of the Indian Armed Forces, follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhile British Indian Army (BIA).

The Indian Navy (IN), the naval component of the Indian Armed Forces follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhile Royal Indian Navy (RIN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratap Chandra Lal</span> Indian Air Force Chief of Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal, DFC was the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He served in the IAF from 1939 until his retirement in 1973. He was the CAS at the time of Operation Chengiz Khan, the preemptive strikes that were carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) that marked the formal initiation of hostilities of the war.

Master warrant officer (MWO) is a senior military rank in the Bangladesh Armed Forces, the Canadian Forces, Singapore Armed Forces, the South African National Defence Force and the Israel Defense Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vice Chief of the Air Staff (India)</span>

The Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) is the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff of India and second-highest ranking officer of the Indian Air Force. The VCAS is a PSO at Air Headquarters at New Delhi. In the event that the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) is absent or is unable to perform his duties, the VCAS assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CAS. The VCAS is normally held by an officer of three star rank and is held by an air officer of the rank of Air Marshal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Indian Air Force</span> Aerial warfare branch of British Indias military

The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the Indian Army, and Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subroto Mukerjee</span> First Chief of the Air Staff of India

Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee OBE was an Indian military officer who was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Air Force. He was awarded several honours during the course of a three-decade-long career, ended by his untimely demise in 1960. He has been called the Father of the Indian Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of the Air Staff (India)</span> Head of the Indian Air Force

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is the office of the professional head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a four-star air chief marshal, the CAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IAF, mandated with the responsibilities of supervising the force's overall functioning during states of peace and wartime, committing to the establishment-cum-continuity of air deterrence and executing India's security objectives vis-à-vis the preservation of the country's air sovereignty. Also a permanent member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and the National Security Council (NSC), the CAS also bears the responsibility of advising the nation's civilian leadership i.e., the Government of India on all matters privy to the IAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five-star rank</span> Senior military rank used by some nations armed forces

A five-star rank is the highest military rank in many countries. The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders, and within NATO's standard rank scale it is designated by the code OF-10. Not all armed forces have such a rank, and in those that do the actual insignia of the five-star ranks may not contain five stars. For example: the insignia for the French OF-10 rank maréchal de France contains seven stars; the insignia for the Portuguese marechal contains four gold stars. The stars used on the various Commonwealth of Nations rank insignias are sometimes colloquially referred to as pips, but in fact either are stars of the orders of the Garter, Thistle or Bath or are Eversleigh stars, depending on the wearer's original regiment or corps, and are used in combination with other heraldic items, such as batons, crowns, swords or maple leaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorget patches</span> Type of military insignia

Gorget patches are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank, the rank of civil service, the military unit, the office (department) or the branch of the armed forces and the arm of service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshal of the Indian Air Force</span> Highest military rank of the Indian Air Force

Marshal of the Air Force is a five star rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramaswamy Rajaram</span>

Air Marshal Ramaswamy Rajaram, DFC (1917–1969) was a senior officer in the Indian Air Force. He died in harness while serving as the Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Admiral (India)</span> Rank in Indian navy

Admiral is a four-star naval flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Admiral ranks above the three-star rank of vice admiral and below the five-star rank of admiral of the fleet, which has never been awarded or held.

Air chief marshal is a four-star air officer rank in the Indian Air Force. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Air Force. Air chief marshal ranks above the three-star rank of air marshal and below the five-star rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force, which is largely a war-time or ceremonial rank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air marshal (India)</span>

Air marshal is a three-star air officer rank in the Indian Air Force. It is the second-highest active rank in the Indian Air Force. Air marshal ranks above the two-star rank of air vice marshal and below the four-star rank of air chief marshal, which is held by the Chief of the Air Staff.

Air Vice Marshal Erlic Wilmot Pinto, PVSM was an Air officer in the Indian Air Force. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) Western Air Command when he was killed in the 1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash. He served in the IAF from 1940 until his death in 1963. He was the theatre air commander commanding the air operations during the Annexation of Goa.

References

  1. ↑ "Military Digest: As Indian Navy looks to introduce new ranks, a look at foreign origins of Naval ranks". The Indian Express . 16 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "How India adopted its military flags and badges based on Lord Mountbatten's suggestions". optimizeias.com.
  3. 1 2 "New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Service" (PDF). 5 January 1950. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "For Officers". careerairforce.nic.in. Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Arjan Singh made IAF Marshal". The Tribune . 25 January 2002.
  6. 1 2 "India's First Marshal of the Air Force". archive.pib.gov.in. 25 January 2002.
  7. 1 2 "Uniforms, Badges and Other Regalia - Collar Tabs". www.bharat-rakshak.com. 30 November 1999.
  8. ↑ "First Batch of IAF Master Warrant Officers" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 14 February 1950. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "For Airmen". careerairforce.nic.in. Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "IAF officers badges". 15 May 1977. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Flight Sergeants Become Junior Warrant Officers" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 15 May 1977. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.