India Air Force Ranks

• Indian Air Force, the air arm of the Indian Defence Services, was officially established on October 8, 1932, to protect the Indian Sky.
• The President of India is the supreme commander of the Air Force. The rank structure of the Indian Air Force is based on the structure of the Royal Air Force.
• “Touch the sky with glory” is the motto of the Indian Air Force.The highest rank attainable in the Indian Air Force is Marshal of the Indian Air Force, conferred by the President of India after exceptional service during wartime.
• MIAF Arjan Singh was the only officer to have achieved this rank. The head of the Indian Air Force is the Chief of the Air Staff, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal.

Let us look at the rank structure of the Indian Air Force.

Air force ranks:

Commissioned Officers of the Indian Air Force:

Rank	Description
Marshal of the Air Force	1. Marshal of the Air Force is the highest rank in the Indian Air Force which is an honorary war time rank. 2. This rank is known as the five-star rank. 3. Many countries have this rank, but not all use it. 4. Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC, was the only Marshal of Indian Air Force.
Air Chief Marshal	1. This is the second highest rank in the Indian Air Force which is a four-star rank. 2. Only an Air Chief Marshal holds the position of Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), who is the professional head and the commander of the Indian Air Force. 3. The current CAS is Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa who took office on 31 December 2016, following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.
Air Marshal	1. It is a three-star rank in the Indian Air Force. 2. It is held by the officers who typically hold very senior appointments of the formation.
Air Vice Marshal	1. Air Vice Marshal is a two-star officer rank in the Indian Air Force.
Air Commodore	1. It is a single star rank which is the junior most rank in the star category. 2. They act as direct support to air officer commanding.
Group Captain	1. It is a senior commissioned rank in the Indian Air Force which is equivalent to Colonel in the army.
Wing Commander	1. The rank of Wing Commander is just below the Group Captain but is a senior commissioned rank.
Squadron Leader	1. It comes just after the rank of Wing Commander.
Flight Lieutenant	1. It is a commissioned air force rank which comes just after Squadron Leader. 2. The officer of this rank can never be addressed as only “Lieutenant”.
Flying Officer	1. Flying Officer is also a commissioned rank which is not only held by officers who fly an aircraft. 2. Sometimes ground duty officers or air crew officers also hold this rank.

Junior Commissioned Officers of the Indian Air Force:

Rank	Description
Master Warrant Officer	1. This is the rank in which an officer is designated by warrant, unlike commissioned officers who get designated as an officer by a commission. 2. It is the highest rank in Junior commissioned officers.
Warrant Officer	1. It is the second highest rank in the junior commissioned rank.
Junior Warrant Officer	1. Usually a technical leader or specialist holds the rank of Junior Warrant Officer.

Non-Commissioned Officers of the Indian Air Force:

Rank	Description
Sergeant	1. This is the rank just below the Junior Warrant Officer and is a non-commissioned rank.
Corporal	1. It is a military rank which corresponds to commanding a section or squad of soldiers.
Leading Aircraftman	1. It is technically not a rank but it is a title given to Non-Commissioned Officers in the Air Force.
Aircraftman	1. It is the lowest of all ranks in the Indian Air Force.

Interesting Facts:

• It is the 4th largest in the world.
• With 1,380 aircraft, the Indian Air Force lags behind only U.S.A, Russia and China which makes it the fourth largest air force in the world.
• The IAF created a world record while rescuing civilians during the Uttarakhand flash floods.
• During its ‘Raahat’ mission in the wake of Uttarakhand flash floods, the Indian Air Force made a world record in aviation by airlifting almost 20,000 civilians.
• Flying officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was awarded the Param Veer Chakra.
• He is, till date, the only member of the Indian Air Force to have been awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his exemplary display of courage during the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
• Padmavathy Bandopadhyay is the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force. She was also the first woman officer to become a specialist in aviation medicine.
• The Indian Air Force has the largest air base in Asia.
• Situated near Ghaziabad, the Hindon Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force is the largest in Asia and 8th largest in the world.
• Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha recently said that the IAF is planning to inductwomen fighter pilots. As of now, there are around 300 women pilots in the IAF.
• The IAF has its very own museum in New Delhi.
• Located in Palam, Delhi the museum hosts some rare memorabilia of the Indian Air Force right from when it was formed in the year 1932.
• The Garud Commando Force has the longest training course.