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TheIndian Air Force (IAF), the aerial defence component of theIndian Armed Forces follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhileRoyal Indian Air Force (RIAF).[1]
Upon theestablishment of India's independence in 1947, the country became adominion within the BritishCommonwealth of Nations; nevertheless, the armed forces, namely, theBritish Indian Army (BIA), theRoyal Indian Navy (RIN) and the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) - under the helm ofKingGeorge VI as the Commander-in-Chief, retained their respective pre-independence ranks and corresponding insignia.[2]
In May 1949,Lord Mountbatten, the inauguralGovernor-General of India and himself a naval officer, dispatched a note toPrime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru, titledNames 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 thethree lions of Ashoka i.e., theState Emblem of India should replace theTudor Crown on the insignia, flying badges and peak caps of airmen ranks.[3] Additionally, busts of the State Emblem and asemi-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'sminister of defence,Baldev Singh, recommending Mountbatten's suggestions, which were consequently enforced uponIndia's emergence as a republic on 26 January 1950.[2]
Presently, the IAF's rank hierarchy is divided into three broad categories:
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epaulette/Collar rank insignia |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Indian Air Force[4] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| MIAF | ACM | AM | AVM | Air Cdre | Gp Capt | Wg Cdr |
The IAF has ten commissioned officer (CO) ranks, of which the highest is that ofMarshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF), a ceremonialfive-star rank.[5] The rank was awarded for the first, yet only time in January 2002 to then-retired Air Chief MarshalArjan SinghDFC, who served as the IAF's thirdChief of the Air Staff (CAS) between 1964 and 1969, for his exceptional leadership of the IAF during the1965 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 an Air Marshal.[6] Before him, CAS appointees belonged to the three-star rank of Air Marshal.[6]
Sometime towards the end of Air Chief MarshalS. K. Sareen's tenure in 1998, the IAF introduced a new seriesgorget 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 ofVice 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]
The rank of Master Warrant Officer was introduced in February 1950.[8]
| Rank group | Subordinate Officers (SO) | Non commissioned officers (NCO) | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Air Force[9] |  |  |  |  |  |  | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 ofPilot Officer is no longer in use; all new officers are commissioned as Flying Officers.
| Officers | Non-commissioned officers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder Insignia |  | Arm |  |  |  |
| Rank | Pilot officer पायलट अफसर | Warrant officer वारंट अफसर | Junior warrant officer जूनियर वारंट अफसर | Flight sergeant फ्लाइट सार्जेंट | |
| Badge | Description | Specialisation allowance(s) |
|---|---|---|
 | Pilot Badge |
|
 | Police Badge | — |
 | Parachute instructor Badge |
|
 | Navigator Badge | — |
 | SAGW Badge | — |
 | Signaler Badge | — |
 | Electronics Badge | — |
 | Flight Control &Administration Badge | — |
 | Gunner Badge | — |
 | Parachutist Badge | — |
 | Air Traffic Control (ATC) Badge | — |
 | Engineer badge | — |
 | Medical officer &Flight surgeon badge |
|
 | Garud Commando badge (special forces) |
|
| Rank | Shoulder Insignia | Description | Appointments | Superannuation Age/Tenure | Rank flag | Pay level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshal of the Indian Air Force | | Five-star ceremonial rank; highest possible rank in the IAF, awarded only once for exceptional service during wartime | Honorary position, therefore no active command | Lifetime | | — |
| Air Chief Marshal | | Four-star rank; professional head of the Indian Air Force | Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) | 62 years | | Level 18 (apex) |
| Air Marshal (C-in-C grade) | | Three-star rank; authority over Air Commands | Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of Western, Eastern, Central, Southern, South Western, Maintenance, and Training Commands; Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS); Commander-in-Chief Strategic Forces Command (tri-service nuclear command) | 60 years | | Level 17 |
| Air marshal | | Three-star rank; senior operational and staff authority | Deputy Chiefs of Air Staff, Air Officer-in-Charge (Personnel, Administration, Operations, etc.), Director General (Inspection, Flight Safety, etc.), Commandants of tri-service defence colleges like NDA, DSSC | 60 years | | Level 15 |
| Air Vice Marshal | | Two-star rank; middle-level senior leadership | Senior Air Staff Officer, Senior Maintenance Staff Officer, Principal Directors, Air Defence Command roles, Air Attachés, Commandants of key training institutions | 58 years | | Level 14 |
| Air Commodore | | One-star rank; base-level leadership and strategic functions | Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of Air Force Stations, Directors at Air HQ, Group Commanders, Air Defence Directors | 57 years | | Level 13A |
| Group Captain | | Senior field rank; comparable to Colonel in the Army | Station Commanders, Staff roles at Air HQ, Commanding Officers of large operational units | 54 years | | Level 13 |
| Wing Commander | | Mid-level field rank | Commanding Officers of Squadrons, Flights, smaller bases, and key staff officers | 52 years | | Level 12A |
| Squadron Leader | | Junior field rank | Flight Commanders, Deputies to COs, operational staff positions | 52 years | — | Level 11 |
| Flight Lieutenant | | Junior officer rank | Flight leads, various operational & administrative duties | 52 years | — | Level 10B |
| Flying Officer | | Entry-level commissioned officer rank | Junior pilots, initial staff appointments | 52 years | — | Level 10 |
| Rank | Rank Insignia | Description | Appointments | Superannuation Age/Tenure | Pay level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Warrant Officer (MWO) | | Senior-most JCO rank; acts as a bridge between commissioned officers and airmen. Provides leadership, discipline, and professional guidance. | Station Warrant Officer (SWO), senior advisory positions to Station Commander | 56 years | Level 8 |
| Warrant Officer (WO) | | Second-highest JCO rank; supervises large units or sections, responsible for operational readiness and discipline. | Unit Warrant Officer, Senior Trade Supervisor, Deputy SWO | 56 years | Level 7 |
| Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) | | Entry-level JCO rank; experienced non-commissioned leader, responsible for mentoring and leading sergeants and other NCOs. | Section In-Charge, Senior Instructor, Supervisory appointments in technical and administrative trades | 52 years | Level 6 |
| Rank | Rank Insignia | Description | Appointments | Superannuation Age/Tenure | Pay level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant | | Senior NCO rank; responsible for supervising corporals and airmen, maintaining discipline, and ensuring operational readiness of a flight or section. | Flight Sergeant, Trade Section Leader, Training Supervisor | 52 years | Level 5 |
| Corporal | | Mid-level NCO rank; assists sergeants in supervision and training of junior airmen, performs technical and administrative duties. | Deputy Flight Sergeant, Section 2IC, Senior Technician roles | 52 years | Level 4 |
| Aircraftsman | | experienced in trade duties and often acts as a mentor to junior recruits | Senior Operator, Team Lead in trade-specific duties | 52 years | Level 3 |
| Aircraftsman | — | Entry-level rank for all airmen after basic training; performs basic operational, technical, and support duties under supervision. | Junior technician, trainee roles, general duties | 52 years | Level 3 |
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