List of air forces
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This alphabetically arranged list of air forces identifies the current and historical names and roundels for the military aviation arms of countries fielding an air component, whether an independent air force, a naval air arm, army aviation unit, or coast guard. At the end is a separate list of no longer extant nations that once operated air forces. Country names in italics indicate that they are not generally recognized internationally as independent states but which nonetheless managed to field an active air service. For information on the size of air forces, see list of countries by size of armed forces.
| Contents | Top · 0–9 · A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
[edit] A
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Afghanistan |
 |
Afghan National Army - Air Corps Afghan Melli-e Ourdou |
2002[1] | |
|
Air and Air Defense Force of the Islamic State of Afghanistan (Mujahideen)[2] |
 |
1996-2001 | ||
|
Army Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban)[3] |
|
1996-2001 | ||
|
Air and Air Defense Force of the Islamic State of Afghanistan[4] |
|
1992-1996 | ||
|
Afghan Republican Air Force |
 |
1983-1992 | ||
|
Afghan Army Air Force[5] |
 |
1980-1983 | ||
|
Afghan Republican Air Force |
 |
1973-1979 | ||
|
1948-1973 | |||
|
Afghan Air Force |
 |
1937-1947 | ||
.svg){kind=small} |
1924[6]-1929 | |||
 Albania |
 |
Albanian Air Force Forcave Ajrore |
1991 | |
|
|
 |
1960-1990 | ||
|
|
 |
1958-1960 | ||
|
|
 |
1951-1957 | ||
|
Albanian Air Corps |
|
1914-1939 | ||
 Algeria |
 |
Algerian Air Force Al Quwwat aljawwija aljaza'eriiya |
1962 | |
 Angola |
 |
People's Air and Air Defence Force of Angola Força Aérea Popular de Angola/Defesa Aérea e Antiaérea |
||
|
Angolan People's Air Force & Anti-Aircraft Defence |
 |
1976-? | ||
 Argentina |
 |
Argentine Air Force Fuerza Aérea Argentina |
1945 | |
|
Servicio Aéronautico del Ejército |
|
1912-1945? | ||
 |
Argentine Naval Aviation Comando de Aviación Naval Argentina |
1919 | ||
|
Argentine Army Aviation Command Comando de Aviación del Ejército Argentino |
1956[7] | ||
|
Coast Guard Air Service Servicio de Aviación de la Prefectura Naval Argentina |
1970s | ||
|
Border Guard Air Service Dirección de Aeronáutica de Gendarmería [1] |
1955 | ||
 Armenia |
 |
Armenian Air Force Հայաստանի Ռազմաօդային Ուժեր |
1992 | |
 Australia |
 |
Royal Australian Air Force | 1921 | |
|
1921 | |||
 |
1914-1921 | |||
 |
Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm | 1947 | ||
|
Australian Army Aviation | 1968 | ||
 Austria |
 |
Austrian Air Force Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte |
1955 | |
|
Luftwaffen Kommando Österreich |
 |
1938-1945 | ||
|
Heimwehr Flieger Korps |
 |
1927-1938 | ||
 Azerbaijan |
 |
Azerbaijan Air Force | 1991 | |
[edit] B
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Bahamas |
 |
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Air Wing | 1981 | |
 Bahrain |
 |
Royal Bahraini Air Force | 2002 | |
|
1987-2002 | |||
|
1977-1987 | |||
 Bangladesh |
 |
Bangladeshi Air Force বাংলােদশ িবমান বািহনী Bangladesh Biman Bahini |
1971 | |
 Barbados |
|
Barbados Defence Force | 1981[8] | |
 Belarus |
 |
Belarus Air Force | post 1995 | |
 |
1991-1995 | |||
.svg){kind=small} Belgium |
 |
Belgian Air Force[9] Belgische Luchtmacht, Composante Air |
1946 | |
|
Militair Vliegwezen, Aviation Militaire |
|
1915-1940 | ||
|
Compagnie des Ouvries et Aérostiers |
|
1910-1915 | ||
 Belize |
|
Belize Defence Force Air Wing | 1983 | |
 Benin |
 |
Benin Air Force Force Aérienne Populaire de Benin |
1975 | |
|
Dahomey Air Force |
|
1961-1975 | ||
 Bhutan |
|
Bhutan Air Force | ||
 Bolivia |
 |
Bolivian Air Force Fuerza Aérea Boliviana |
1923 | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
 |
Air Force and Air Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ваздухопловство и ПВО Zrakoplovstvo i PZO |
2007 | |
|
Republika Srpska Air Force |
 |
1992-2007 | ||
|
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Force |
 |
1992-1996 | ||
 Botswana |
 |
Botswana Defence Force Air Wing | 1977 | |
 Brazil |
 |
Brazilian Air Force Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) |
1941 | |
|
(Roundel used during World War II) |
|
1941-1945 | ||
|
National Air Forces |
|
1941 | ||
|
Military Aviation Service |
|
1918-1941 | ||
 |
Brazilian Naval Aviation Força Aeronaval |
1952 | ||
|
Naval Aviation Service |
|
1952-1941 | ||
 |
Brazilian Army Aviation Aviação do Exército Brasileiro |
1986 | ||
 Brunei |
 |
Royal Brunei Air Force Angkatan Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei |
1991 | |
|
1984-1991 | |||
|
1965-1984 | |||
 Bulgaria |
 |
Bulgarian Air Force Български Военновъздушни Сили Balgarski Voennovazdushni Sili (BVVS) |
1992 | |
|
Bulgarian Air Defense and Air Force |
 |
1961-1992 | ||
|
Bulgarian Military Air Force |
|
1952-1961 | ||
|
Bulgarian Military Air Force |
|
1949-1952 | ||
|
Air Army |
 |
1945-1949 | ||
|
|
 |
1941-1944 | ||
|
Royal Bulgarian Air Force[10] |
 |
1937-1941 | ||
|
Department of Aeronautics under Ministry of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs |
|
1924-1937 | ||
|
Section of Aeronautics under Ministry of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs[11] |
|
1920-1924 | ||
|
Gendarmery Aeroplane Detachment |
|
1919-1920 | ||
|
Aeroplane Group |
|
1918-1919 | ||
|
Army Aviation Corps[12] |
|
1915-1918 | ||
|
Aeronautical Battalion |
|
1914-1915 | ||
|
Aeronautical Detachment[13] |
|
1906-1914 | ||
|
Bulgarian Naval Aviation Aviatsia Na Bulgarskiya Voennomorski Flot (AnBVMF) |
1992 | ||
|
Independent ASW Squadron of the Navy |
|
1959-1990 | ||
|
Bulgarian Naval Aviation |
|
1915-1918 | ||
 Burkina Faso |
 |
Burkina Faso Air Force Force Aérienne de Burkina Faso |
1964 | |
 Burundi |
 |
Burundi Army Aviation Force Armée du Burundi |
1966 | |
[edit] C
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Cambodia |
 |
Royal Cambodian Air Force Toap Akas Khemarak Phoumin Force Aérienne Royale Cambodge |
1993 | |
|
1984-1991[14] | |||
|
1977-1979[15] | |||
|
Khmer Air Force |
|
1970-1975 | ||
|
Royal Khmer Air Force |
|
1954-1970 | ||
 Cameroon |
 |
Cameroon Air Force Armée de l'Air du Cameroun |
1960 | |
 Canada |
 |
Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM) | 1968 | |
|
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Canadian Aviation Corps, Canadian Air Force |
.svg){kind=small} |
1924-1968, 1914-1915, 1918-1922 | ||
 Cape Verde |
|
Cape Verde Air Force Força Aérea Caboverdiana |
1982 | |
|
Cape Verde Coast Guard Guarda Costeira de Cabo Verde |
1992[16] | ||
 Central African Republic |
 |
Central African Republic Air Force Force Aérienne Centrafricaine |
1961 | |
 Chad |
 |
Chad Air Force Force Aérienne Tchadienne |
1973 | |
 Chile |
 |
Chilean Air Force Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh)[17] |
1930 | |
|
Chilean Military Aviation Service |
|
|||
|
Chilean Naval Aviation Servicio de Aviación de la Armada de Chile (popularly, Aviación Naval) |
1953 | ||
|
Chilean Naval Aviation Service |
|
1919-1930[18] | ||
|
Chilean Army Aviation Comando de Aviación del Ejército de Chile (popularly, Aviación del Ejército) |
1970[19] | ||
 China (PRC) |
 |
People's Liberation Army Air Force 中国人民解放军空军 Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Kongjun |
1949 | |
|
1949 | |||
|
c. 1930[21] | |||
|
People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force 中国人民解放军海军航空兵 Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Haijun Hangkongbing |
1953 | ||
 Taiwan (ROC) |
 |
Republic of China Air Force 中華民國空軍 Chung-Hua Min-Kuo K'ung-Chün |
1938 | |
|
1925-1938 | |||
 |
1920-1925? | |||
 |
1916?-1919? | |||
|
1914-1916? | |||
|
1913-1914 | |||
|
Republic of China Army Aviation and Special Forces Command | 1999 | ||
|
1979-1999 | |||
|
1976-1979 | |||
|
Republic of China Navy Aviation Command | 1995 | ||
|
1991-1995 | |||
|
1977-1991 | |||
|
1927-1938 | |||
 Colombia |
 |
Colombian Air Force Fuerza Aérea Colombiana |
1922 | |
 |
Colombian Naval Aviation Aviación Naval |
1935 | ||
|
Colombian Army Aviation Aviación del Ejército |
1995 | ||
 Congo[24] |
 |
Congolese Air Force L'Armée de l'Air du Congo |
1961 | |
 Dem. Rep. of the Congo[25] |
|
Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Force Aérienne du Congo |
||
 |
1971-1997 | |||
 Costa Rica |
|
Air Surveillance Service Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea (SVA) - Fuerza Pública |
1994 | |
|
Air Section of the Costa Rica Ministry of Public Security |
 |
1964-1994 | ||
|
Air Section of the Costa Rica Civil Guard |
|
1957-1964 | ||
|
Costa Rican Air Force |
|
1955-1957 | ||
|
Costa Rican Military Air Force |
 |
1947/48-1949[26] | ||
 Côte d'Ivoire |
 |
Côte d'Ivoire Air Force Force Aérienne de la Côte d'Ivoire |
c. 1965 | |
 Croatia |
 |
Croatian Air Force and Defense Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzracna Obrana |
1991 | |
|
Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion[27] |
 |
1941-1945 | ||
 Cuba |
 |
Cuban Revolutionary Air Force[28] Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria |
1959 | |
|
Cuban Rebel Air Force[29] |
|
1958 | ||
|
Cuban Army Air Force |
|
1952-1958 | ||
|
Cuban Army Aviation Corps |
|
1934-1952 | ||
|
Cuban Army Air Corps |
|
1915-1934 | ||
|
Cuban Army Aviation Corps |
|
1913-1915 | ||
|
Cuban Naval Aviation[30] Aviación Naval |
1934-1952 | ||
 Czech Republic |
 |
Czech Air Force Vzdušné síly armády České republiky |
1993 | |
[edit] D
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Denmark |
 |
Royal Danish Air Force Flyvevåbnet |
1950 | |
|
Royal Danish Army Air Corps[31] |
|
1912-1950 | ||
|
Royal Danish Naval Aviation |
|
1911-1950 | ||
|
Royal Danish Navy Helicopter Service Søværnets Helikoptertjeneste |
2003 | ||
|
Royal Danish Navy Flying Service |
|
1962-2003 | ||
 Djibouti |
 |
Djibouti Air Force Force Aérienne du Djibouti |
1977 | |
 Dominican Republic |
 |
Dominican Air Force Fuerza Aérea Dominicana (FAD) |
1962 | |
|
Dominican Military Aviation |
|
1957-1962 | ||
|
Dominican Air Force |
|
1955-1957 | ||
|
Dominican Military Aviation |
|
1952-1955 | ||
|
Dominican Air Force |
|
1950-1952 | ||
|
Dominican Military Aviation Corps (DMAC) |
|
1948-1950 | ||
|
Air Cavalry Squadron Escuadrón de Caballería Aérea (EdCA) |
2002 | ||
|
Air Transport Cavalry Brigade |
|
2001-2002 | ||
|
Aviation Company of the National Army |
|
1942-1948[32] | ||
|
Dominican Army Aviation Company |
|
1939-1942 | ||
|
Aviation Detachment of the National Army |
|
1936-1939 | ||
|
National Air Transport Company, Aviation Arm |
|
1934-1935 | ||
|
Aviation Company |
|
1933-1934 | ||
|
Aviation Arm of the National Army |
|
1932-1933 | ||
|
Dominican Republic Naval Aviation Corps Cuerpo de Aviación Naval Dominicana |
2003 | ||
|
Coastguard Search and Rescue Squadron |
|
1951-1952[33] | ||
[edit] E
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Ecuador |
 |
Ecuadorian Air Force Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (FAE) |
1944 | |
|
Ecuadorian Army Air Force |
|
1935-1944 | ||
|
Army Military Aviator Corps |
|
1927-1935 | ||
|
Army Aviation Company |
|
1925-1927 | ||
|
Military Aviation School |
|
1920-1925 | ||
|
Ecuadorian Naval Aviation Aviación Naval Ecuatoriana (ANE) |
1967 | ||
|
Ecuadorian Army Aviation Aviación del Ejército Ecuatoriano (AEE) |
1978 | ||
|
Ecuadorian Army Air Service |
|
1954-1978 | ||
 Egypt |
 |
Egyptian Air Force Al Quwwat Al Jawwiya Il Misriya |
||
 |
1958-1961[34] | |||
|
Egyptian Air Force |
 |
1952-1958 | ||
|
1937-1952 | |||
|
Egyptian Army Air Force |
|
1931-1937 | ||
 El Salvador |
 |
El Salvador Air Force Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña (FAS) |
1946 | |
|
Salvadoran Army Air Force |
|
1927-1946 | ||
|
Salvadoran Aviation Corps |
|
1925-1927 | ||
|
Salvadoran Air Flotilla |
|
1923-1925 | ||
|
El Salvador Military Aviation Service |
|
1922-1923 | ||
 Eritrea |
 |
Eritrean Air Force | 1994 | |
 Estonia |
 |
Estonian Air Force Eesti Õhuvägi |
1991 | |
|
1943-1944 | |||
|
1942-1943 | |||
|
Aircraft Squadron of the 22nd Territorial Corps of the Soviet Army |
|
1940-1941 | ||
|
Aviation Regiment |
|
1920?-1940 | ||
|
Aviation Company |
|
1918-1920? | ||
 Ethiopia |
 |
Ethiopian Air Force Ye Ithopya Ayer Hayl |
1975[37] | |
|
1946-1975 | |||
|
1929-1935 | |||
[edit] F
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Fiji |
|
none | ||
|
1987-1998 | |||
 Finland |
 |
Finnish Air Force Suomen ilmavoimat Finländska flygvapnet |
1918 | |
|
|
 |
1918-1945 | ||
|
Roundel variant on some aircraft |
 |
1943-45 | ||
|
Finnish Army Aviation Suomen maavoimat - Helikopteripataljoona Finländska armén - Helikopterbataljonen |
1997 | ||
 |
Finnish Border Guard Rajavartiolaitos Gränsbevakningsväsendet |
1919 | ||
|
Finnish Coast Guard |
|
1919-1944 | ||
 France |
 |
French Air Force Armée de l'Air |
1933 | |
|
Normandie-Niémen squadron |
 |
1942-1945 | ||
|
RAF squadrons 326-329 and 340-347 |
|
1940-1945 | ||
|
French Air Force |
 |
1933-1940 | ||
|
French Army Aviation |
|
1909-1933 | ||
 |
French Naval Air Arm Aviation Navale |
1925 | ||
|
|
 |
1925-1940 | ||
|
French Army Light Aviation Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre |
1954 | ||
[edit] G
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Gabon |
 |
Gabon Air Force Armée de l'Air Gabonaise |
1961 | |
 Gambia |
|
Gambian Air Force[38] | c.2003?[39] | |
 Georgia |
 |
Georgian Air Force | 1990 | |
 Germany |
 |
German Air Force Luftwaffe |
1955 | |
|
East German Air Force |
.svg){kind=small} |
1956-1990 | ||
|
German Air Force |
|
1935-1945 | ||
|
1912-1919 | |||
|
Die Marinefliegerabteilung des deutschen Kaiserreiches |
|
1911-1919 | ||
|
Imperial German Army Air Service |
|
1910-1919 | ||
|
1909-1917 | |||
|
German Naval Aviation Marineflieger |
1955 | ||
|
German Army Aviators Corps Heeresfliegertruppe |
1955 | ||
 Ghana |
 |
Ghana Air Force | 1959 | |
 Greece |
 |
Hellenic Air Force Πολεμική Αεροπορία Polemikì Aeroporia |
1930 | |
|
Hellenic Army Aviation Αεροπορία Στρατού Aeroporia Stratou |
1956 | ||
|
Hellenic Naval Aviation Πολεμικό Ναυτικό Polemiko Navtiko |
1976 | ||
|
Hellenic Coast Guard Λιμενικό Σώμα Limeniko Soma |
1982 | ||
 Guatemala |
 |
Guatemalan Air Force Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca (FAG) |
1948 | |
|
Military Aeronautical Corps |
|
1935-1948 | ||
|
Guatemalan Military Aviation Corps |
|
1929-1935 | ||
|
Guatemalan Air Force |
|
1921-1929 | ||
|
Army Aviation Corps |
|
1914-1921 | ||
 Guinea |
 |
Guinea Air Force Force Aérienne de Guinée |
1959 | |
 Guinea-Bissau |
 |
Guinea-Bissau Air Force Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau |
1978 | |
 Guyana |
 |
Guyana Defence Force | 1968 | |
[edit] H
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Haiti |
 |
Haiti Air Corps Corps d'Aviation d'Garde d'Haiti |
1942 | |
 Honduras |
 |
Honduran Air Force Fuerza Aérea Hondureña |
1954 | |
|
Honduran Air Force & Military Aviation School |
|
1936-1954 | ||
|
National Aviation School |
|
1931-1936 | ||
 Hungary |
 |
Hungarian Air Force Magyar Légierő |
1991 | |
|
|
.svg){kind=small} |
1990-1991 | ||
|
Air Force of the Hungarian People's Army |
.svg){kind=small} |
1951-1990 | ||
|
|
.svg){kind=small} |
1949-1951 | ||
|
|
.svg){kind=small} |
1948-1949 | ||
|
Royal Hungarian National Defense Air Force |
.svg){kind=small} |
1941-1945 | ||
|
|
|
1938-1941 | ||
.svg){kind=small} |
Red Hungarian Air Corps Vörös Légjárócsapat |
1919 | ||
|
Insignia variant |
_border.svg){kind=small} |
|||
|
Insignia variant |
.svg){kind=small} |
|||
[edit] I
For Ivory Coast, see Côte d'Ivoire above.
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Iceland |
|
Iceland Air Defense System Íslenska Loftvarnarkerfið |
1987 | |
 |
Icelandic Coast Guard Aeronautical Division Landhelgisgæsla Íslands |
1955 | ||
 India |
 |
Indian Air Force भारतीय वायु सेना Bharatiya Vayu Sena |
1950 | |
 |
1945-1950 | |||
|
Indian Air Force |
|
1932-1945 | ||
|
Army Aviation Corps | 1986 | ||
|
Naval Air Arm | 1953 | ||
|
Indian Coast Guard Air Wing Bharatiya Tatarakshak Dal |
1978 | ||
 Indonesia |
 |
Indonesian Air Force Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU) |
1946 | |
|
Republic of Indonesia Air Force |
|
1946-1974 | ||
 |
Indonesian Naval Aviation Dinas Penerbangan TNI Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL) |
1974 | ||
|
Indonesian Naval Aviation Service |
|
1956-1974 | ||
 |
Indonesian Army Aviation Dinas Penerbangan TNI Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD) |
1974 | ||
|
Indonesian Army Aviation Service |
|
1959-1974 | ||
 Iran |
 |
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force نیروی هوایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران |
1979 | |
|
Imperial Iranian Air Force |
|
1925-1979 | ||
|
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation | |||
|
Air Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution | |||
 Iraq |
 |
Iraqi Air Force Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Iraqiya |
1958 | |
|
Royal Iraqi Air Force |
|
1931-?1958 | ||
 Ireland |
 |
Irish Air Corps Aer-Chór na h-Éireann |
1922 | |
 Israel |
 |
Israeli Air Force חיל האוויר Heyl Ha'Avir |
1948 | |
|
Haganah Sherut Avir |
|
1947-1948 | ||
 Italy |
 |
Italian Air Force[40] Aeronautica Militare |
1946 | |
|
Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force |
|
1943-1946 | ||
|
Aviazione Nazionale Repubblicana [41] |
 |
1943-1944 | ||
|
Royal Italian Air Force |
 |
1935-1943 | ||
|
Royal Italian Air Force |
|
1923-1936 | ||
|
Royal Naval Aviation |
|
1912-1923 | ||
|
Military Air Corps[44] |
|
1911-1923 | ||
|
Royal Army Air Service |
|
1884[45]-1911 | ||
|
Italian Naval Aviation Aviazione Navale |
1956 | ||
|
Italian Army Aviation Cavalleria dell'Aria |
1951 | ||
|
Helicopter Service of the Carabinieers Nucleo Elicotteri Carabinieri |
1965 | ||
[edit] J
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Jamaica |
 |
Jamaican Defence Force | 1963 | |
|
1963 | |||
 Japan |
 |
Japan Air Self-Defense Force[46] 航空自衛隊 Kōkū Jieitai |
1954 | |
|
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force 海上自衛隊 Kaijō Jieitai |
|||
|
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service[47] |
|
1910-1945 | ||
|
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force 陸上自衛隊 Rikujō Jieitai |
|||
|
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service |
|
1910-1945 | ||
 Jordan |
 |
Royal Jordanian Air Force Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya Almalakiya al-Urduniya |
1955 | |
|
1946-1955 | |||
[edit] K
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Kazakhstan |
 |
Kazakhstan Air Defense Force Sil Vozdushnoy Oborony Respubliki Kazakhstan |
1992 | |
 Kenya |
 |
Kenya Air Force | 1964 | |
 North Korea |
 |
Korean People's Army Air Force | 1955 | |
 South Korea |
 |
Republic of Korea Air Force 대한민국 공군 (大韓民國空軍) Daehan Minguk Gonggun |
1949 | |
 Kuwait |
 |
Kuwait Air Force Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya |
1988 | |
|
Kuwait Air Force and Air Defense |
|
1961 | ||
 Kyrgyzstan |
 |
Kyrgyzstan Air Force | 1991 | |
[edit] L
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Laos |
|
Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force[48] | 1975 | |
|
1960-1975 | |||
|
Aviation Laotienne |
|
1955-1960 | ||
 Latvia |
 |
Latvian Air Force Latvijas Gaisa Spēki |
1991 | |
|
|
 |
1926-1940 | ||
 Lebanon |
 |
Lebanese Air Force Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Lubnamia |
1945 | |
 Lesotho |
|
Lesotho Defence Force - Air Squadron | c.1988 | |
 Liberia |
|
Liberian Army Air Wing | 1987 | |
 Libya |
 |
Libyan Air Force Al Quwwatal Jawwiya al Jamahiriya al Arabia al Libyya |
1978 | |
|
Libyan Arab Republic Air Force |
 |
1970-1978? | ||
|
Royal Libyan Air Force |
 |
1951-1970 | ||
 Lithuania |
 |
Lithuanian Air Force Karinės Oro Pajėgos |
1992 | |
 Luxembourg |
 |
NATO Airborne Early Warning Force [51] | 1982 | |
[edit] M
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Republic of Macedonia |
 |
Macedonian Air Force and Air Defense Force Военно Воздухопловство и Противвоздушна Одбрана Voeno Vozduhoplovstvo i Protivvozdushna Odbrana |
1992 | |
 Madagascar |
 |
Malagasy Air Force Armée de l'Air Malgache |
1961 | |
 Malawi |
|
Malawi Army Air Wing | 1978 | |
|
Malawi Young Pioneers Air Arm[52] |
|
1970-1978 | ||
 Malaysia |
 |
Royal Malaysian Air Force Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia |
1963 | |
|
Royal Malayan Air Force |
|
1958-1963 | ||
 Maldives |
|
Air Elements Maldives National Defence Force |
1978 | |
 Mali |
|
Mali Air Force Force Aérienne de la Republique du Mali |
1961 | |
 Malta |
 |
Armed Forces of Malta No.2 Regiment – Air Squadron | 1992 | |
 Mauritania |
 |
Mauritanian Air Force Force Aérienne de la Republique Islamique de Mauritanie |
1961 | |
 Mauritius |
|
Mauritius Coast Guard | 1987 | |
|
1970-1987 | |||
 Mexico |
 |
Mexican Air Force Fuerza Aérea Mexicana |
1915 | |
|
Mexican Naval Aviation Fuerza Aeronaval |
1926[53] | ||
 Moldova |
 |
Moldovan Air Force[54] | 1991 | |
 Mongolia |
|
Mongolian Air Defense Forces Command Agaaryn Dovtolgoonoos Khamgaalakh Tsergiyn Komandlal |
1993 | |
|
1925-1993 | |||
 Montenegro |
 |
Montenegrin Air Force Vazdušne snage Crne Gore |
2006 | |
 Morocco |
 |
Royal Moroccan Air Force القوات الجوية الملكية المغربية Al Quwwat Al Jawwiya Al Malikiya Al Maghrebiya (Force Aérienne Royale Marocaine) |
1961 | |
|
Sherifan Royal Aviation |
|
1956-1961 | ||
 Mozambique |
 |
Mozambique Air Force Força Aérea de Moçambique |
c.1976/77? | |
|
People's Liberation Air Force of Mozambique |
|
1975-c.1976/77? | ||
 Myanmar |
 |
Myanmar Air Force Tatmdaw Lei |
1947 | |
[edit] N
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Namibia |
|
Namibian Air Force | 2005 | |
|
1994-2005 | |||
 Nepal |
|
Nepalese Army Air Service | 1979 | |
|
1965-1979 | |||
 Netherlands |
 |
Royal Netherlands Air Force[55] Koninklijke Luchtmacht |
1953 | |
|
|
 |
1939-1940 | ||
|
|
|
1921-1940 | ||
|
Luchtvaartafdeling |
 |
1914-1921 | ||
|
Netherlands Naval Aviation Marineluchtvaartdienst |
1917 | ||
 New Zealand |
 |
Royal New Zealand Air Force[56][57] | 1934 | |
|
New Zealand Squadrons of the RAF Nos. 75, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489, 490 |
|
1939-1945 | ||
|
1930-1957 | |||
|
1923-1934 | |||
|
New Zealand Army Flying Corps |
|
1913-1923 | ||
 Nicaragua |
|
Nicaraguan Army Air Force Fuerza Aérea – Ejército de Nicaragua |
1995 | |
|
Nicaraguan Air Force |
|
1990-1995 | ||
|
Sandinista Air Force |
|
1979-1990 | ||
|
Air Force of Nicaragua |
|
c.1950-1979 | ||
|
Guard Air Force of Nicaragua |
|
c.1947-c.1950 | ||
|
Air Force of the National Guard |
|
1938-c.1947 | ||
|
Air Corps of the National Guard |
|
1936-1938 | ||
|
Military Aviation Corps |
|
1926-1936 | ||
|
National Guard |
|
1920-1926 | ||
 Niger |
|
National Squadron of Niger Escadrille Nationale du Niger |
2003 | |
|
Niger Air Force |
 |
1961-2003? | ||
 Nigeria |
 |
Nigerian Air Force | 1964 | |
 Norway |
 |
Royal Norwegian Air Force Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret |
1944 | |
|
Royal Air Force squadrons 331 and 332 |
|
1942-1945 | ||
|
Army Air Service |
 |
1915-1944 | ||
|
Naval Air Service |
|
1916-1944 | ||
[edit] O
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Oman |
 |
Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO)[58] Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanya al-Omanya |
1990 | |
|
Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF) |
|
1959-1990 | ||
 OECS[59] |
|
Regional Security System | 1999 | |
[edit] P
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Pakistan |
 |
Pakistani Air Force پاکستانی فضائيہ |
1956 | |
|
Royal Pakistani Air Force |
|
1947-1956 | ||
|
Army Aviation Wing | 1958 | ||
|
Pakistan Navy Air Arm | 1973 | ||
 Panama |
 |
Panamanian Air Force Servicio Aéreo Nacional |
1983 | |
 Papua New Guinea |
|
Papua New Guinea Defence Force | 1974 | |
 Paraguay |
 |
Paraguay Air Force Aeronautica Militar Paraguaya |
1989 | |
 Peru |
 |
Peruvian Air Force Fuerza Aérea del Perú |
1950 | |
|
Peruvian Aeronautical Corps |
|
1936-1950 | ||
|
Peruvian Aviation Corps |
|
1929-1936 | ||
|
Peruvian Naval Aviation Fuerza Aviación Naval |
1980 | ||
|
Aeronaval Service |
|
1963-1980 | ||
|
Peruvian Army Aviation Aviación del Ejército |
1977 | ||
|
Army Light Aviation Group |
|
1973-1977 | ||
 Philippines |
 |
Philippine Air Force Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas |
1947 | |
 Poland |
 |
Polish Air Force Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej |
2004 | |
|
Air and Air Defence Forces |
|
1993-2004 | ||
|
|
 |
1990-1993 | ||
|
Air Force |
|
1962-1990 | ||
|
Air Defence Force of Country |
|
1962-1990 | ||
|
Air and Air Defence Forces of Country |
|
1954-1962 | ||
|
Air Force |
|
1947-1954 | ||
|
Air Force of the Polish Army |
|
1945-1947 | ||
|
Air Force of the Polish Army |
|
1943-1945 | ||
|
RAF squadrons 300-309, 315-318 and 663 |
|
1940-1947 | ||
|
Forces Aerienes Polonaises |
|
1940 | ||
|
Air Force |
|
1918-1939 | ||
|
Polish Army Aviation Lotnictwo Wojsk Lądowych |
1994 | ||
|
Polish Naval Aviation Lotnictwo Marynarki Wojennej |
1947 | ||
 |
Aviation of Polish Border Guard Lotnictwo Straży Granicznej |
1990 | ||
 Portugal |
 |
Portuguese Air Force Força Aérea Portuguesa |
1952 | |
|
Army Air Service |
|
1924-1952 | ||
|
Military Aeronautical Service |
|
1914-1924 | ||
|
Balloon Corps |
|
1911-1914 | ||
|
Navy Helicopter Squadron Esquadrilha de Helicópteros da Marinha |
1993 | ||
|
Portuguese Naval Aviation |
|
1957-1993 | ||
|
Formerly Aeronaval Forces |
|
1952-1957 | ||
|
Naval Aeronautical Service |
|
1918-1952 | ||
|
Naval Aviation Service |
|
1917-1918 | ||
[edit] Q
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Qatar |
 |
Qatar Emiri Air Force | 1968 | |
[edit] R
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Romania |
 |
Romanian Air Force Forţele Aeriene Române |
1989 | |
|
Forţele Aeriene ale Republicii Socialiste România |
|
1985-1989 | ||
|
Forţele Aeriene ale Republicii Socialiste România |
.svg){kind=small} |
1965-1985 | ||
|
Forţele Aeriene ale Republicii Populare Română |
|
1947-1965 | ||
|
|
|
1944-1947 | ||
.svg){kind=small} |
1941-1944 | |||
|
Aeronautica Regală Românã |
|
1915-1941 | ||
 Russia |
|
Russian Air Force Военно-воздушные cилы России Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily Rossii |
1991 | |
|
Soviet Air Force |
|
1918-1991 | ||
|
Imperial Russian Air Force |
 |
1910-1917 | ||
|
Russian Naval Aviation Авиация Военно-Морского Флота Aviatsiya Voyenno-Morskogo Flota |
1991 | ||
 Rwanda |
 |
Rwandan Air Force Force Aérienne Rwandaise |
1972 | |
[edit] S
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Saudi Arabia |
 |
Royal Saudi Air Force Al Quwwat al Jawwiya as Sa'udiya |
1950 | |
 Senegal |
 |
Senegalese Air Force Armée de l'Air du Sénégal |
1960 | |
 Serbia |
 |
Serbian Air Force Ваздухопловство и ПВО Војске Србије Vazduhoplovstvo i PVO Vojske Srbije |
2006[60] | |
|
Serbian Military Air Service |
 |
1915-1918[61] | ||
|
|
 |
1913-1915 | ||
|
Serbian Aviation Service Aircraft Command |
|
1912-1913 | ||
 Seychelles |
|
Coast Guard Air Wing (Seychelles) | 1980 | |
 Sierra Leone |
 |
Sierra Leone Defence Force | 1973 | |
 Singapore |
 |
Republic of Singapore Air Force Angkatan Udara Republik Singapura |
1968 | |
 Slovakia |
 |
Slovak Air Force Velitelstvo Vzdušnych Sil |
1993 | |
|
Slovenske Vzdusne Zbrane |
 |
1939-1944 | ||
 Slovenia |
 |
Air Force of the Slovenian Army Vojaško Letalstvo in Zracna Obramba Slovenske Vojske |
2004 | |
|
15th Aviation Brigade of the Slovenian Army |
|
1995-2004 | ||
|
15th Aviation Brigade of the Territorial Defense Force |
|
1992-1995 | ||
|
Slovenian Territorial Defense Force - Air Force Unit |
|
1991-1992 | ||
 Somalia |
 |
Somali Air Corps Cuerpo Aeronautica della Somalia |
1991 | |
 South Africa |
 |
South African Air Force Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag |
1920 | |
 |
1924-1947 | |||
|
South African Aviation Corps |
|
1915-1920 | ||
 Spain |
 |
Spanish Air Force Ejército del Aire |
1939 | |
|
Nationalist Air Force[62] |
 |
1936-1939 | ||
|
" |
 |
1937-1939 | ||
|
Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española (F.A.R.E.) |
 |
1931-1939 | ||
|
Aeronáutica Militar Española |
|
1911-1931 | ||
|
Servicio Militar de Aerostacion |
|
1896-1911 | ||
|
FAMET Spanish Army Aviation Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejército de Tierra |
1973 | ||
|
Armada Española Air Arm Arma Aérea de la Armada |
1954 | ||
|
Aeronáutica Naval |
|
1917-1936 | ||
 Sri Lanka |
 |
Sri Lanka Air Force | 1972 | |
|
Royal Ceylon Air Force |
|
1951-1972 | ||
 Sudan |
 |
Sudanese Air Force Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya As-Sudaniya |
1956 | |
 Suriname |
 |
Suriname Air Force Surinaamse Luchtmacht |
1982 | |
 Swaziland |
|
Swazi Air Force | 1979 | |
 Sweden |
 |
Swedish Air Force Svenska Flygvapnet |
1926 | |
|
Aircraft Coy of the Signal Corps |
|
1912-1926 | ||
|
Naval Air Service |
|
1911-1926 | ||
|
Defence Helicopter Wing[63] Försvarsmaktens Helikopterflottilj |
1998-2003 | ||
|
Swedish Army Aviation |
|
1954-1998 | ||
|
Swedish Naval Aviation |
|
1958-1998 | ||
 Switzerland |
 |
Swiss Air Force Schweizer Luftwaffe Forces Aériennes Suisses Forze Aeree Svizzere |
1946 | |
|
Independent service under the Swiss Federal Military Department |
|
1936-1946 | ||
|
Swiss Army Aviation |
|
1914-1936 | ||
 Syria |
|
Syrian Air Force Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al Arabiya as-Souriya |
1961 | |
|
1958-1961[34] | |||
|
Syrian Air Force |
.svg){kind=small} |
1948-1958 | ||
[edit] T
For Taiwan, see Taiwan (Republic of China) under section C above.
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Tajikistan |
|
Tajikistan Air and Air Defense Troops | c. 1993-1994[64] | |
 Tanzania |
 |
Tanzanian People's Defense Force Air Wing Jeshi la Anga la Wananchi wa Tanzania |
1965 | |
 Thailand |
 |
Royal Thai Air Force กองทัพอากาศไทย Kongthap Akat Thai |
1937 | |
|
Air Force Division |
|
1935-1937 | ||
|
Air Division |
|
1921-1935 | ||
|
Army Aviation Division |
|
1917-1921 | ||
|
Army Aviation Unit |
|
1914-1917 | ||
 Togo |
 |
Togolese Air Force Force Aérienne Togolaise |
1964[65] | |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
|
Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Air Guard | 1966 | |
 Tunisia |
 |
Tunisian Air Force Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah at'Tunisia |
1959[66] | |
 Turkey |
 |
Turkish Air Force Türk Hava Kuvvetleri |
1972 | |
|
former marking |
 |
1944-1972 | ||
|
Turkish Ministry of Defense, |
|
1928-1944 | ||
|
Turkish Air Force Inspectorate |
|
1922-1928 | ||
|
Turkish Air Force General Directorate |
|
1921-1922 | ||
|
Turkish Army Air Service |
|
1920-1921 | ||
|
Turkish Land Force Aviation Türk Kara Kuvvetleri Havacılığı |
1948 | ||
|
Turkish Naval Aviation Türk Donanma Havacılığı |
1971 | ||
|
Turkish Coast Guard Aviation Türk Sahil Güvenlik Havacılığı |
1993 | ||
 Turkmenistan |
|
Turkmenistan Air Force and Air Defense Force | 1992 | |
[edit] U
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Uganda |
 |
Ugandan Air Force | 1964 | |
 Ukraine |
 |
Ukrainian Air Force Військово-Повітряні Сили України Viys'kovo-Povitriani Syly Ukrayiny |
1992 | |
 |
Ukrainian Naval Aviation Авіація Військово-Морських Сил Aviatsiya Viys'kovo-Mors'kykh Syl |
1992 | ||
 United Arab Emirates |
 |
United Arab Emirates Air Force[67] | 1976[68] | |
 United Kingdom |
|
Royal Air Force | 1918 | |
|
1914-1918 | |||
|
1912-1918 | |||
|
1911-1912 | |||
|
1888-1911 | |||
|
Fleet Air Arm[69] | 1937 | ||
|
Army Air Corps[69] | 1942 | ||
 United States |
 |
United States Air Force | 1947 | |
|
|
 |
1947- | ||
 |
1943-1947 | |||
|
|
 |
1942-1943 | ||
|
|
 |
1941-1942 | ||
|
1926-1941 | |||
|
1917-1926 | |||
|
Army Aviation Branch | 1983 | ||
|
Army Aviation |
|
1947-1983 | ||
|
U.S. Naval Aviation | 1911 | ||
|
|
|
1947- | ||
|
|
|
1943-1947 | ||
|
|
|
1942-1943 | ||
|
|
|
1926-1942 | ||
|
United States Marine Corps Aviation | 1912 | ||
|
Air National Guard | 1947 | ||
|
component of the United States National Guard |
|
1916-1947 | ||
 Uruguay |
 |
Uruguayan Air Force Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya |
1953 | |
|
Military Air Force |
|
1952-1953 | ||
|
Uruguayan Military Aviation |
|
1935-1952 | ||
|
Military School of Aeronautics |
|
1916-1935 | ||
|
Military Aviation School |
|
1913-1916 | ||
|
Uruguayan Naval Aviation Aviación Naval Uruguaya |
1951 | ||
|
Naval Air Service |
|
1925-1951 | ||
 Uzbekistan |
|
Uzbek Air and Air Defense Force | 1992 | |
[edit] V
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Venezuela |
 |
Venezuelan Air Force Aviación Militar Venezolana |
2006[70] | |
|
Fuerza Aérea Venezolana |
|
1949-2006 | ||
|
Venezuelan Army Aviation Servicio Aéreo del Ejército Venezolana |
1970 | ||
|
Venezuelan Naval Aviation Aviación de la Marina Venezolana |
1922 | ||
|
National Guard of Venezuela Comando de Apoyo Aéreo de Guardia Nacional |
1999 | ||
 Vietnam |
 |
Vietnam People's Air Force Không Quân Nhân Dân Việt Nam |
1975 | |
|
1959-1975 | |||
|
1941-1945 | |||
[edit] Y
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Yemen |
 |
Yemen Air Force Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Yemeniya |
1990 | |
[edit] Z
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Zambia(formerly Northern Rhodesia) |
 |
Zambian Air Force and Air Defence Command | 1968 | |
|
1964-1968 | |||
|
Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland Air Force |
 |
1954-1963 | ||
 Zimbabwe(formerly Southern Rhodesia) |
 |
Air Force of Zimbabwe | 1980 | |
 |
1970-1979 | |||
 |
1963-1970 | |||
|
Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland Air Force |
|
1954-1963 | ||
 |
1939-1954 | |||
|
1935-1939 | |||
[edit] Former countries
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Austria-Hungary |
|
Austro-Hungarian Air Corps Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen |
1912-1919 | |
|
Imperial and Royal Aviation Service |
|
1893-1912 | ||
 Biafra |
 |
Biafran Air Force |
1967-1970 | |
 Czechoslovakia |
|
Czechoslovak Air Force[71] Československé Vojenské Letectvo |
1945-1993 | |
|
Czechoslovak Army Air Force |
|
1918-1939 | ||
 East Germany |
|
East German Air Force Luftstreitkräfte und Luftverteidigung der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik |
1956-1990 | |
 Manchukuo |
 |
Manchukuo Air Force | 1938-1945 | |
 |
Manchukuo Air Transport Company[72] Manchu Kokuyuso Kabushiki Kaisha |
1932-1945 | ||
 North Yemen |
 |
Yemen Arab Republic Air Force | 1962-1990 | |
 Ottoman Empire |
|
Ottoman Air Force Inspectorate Kuva-yı Havaiye Müfettişliği |
1918-1920 | |
|
Ottoman Aviation Affairs Inspectorate |
|
1915-1918 | ||
|
Ottoman Aviation Organization Inspectorate |
|
1914-1915 | ||
|
Ottoman Aviation Commission |
|
1911-1914 | ||
|
Ottoman Naval Aviation Academy and Service Bahriye Tayyare Mektebi ve Havacılık Şubesi |
1914-1919 | ||
 South Vietnam |
_roundel.svg){kind=small} |
Vietnam Air Force Khong Quan Viet Nam |
1954-1975 | |
 South Yemen |
 |
South Yemen Air Force | 1967-1990 | |
 Soviet Union |
|
Soviet Air Force[73] Военно-воздушные силы |
1930-1991 | |
|
Workers' and Peasants' Air Fleet |
|
1918-1930 | ||
 United Arab Republic |
|
United Arab Republic Air Force | 1958-1961 | |
|
Egyptian Air Force |
|
1952-1958 | ||
|
Syrian Air Force |
|
1948-1958 | ||
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia / SFR Yugoslavia / FR Yugoslavia |
 |
Serbia and Montenegro Air Force Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана Војске Србије и Црне Горе Ratno vazdukhoplovstvo i protivvazdushna odbrana Vojske Srbije i Tsrne Gore |
2003-2006[74] | |
|
FR Yugoslavia Air Force |
|
1992-2003 | ||
|
SFR Yugoslav Air Force[75] |
 |
1945-1991 | ||
|
Yugoslav Royal Air Force |
 |
1929-1941 | ||
|
Yugoslav Royal Army Aviation Department |
 |
1923-1929 | ||
 Zaire(now Democratic Republic of Congo) |
|
Zaire Air Force | 1971-1997 | |
[edit] Other
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Abkhazia |
 |
Abkhazian Air Force | 1992 | |
 Hong Kong |
|
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps - Air Arm RAF | 1930-1949 | |
|
1949-1951 | |||
|
1951-1993 | |||
|
People's Liberation Army Air Force - People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison |
1997- | ||
[edit] Notes
- ^ Operations resumed in 2002, but the new name may not have been applied until the after the 2003 defense reforms were promulgated.
- ^ As they continued the fight against the Taliban, the Mujahideen leaders individually retained the trappings of elements of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. Most of the country's military aircraft not captured by the Taliban were retained by factions remaining aligned with former President Burhanuddin Rabbani. These groups would later form the 'United Islamic Front', which is more commonly known as the 'Northern Alliance'.
- ^ Little is known about the Taliban regime's air force establishment.
- ^ The pro-Soviet regime collapsed in late April 1992 and was succeeded by the UN-sponsored government, the "Islamic State of Afghanistan", led by Burhanuddin Rabbani until overthrown by the Taliban in September 1996.
- ^ Soviet Union-installed regime.
- ^ Official establishment occurred in 1924, but the AMAA received its first aircraft in 1921 (aside from some captured in 1919).
- ^ As in most cases, Argentina's air arms began as an Army formation. Following a period of service unification, the Army Aviation Command was reformed on 27 November 1956, but did not gain independence from the Air Force until 3 November 1959.
- ^ Date first aircraft obtained; the Barbados Defence Force itself was established in 1979.
- ^ Preceded by RAF Squadrons 349 and 350 (1942-1946).
- ^ The indicated roundel was introduced in 1937 - according to Иван Бориславов и Румен Кирилов, "Самолетите на България", част втора, София, 1996, стр. 246-253 (in Bulgarian; in English: Ivan Borislavov and Rumen Kirilov, "The Airplanes of Bulgaria", part two, Sofia, 1996, pages 246-253).
- ^ After the First World War in accordance with the Treaty of Neuilly Bulgaria lost the right to own military air force and because of this from 1920 to 1937 its air force operated as a part of the Bulgarian civil administration - according to Иван Бориславов и Румен Кирилов, "Самолетите на България", част първа, София, 1996, стр. 62-81 (in Bulgarian; in English: Ivan Borislavov and Rumen Kirilov, "The Airplanes of Bulgaria", part one, Sofia, 1996, pages 62-81).
- ^ The indicated version of the German Cross was slightly modified and introduced in 1915 as most widespread Bulgarian aviation sign during the First World War along with the less employed St. Andrew's Cross - according to Иван Бориславов и Румен Кирилов, "Самолетите на България", част втора, София, 1996, стр. 246-253 (in Bulgarian; in English: Ivan Borislavov and Rumen Kirilov, "The Airplanes of Bulgaria", part two, Sofia, 1996, pages 246-253).
- ^ Initially operated balloons. In 1912 Bulgaria received its first airplane Bleriot XXI, with which on 13 August 1912 Simeon Petrov flew to become the first Bulgarian to pilot an airplane over Bulgaria.
- ^ The KPAF's name was changed to "Cambodian People's Air Force" in 1989, following the restoration of the nation's former name of Cambodia. In 1992, the PKAF was briefly resurrected as the "State of Cambodia Air Force", but it never actually became operational under that title.
- ^ The Vietnamese invasion of 1979 resulted in the forcible disbandment of the AFKLA; formation of a successor force did not begin until 1984.
- ^ The Cape Verde Coast Guard received its first aircraft in November 1992; its actual date of formation is unknown at this time.
- ^ The Fuerza Aérea de Chile was briefly named Fuerza Aérea Nacional in 1930.
- ^ The year 1919, when its first aircraft were received, is the traditional establishment date of Chile's Aviación Naval (the name by which it is still popularly referred); however, it was not officially established and recognized as a branch within the Navy until 1923.
- ^ When Chile's unified national air force was dissolved in 1953, the Army did not regain an air arm of its own. Disappointment with this outcome led to the founding of the Club Aéreo del Personal del Ejército (Army Personnel Aero Club) in 1959. Although never formally established as an air arm, it nevertheless served as an important and foundational predecessor to the modern CAEC.
- ^ The NFG was formed in the summer of 1949 for the air defense of Beijing, but was replaced by the PLAAF in November of that year.
- ^ On 28 February 1930, the Red Army captured a Nationalist Chinese O2U-4 Corsair reconnaissance aircraft that had been forced to land due to having run out of fuel; given a red star and named after Lenin, it was later used against the Nationalist government. This may have been the first aircraft in the Red Army. Small numbers of captured aircraft were also used against the Japanese during World War II, but the first regular Communist Chinese air force would be organized as the Nanyuan Flying Group in 1949.
- ^ Information on the organization of Chinese military aviation prior to 1925, when the Kuomintang began establishing its Aviation Bureaus around China, is very spotty as many records have been lost during the conflicts raging from 1931-1949 and the subsequent Cultural Revolution; in fact, during most of these earlier years, China fielded multiple air forces, most being the personal air arms of various warlords — some allied with the national government and some not. During World War II (which began for the Chinese with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931), the Japanese established a number of puppet governments, several of which were permitted to field small air forces.
- ^ Although a formal aviation arm was not stood up until 1979, the ROC Army created an Aviation Section for each of its two corps and an Aviation Platoon for its General Headquarters in 1956.
- ^ Also known as Congo-Brazzaville.
- ^ Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as Congo-Kinshasa.
- ^ Although Costa Rica established its air force in 1947, it did not begin flying operations until 1948.
- ^ The Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion was a World War II German Luftwaffe unit formed from Croatian volunteers on 2 June 1941, and had a fighter and a bomber squadron. The fighter squadron was designated 15.(Kroatische)/JG 52, and served on the Eastern Front from 6 October 1941 until July 1944. The bomber squadron was designated 15.(Kroatische)/KG 53, and served on the Eastern Front from 25 October 1941 until December 1942.
- ^ Full formal name is the Cuban Air Defense and Revolutionary Air Force (Defensa Anti-Aérea y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria).
- ^ Established by Fidel Castro in 1958, but operations with a captured Aviación Naval aircraft began the previous year.
- ^ Split off from the Cuban air force in 1934, but remerged in 1952 reorganization.
- ^ Army aviation was resurrected from 1971-2003 as Hærens Flyvetjeneste (HFT) — Royal Danish Army Flying Service. Now placed under the Air Force as Squadron 724.
- ^ In early 1948, Army aviation became an independent and separate service as the Dominican Military Aviation Corps (DMAC) El Cuerpo de Aviación Militar Dominicana (CAMD/AMD). The Army regained an air arm of its own in 2001.
- ^ At the beginning of 1951, the Navy was authorized to establish its own aviation arm, but it was absorbed into the Air Force the following year. The Navy regained an air arm of its own in 2003.
- ^ a b From 1958-1961, the Egyptian and Syrian air forces were unified as the United Arab Republic Air Force.
- ^ In 1943, 'Sonderstaffel Buschmann' was redesignated Aufklärungsgruppe 127 (AGr 127) and became a regular unit of the German Luftwaffe. On 18 October 1943, AGr 127 was divided into two units, See-Aufklärungsgruppe 127 and Nachtschlachtgruppe 11
- ^ 'Sonderstaffel Buschmann' was a German Luftwaffe auxiliary unit for coastal patrol. It was formed on 12 February 1942.
- ^ The Ethiopian Air Force effectively ceased to exist in 1991, following the victory of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in the civil war]]; it was reestablished in 1995.
- ^ The national flag is used as a fin flash.
- ^ The Gambia formed the nucleus of an air force in 2002 and sent personnel to the Ukraine for a four-year pilot training course. The Gambia bought its first aircraft, a single Su-25 from Georgia in the first half of 2003. However, by 2007, the government had yet to announce its air force's formal establishment.
- ^ Also uses a low-visibility roundel:
- ^ Flank roundel:
- ^ Conglomerate of the Aviazione della Regia Marina and Corpo Aeronautico Militare. Tailfin insignia (click to enlarge):
, flank roundel (click to enlarge): 
- ^ Tailfin insignia (click to enlarge):
- ^ Tailfin insignia (click to enlarge):
- ^ (Italian) Baldassare Catalanotto, Hugo Pratt, In un cielo lontano : 70 anni di aeronautica militare. Lizard editore, 1993. ISBN 88-86456-01-8
- ^ Patterned on the US Air Force.
- ^ Also used the Imperial Japanese Navy's ensign:
- ^ For some time LPLAAF also used this roundel (clik to enlarge):
(www.acig.org) - ^ The communist Pathet Lao insurgents operated their own small air arm from 1960-1975; it became part of the LPLAAF.
- ^ Following a failed attempt at a coup d'état, the Kong Le rebel faction also briefly operated a small air arm from 1960-1963, when it was re-incorporated into the RLAF.
- ^ Luxembourg has no air force of its own, but NATO-owned aircraft are operated under Luxembourg registration.
- ^ The Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP) was a paramilitary adjunct of the League of Malawi Youth activist organization of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Established in 1963, the first militarily trained cadres appeared in 1964, and the MYP obtained aircraft beginning in 1970.
- ^ Although founded in 1926, aircraft were not supplied until the following year.
- ^ On the flanks are used also the national flag, it seems to be used also this roundel:
- ^ Preceded by RAAF squadrons 18, 119 and 120 (1942-1946) and RAF squadrons 320, 321 and 322 (1940-1945).
- ^ Includes Royal New Zealand Navy aircraft as No. 6 Squadron and formerly No. 6 Squadron.
- ^ Also included RAF squadrons 75 and 485-490 during World War II.
- ^ There is also the alternate version:
- ^ Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
- ^ The Serbian-Montenegrin union of Yugoslavia was dissolved in 2006 and the former nation's military assets were divided between them.
- ^ After World War I, Serbia was united with other Balkan states into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- ^ Some units customize their roundels, painting in white inside, their own symbol or motto.
- ^ Merged with Swedish Air Force 2003
- ^ Russia provided Tajikistan with several helicopters in 1993 and began to organize an indigenous air force by no later than 1994; however, most sources express doubts as to its operational effectiveness.
- ^ Although some aircraft were obtained after independence in 1960 and further aircraft were supplied by France in 1963, the air force was not formally established until 1964.
- ^ However, Tunisia's first aircraft were not obtained until 1960.
- ^ Includes the Dubai Defence Force Air Wing (formed 1971); Abu Dhabi Army Air Wing (formed 1968); and Abu Dhabi Air Force (formed 1972).[citation needed]
- ^ Official date of integration of the several emirate air arms, but actual integration took many years.
- ^ a b Formerly part of the Royal Air Force.
- ^ Aviación Militar Bolivariana - Paladín del Espacio Soberano
- ^ Preceded and supported by RAF squadrons 310-313 (1940-1946) and the Soviet Air Force's 1st Czech Fighter Regiment[citation needed].
- ^ The Manchukuo Air Transport Company served as a para-military airline which performed transport and reconnaissance missions for Japanese military forces.
- ^ Until the fifties was in use the single bordered star, also painted on the flanks (click to enlarge):
- ^ Montenegro voted to secede from the FRY in 2006 and the union with Serbia was dissolved, with FRY military assets being divided between the (now) two nations.
- ^ Preceded by the Partizanska Eskadrila NOVJ and RAF squadrons 351 and 352 (the RAF Balkan Air Force, 1942-1945)
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[edit] External links
- (French) (English) Cocardes du monde entier - Roundels of the World
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