Air marshal
Air marshal (Air Mshl or AM) is an air-officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force.[1] 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.
For law enforcement officers who travel covertly on commercial airline flights, see Sky marshal and Federal Air Marshal Service. For the form of airport signalling, see Aircraft marshalling.Air marshal is immediately senior to the rank of air vice-marshal and immediately subordinate to the rank of air chief marshal. Officers in the rank of air marshal typically hold very senior appointments such as commander-in-chief of an air force or a large air force formation. Officers in the ranks of air chief marshal and air vice-marshal are also referred to generically as air marshals.[2] Occasionally, air force officers of marshal rank are considered to be air marshals.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) used the rank until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces, when army-type rank titles were adopted and an air marshal became a lieutenant-general. In official Canadian French usage, the rank title was maréchal de l'air.[5] The Canadian Chief of the Air Staff ordinarily held the rank of air marshal. The following RCAF officers held the rank (dates in rank in parentheses):
Namibia[edit]
The Namibian Air Force adopted the RAF rank system in 2010 previously having been using army ranks and insignia. However the rank of air marshal was not used until 1 April 2020 when Martin Pinehas was promoted to that rank and appointed as Chief of the Namibian Defence Force.[7]
In New Zealand, the head of the air force holds the lower rank of air vice-marshal. However, when an air force officer holds the country's senior military appointment, Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, he is granted the rank of air marshal. The current Chief of Defence Force is an RNZAF officer, Air Marshal Kevin Short.
Other officers to hold the air marshal rank in New Zealand are:
Air Marshal
Air Mshl / AM
OF-8
1 August 1919
Other language variants[edit]
In the Brazilian Air Force, the highest rank is Marechal-do-ar, which can be translated as "air marshal" or "marshal of the air". The rank is equivalent to marshal in the Brazilian Army.[11]
In 1927, the rank of Luftmarsk (transl. air marshal), was proposed by Christian Førslev for a protentional united Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force rank. The rank would have been equivalent to a major general.[12]
![(Royal Australian Air Force)[13]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/British_RAF_OF-8.svg/47px-British_RAF_OF-8.svg.png){kind=small}
![Marechal-do-ar (Brazilian Air Force)[11]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Brazilian_Air_Force_marshal_of_the_air_rank_insignia.svg/53px-Brazilian_Air_Force_marshal_of_the_air_rank_insignia.svg.png){kind=icon}
![(Ghana Air Force)[15]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/15.Ghana_Air_Force-LG.svg/49px-15.Ghana_Air_Force-LG.svg.png){kind=small}
![(Namibian Air Force)[17]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/15-Namibia_Air_Force-AIRMSHL.svg/59px-15-Namibia_Air_Force-AIRMSHL.svg.png)
![(Nigerian Air Force)[18]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Nigeria-AirForce-OF-8.svg/52px-Nigeria-AirForce-OF-8.svg.png)
![(Air Force of Zimbabwe)[21]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2f/Canadian_RCAF_Mess_Dress_Of-08.png/47px-Canadian_RCAF_Mess_Dress_Of-08.png){kind=small}