The following is a list of

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

air chief marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

s. The rank of air chief marshal is a four-star officer rank and currently the highest rank to which RAF officers may be promoted to in a professional capacity. Throughout the

history of the RAF The history of the Royal Air Force, the air force of the United Kingdom, spans a century of British military aviation. The RAF was founded on 1 April 1918, towards the end of the First World War by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Na ...

there have been 140 RAF officers promoted to air chief marshal and at present only one RAF officer holds the rank in an active capacity. He is Sir

Michael Wigston Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston, (born 25 February 1968) is the senior officer in the Royal Air Force, serving as Chief of the Air Staff since 26 July 2019. He previously served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff from 2017 to 2018, and ...

, the Chief of the Air Staff (the only dedicated RAF 4-star post). The rank was first used in 1922 when

Sir Hugh Trenchard Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, (3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956) was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force. He has been described as the "Father of the ...

the then Chief of the Air Staff was promoted. Up until the mid-1930s there was usually only one RAF officer in the rank of air chief marshal. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, with the great expansion of the RAF, the number of air chief marshals active at any one time peaked at nine during the War. This number of air chief marshals was to remain approximately constant throughout the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

but after the British defence cuts of the mid-1990s there were only two dedicated 4-star RAF posts, namely the AOC-in-C, Strike Command and the Chief of the Air Staff. In 2007 with the reduction to a single command (Air Command) the RAF initially retained two air chief marshal posts (the AOC-in-C, Air Command and the Chief of the Air Staff) but in 2012 the post of AOC-in-C, Air Command was subsumed within the responsibilities of the Chief of the Air Staff leaving only a single dedicated RAF air chief marshal post.

List of air chief marshals

Number of air chief marshals by year

The following chart indicates the number of serving air chief marshals by year, as counted on 1 January each year.

Honorary air chief marshals

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

, promoted 1 January 1935, assumed the rank of Marshal of the Royal Air Force on 21 January 1936 *

The Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

, promoted 27 October 1944 * The Shah of Iran, promoted 5 May 1959 * King Olav V of Norway, promoted 15 September 1959 *

Frederick IX of Denmark Frederick IX ( da, Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was List of Danish monarchs, King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Born into the House of Glücksburg, Frederick was the elder son of Ch ...

, promoted 15 September 1959 *

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: * Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short car ...

, promoted 15 September 1959 * King Hussein I bin Talal I of Jordan, promoted 19 July 1966 *

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, (born Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott; 25 December 1901 – 29 October 2004) was the wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the mother ...

, promoted 23 February 1990 * The Sultan of Brunei, promoted 5 November 1992 *

The Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...

, promoted 1 July 1996 *

, promoted 14 November 2006 promoted to Marshal of the Royal Air Force 16 June 2012 *

The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...

, promoted 15 August 2020

References

External links

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Chief Marshals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Air Force air chief marshals * Lists of British military personnel Lists of air marshals Four-star officers

List of air chief marshals

Number of air chief marshals by year

Honorary air chief marshals

See also

References

External links