Global InformationRoyal Australian Air Force information
| Royal Australian Air Force | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Royal Australian Air Force | |
| Founded | 31 March 1921[1] |
| Country |  Australia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 14,313 Active personnel[2] 5,499 Reserve personnel 240+ Aircraft |
| Part of | Australian Defence Force |
| Headquarters | Russell Offices, Canberra |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Per Ardua ad Astra "Through Adversity to the Stars" |
| March |
|
| Anniversaries | RAAF Anniversary Commemoration – 31 March |
| Engagements |
|
| Website | https://www.airforce.gov.au |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Governor-General David Hurley as representative of Charles III as King of Australia[3] |
| Chief of the Defence Force | General Angus Campbell |
| Chief of the Air Force | Air Marshal Robert Chipman |
| Deputy Chief of the Air Force | Air Vice-Marshal Stephen Meredith |
| Air Commander Australia | Air Vice-Marshal Darren Goldie |
| Warrant Officer of the Air Force | Warrant Officer of the Air Force Ralph Clifton |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Ensign |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Electronic warfare | EA-18G Growler, E-7A Wedgetail |
| Fighter | F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18F Super Hornet |
| Patrol | P-8A Poseidon |
| Trainer | PC-21, Hawk 127, KA350 |
| Transport | C-130J Hercules, C-17A Globemaster III, 737 BBJ, Falcon 7X, KC-30A MRTT, C-27J Spartan |
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army.[4] Constitutionally the Governor-General of Australia is the de jure Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal Australian Air Force is commanded by the Chief of Air Force (CAF), who is subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). The CAF is also directly responsible to the Minister for Defence, with the Department of Defence administering the ADF and the Air Force.[5]
Formed in March 1921, as the Australian Air Force, through the separation of the Australian Air Corps from the Army in January 1920, which in turn amalgamated the separate aerial services of both the Army and Navy. It directly continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), the aviation corps of the Army that fought in the First World War and that was formed on 22 October 1912.[6]
During its history, the Royal Australian Air Force has fought in a number of major wars, including the Second World War in Europe and the Pacific, participated in the Berlin Airlift, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation, Vietnam War, and more recently, operations in East Timor, the Iraq War and subsequent intervention, and the War in Afghanistan.
The RAAF operates the majority of the ADF's fixed wing aircraft, although both the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy also operate aircraft in various roles.[7][8] The RAAF provides support across a spectrum of operations such as air superiority, precision strikes, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, air mobility, space surveillance, and humanitarian support. The RAAF has 252 aircraft, of which 84 are combat aircraft.
- ^ "Air Force 2021 centenary". RAAF. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Defence Annual Reports". Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act – Section 68: Command of naval and military forces". Austlii. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Vision". Royal Australian Air Force. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Defence Act (1903) – SECT 9 Command of Defence Force and arms of Defence Force". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ "Australian Military Aviation and World War One". Royal Australian Air Force. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Current aircraft". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ "Aviation projects". Australian Army. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.