The Indian Air Force's rank structure is based on that of the Royal Air Force. The highest rank attainable in the Indian Air Force is Marshal of the Indian Air Force, conferred by the President of India after exceptional service during wartime. MIAF Arjan Singh was the only officer to have achieved this rank. The head of the Indian Air Force is the Chief of the Air Staff, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal. The current Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, took office on 30 September 2019.
Officer ranks
The following table shows the officer rank insignia for the Indian Air Force. Even though India is not a recognized NATO country, the NATO ranking codes are given for comparison with other nations' military ranks (see Air force officer rank insignia for more information).
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| Equivalent NATO Code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF(D) & Student officer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Indian Air Force | ) | ) | ) | ) | ) | ) | ) | ) | ) | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshal of the Indian Air Force | Air Chief Marshal | Air Marshal | Air Vice Marshal | Air Commodore | Group Captain | Wing Commander | Squadron Leader | Flight Lieutenant | Flying Officer | Flight Cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonial/ War time rank | Held by the Chief of the Air Staff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Equivalent ranks of Indian military | ||
|---|---|---|
| Indian Navy | Indian Army | Indian Air Force |
Commissioned ranks | ||
| Admiral of the fleet | Field marshal | Marshal of the Indian Air Force |
| Admiral | General | Air chief marshal |
| Vice admiral | Lieutenant general | Air marshal |
| Rear admiral | Major general | Air vice marshal |
| Commodore | Brigadier | Air commodore |
| Captain | Colonel | Group captain |
| Commander | Lieutenant colonel | Wing commander |
| Lieutenant commander | Major | Squadron leader |
| Lieutenant | Captain | Flight lieutenant |
| Sub lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying officer |
Junior commissioned ranks | ||
| Master chief petty officer 1st class | Subedar major[Alt 1] | Master warrant officer |
| Master chief petty officer 2nd class | Subedar[Alt 2] | Warrant officer |
| Chief petty officer | Naib subedar[Alt 3] | Junior warrant officer |
Non-commissioned ranks | ||
| Petty officer | Havildar | Sergeant |
| Leading seaman | Naik | Corporal |
| Seaman 1 | Lance naik | Leading aircraftsman |
| Seaman 2 | Sepoy | Aircraftsman |
Footnotes | ||
The IAF rank of pilot officer is a rank in abeyance in the Air Force and is no longer in force, all officers begin as flying officers upon commissioning.
Junior commissioned officer and non-commissioned ranks
| Equivalent NATO Code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Air Force | ) | ) | ) | ){kind=small} | ){kind=small} | No equivalent |  | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Master Warrant Officer | Warrant Officer | Junior Warrant Officer | Sergeant | Corporal | Leading Aircraftsman | Aircraftsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- Comparative military ranks
- Army ranks and insignia of India
- Naval ranks and insignia of India
- Police ranks and insignia of India