RAF other ranks

The term used in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to refer to all ranks below commissioned officer level is other ranks (ORs). It includes warrant officers (WOs), non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and airmen.

Ranks

NATO Code	OR-9		OR-7		OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2			OR-1
United Kingdom Rank Insignia (View)												No insignia
Rank Title:[1]	Warrant Officer		Flight Sergeant	Chief Technician	Sergeant		Corporal	Lance Corporal RAF Regiment	Senior Aircraftman (Technician)	Senior Aircraftman	Leading Aircraftman	Aircraftman
Abbreviation:	WO		FS	Chf Tech	Sgt		Cpl	L/Cpl	SAC Tech	SAC	LAC	AC
Aircrew Rank Insignia							No equivalent
Rank Title:	RAF Master Aircrew		RAF Flight Sergeant Aircrew		RAF Sergeant Aircrew

Origins

Upon the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, rank titles and badges for ORs were adopted from the British Army, specifically the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The RFC ranks of Flight Sergeant (equivalent to Staff Sergeant), Sergeant, Corporal and Air Mechanic were directly adopted. The RFC's four-bladed propeller trade classification badge above the Sergeants' and Flight Sergeants' chevrons was dropped.

To distinguish them from Army personnel, RAF personnel wore the RAF Eagle on a rectangular patch below the shoulder seam on the sleeve. The RAF Eagle is depicted with its beak turned to the rear rather than the front. RAF NCOs were fond of saying that represented that their eyes were everywhere.

The trade classification of Leading Aircraftman was created on 5 April 1918 to fill a void in the Service ranks. It was granted the double-bladed propeller rank insignia of the RFC Air Mechanic 1st Class and was equivalent in rank and authority to the Army appointment of Lance-Corporal. On 1 January 1919 the rank of Aircraftman replaced the ranks of Private, Air Mechanic, and Clerk. Aircraftmen were nicknamed "Erks" (a corruption of the word 'Aircraft') by the senior ranks, which was preferred to 'other ranks' or 'troops'.

The rank of Master Clerk was originally equivalent to Sergeant Major 1st Class. On 28 November 1918, the new rank of Chief Master Clerk was made equivalent to the rank of Sergeant Major 1st Class, and the old rank of Master Clerk was made equivalent to the rank of Sergeant Major 2nd Class.

RAF other ranks (1 April 1918)[2]			RAF other ranks (1 January 1919)[3]
Technical	Administrative	Service	other ranks
Chief Master Mechanic	(Chief Master Clerk)	Sergeant Major 1st Class	Sergeant Major 1st Class
Master Mechanic	(Master Clerk)	Sergeant Major 2nd Class	Sergeant Major 2nd Class
Chief Mechanic	Flight Clerk	Flight Sergeant	Flight Sergeant
Sergeant Mechanic	Sergeant Clerk	Sergeant	Sergeant
Corporal Mechanic	Corporal Clerk	Corporal	Corporal
Air Mechanic 1st Class	Clerk 1st Class	(Leading Aircraftman)	Leading Aircraftman
Air Mechanic 2nd Class	Clerk 2nd Class	Private 1st Class	Aircraftman 1st Class
Air Mechanic 3rd Class	Clerk 3rd Class	Private 2nd Class	Aircraftman 2nd Class

The original RAF ranks are vertically listed by seniority; the Technical ranks had precedence over the Administrative ranks, which in turn had precedence over the Service ranks. This was meant to keep non-technical NCOs from interfering with the efforts of technical and administrative NCOs. This was abolished in January 1919 and a streamlined single-column rank system was devised.

Changes in 1933 & 1939 — warrant officers

In 1933, the ranks of Sergeant Major 1st Class and Sergeant Major 2nd Class were renamed Warrant Officer Class I and Warrant Officer Class II to put them in line with the Army. In 1939, the rank of Warrant Officer II was abolished and the rank of Warrant Officer I was renamed Warrant Officer. RAF Warrant Officers were given equivalent status to the continuing Army rank of Warrant Officer Class I.

Changes in 1946 — aircrew

On 1 July 1946, NCOs serving as aircrew were assigned different rank badges which distinguished them from ORs in ground trades. The new ranks were:

RAF aircrew ranks (1946-1950)
RAF aircrew rank	equivalent RAF rank	insignia description	insignia of rank
Master Aircrew	Warrant Officer	Wreath closed by Royal Arms and inset with an RAF Eagle within.
Aircrew I	Flight Sergeant	Crown over Wreath closed by an RAF Eagle and inset with three 6-pointed stars within.
Aircrew II	Sergeant	Wreath closed by an RAF Eagle and inset with three 6-pointed stars within.
Aircrew III	Corporal	Wreath closed by an RAF Eagle and inset with two 6-pointed stars within.
Aircrew IV	Leading Aircraftman	Wreath closed by an RAF Eagle and inset with one 6-pointed star within.
Aircrew Cadet	Trainee	Wreath closed by an RAF Eagle and a blank field within.

The RAF Eagle in the insignia is properly displayed with its beak turned to the rear.

Changes in 1950 – technicians and aircrew

In 1950, a new grading system for technicians was introduced. This involved the creation of the following ranks:

RAF technician ranks (1950–1964)
RAF technician rank	equivalent RAF rank	insignia of rank
Master Technician	Warrant Officer	Royal Arms
Chief Technician	Flight Sergeant	Three inverted chevrons surmounted by a crown.
Senior Technician	Sergeant	Three inverted chevrons
Corporal Technician	Corporal	Two inverted chevrons
Junior Technician	Leading Aircraftman	One inverted chevron

Also in 1950, the unpopular NCO aircrew ranks were abolished, although Master Aircrew was retained as a rank. Aircrew I became Flight Sergeant Aircrew and Aircrew II, III and IV became Sergeant Aircrew. Both new ranks adopted a gold RAF Eagle between the chevrons to permit continuing distinction from ground trades. Aircrew cadets wore the RAF Eagle on its own as a trade classification badge.

Master Aircrew	Flight Sergeant Aircrew	Sergeant Aircrew

Changes in 1951 — junior ranks

On 1 January 1951, two junior ranks were introduced:

• Senior Aircraftman/Senior Aircraftwoman with a triple-bladed propeller.
• Leading Aircraftman/Leading Aircraftwoman with a double-bladed propeller (this had previously been only a trade classification and not a rank)

Changes in 1964 — technicians

In 1964, the technician ranks were abolished, with the exception of Junior Technician and Chief Technician, the latter becoming an intermediate rank between Sergeant and Flight Sergeant for Technical Trades. Junior Technicians adopted the four-bladed propeller as their badge of rank and Chief Technicians adopted a treble chevron surmounted by a four-bladed propeller as their rank insignia. Master Technicians, Senior Technicians and Corporal Technicians became Warrant Officer, Sergeant and Corporal respectively. The ORs structure became:

• Warrant Officer (WO) / Master Aircrew (MAcr)
• Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt, F/Sgt, or FS) / Flight Sergeant Aircrew (FSAcr)
• Chief Technician (Chf Tech, C/T, or CT)
• Sergeant (Sgt) / Sergeant Aircrew (SAcr)
• Corporal (Cpl)
• Junior Technician (Jnr Tech, J/T, or JT)
• Senior Aircraftman (SAC) / Senior Aircraftwoman (SACW)
• Leading Aircraftman (LAC) / Leading Aircraftwoman (LACW)
• Aircraftman (AC) / Aircraftwoman (ACW)[4]

Changes in 2005 — phasing out of Junior Technician

From 2005 onwards, no more airmen have been promoted to Junior Technician. Although there are currently personnel in the rank of Junior Technician, once they have all been promoted or discharged from the RAF, the rank will cease to be used. From March 2005, SACs in technical trades who had attained the Operational Performance Standard were promoted to Senior Aircraftman/Aircraftwoman (Technician) SAC(T) and given a new badge of rank, consisting of the three-bladed propeller inside a circle. This new rank was introduced to distinguish airmen trained to work unsupervised from those who were not, and is equivalent to the old Junior Technician rank.

Changes in 2010 — introduction of Lance Corporal

On 1 April 2010, the RAF Regiment introduced the rank of Lance Corporal for current SACs who undertake the role of section second-in-command/fire team commander. This gives them more authority on the ground, as well as a better pay band. It seems that the rank will not be moving to other trades, and will be solely in the RAF Regiment.[5]

Timeline of changes

In 1953, the crown was changed from the Tudor Crown to the Crown of St Edward, when Queen Elizabeth II adopted a stylised image of the crown for use in coats of arms, badges, logos and various other insignia.[6]

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1919 – 1933)																													No insignia						No insignia
	Sergeant Major 1st Class						Sergeant Major 2nd Class		Flight sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Leading Aircraftman		Aircraftman 1st Class						Aircraftman 2nd Class
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1933 – 1939)																													No insignia						No insignia
	Warrant Officer Class I						Warrant Officer Class II		Flight sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Leading Aircraftman		Aircraftman 1st Class						Aircraftman 2nd Class
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1939 – 1946)							No equivalent																						No insignia						No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Leading Aircraftman		Aircraftman 1st Class						Aircraftman 2nd Class
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1946 – 1950)							No equivalent																						No insignia						No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Leading Aircraftman		Aircraftman 1st Class						Aircraftman 2nd Class
							No equivalent																						No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Aircrew I		Aircrew II												Aircrew III				Aircrew IV								Aircrew Cadet
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1950 – 1951)							No equivalent																						No insignia						No insignia
	Warrant officer			Master Technician					Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant						Senior Technician						Corporal		Corporal Technician		Junior Technician	Leading Aircraftman	Aircraftman 1st Class						Aircraftman 2nd Class
							No equivalent																No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1951 – 1953)							No equivalent																												No insignia
	Warrant officer			Master Technician					Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant						Senior Technician						Corporal		Corporal Technician		Junior Technician		Senior aircraftman			Leading aircraftman			Aircraftman
							No equivalent																No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1953 – 1964)							No equivalent																												No insignia
	Warrant officer			Master Technician					Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant						Senior Technician						Corporal		Corporal Technician		Junior Technician		Senior aircraftman			Leading aircraftman			Aircraftman
							No equivalent																No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(1964 – 2005)							No equivalent																												No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant												Corporal				Junior Technician		Senior aircraftman/ woman			Leading aircraftman/ woman			Aircraftman/ woman
							No equivalent																No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(2005 – 2010)							No equivalent																				No equivalent								No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant												Corporal						Senior aircraftman/ woman technician		Senior aircraftman/ woman		Leading aircraftman/ woman		Aircraftman/ woman
							No equivalent																No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
(2010 – present)							No equivalent																												No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal RAF Regiment only		Senior aircraftman/ woman technician		Senior aircraftman/ woman		Leading aircraftman/ woman		Aircraftman/ woman
							No equivalent																No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1

See also

• Aircrew brevet
• British Army Other Ranks rank insignia
• Comparative military ranks of World War I
• Comparative military ranks of World War II
• Comparative military ranks
• List of Royal Air Force ground trades
• List of Royal Air Force members
• Military rank
• Ranks and insignia of NATO Air Forces Enlisted
• Ranks of the cadet forces of the United Kingdom
• Royal Navy ratings rank insignia

Footnotes

1. "RAF RANKS". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
2. Air Memorandum No. 1 (March 1918)
3. Air Ministry Weekly Order 109 (1921, reprint of 1923)
4. Jefford, C.G. (2010). Observers and Navigators: And Other Non-Pilot Aircrew in the RFC, RNAS and RAF. London: Grub Street. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-909808-02-7. Air Ministry Order A.80/1963 of 6 March 1963 replaced the AC1 and AC2 with just 'Aircraftman' with effect from 1 April 1964
5. Lesley Woods, ed. (12 April 2010). "New Rank for the RAF Regiment". Royal Air Force website. www.RAF.mod.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
6. "Victorian Coat of Arms". Victoria State Government. Retrieved 15 December 2015.

External links

• Ranks and Badges of the Royal Air Force
• RAF ORs and equivalents, reproduced from Air Ministry Weekly Order 109 of 1921