List of air forces
This alphabetically arranged list of air forces identifies the current and historical names and roundels for the military aviation arms of countries fielding an air component, whether an independent air force, a naval air arm, army aviation unit, or coast guard. At the end is a separate list of no longer extant nations that once operated air forces. Country names in italics indicate that they are not generally recognized internationally as independent states but which nonetheless managed to field an active air service.
| Contents | Top · 0–9 · A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Abkhazia |
 |
Abkhazian Air Force | 1992 | |
 Afghanistan |
 |
Afghan National Army - Air
Corps Afghan Melli-e Ourdou |
2002[1] | |
|
Air and Air Defense Force of the Islamic State of Afghanistan (Mujahideen)[2] |
|
1996-2001 | ||
|
Army Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban)[3] |
|
1996-2001 | ||
|
Air and Air Defense Force of the Islamic State of Afghanistan[4] |
|
1992-1996 | ||
|
Afghan Republican Air Force |
 |
1983-1992 | ||
|
Afghan Army Air Force[5] |
|
1980-1983 | ||
|
Afghan Republican Air Force |
|
1973-1979 | ||
|
1948-1973 | |||
|
Afghan Air Force |
|
1937-1947 | ||
|
Afghan Military Air Arm |
|
1924[6]-1929 | ||
 Albania |
 |
Albanian Air Force Forcave Ajrore |
1947 | |
|
Albanian Air Corps |
|
1914-1939 | ||
 Algeria |
 |
Algerian Air Force Al Quwwat aljawwija aljaza'eriiya |
1962 | |
 Angola |
 |
People's Air
and Air Defence Force of Angola Força Aérea Popular de Angola/Defesa Aérea y Antiaérea |
||
|
Angolan People's Air Force & Anti-Aircraft Defence |
|
1976-? | ||
 Argentina |
 |
Argentine Air Force Fuerza Aérea Argentina |
1945 | |
|
Servicio Aéronautico del Ejército |
|
1912-1945? | ||
|
Argentine Naval
Aviation Comando de Aviación Naval Argentina |
1919 | ||
|
Argentine Army Aviation Command Comando de Aviación del Ejército Argentino |
1956[7] | ||
|
Coast Guard Air
Service Servicio de Aviación de la Prefectura Naval Argentina |
1970s | ||
|
Border Guard Air
Service Dirección de Aeronáutica de Gendarmería [1] |
1955 | ||
 Armenia |
 |
Armenian Air Force | 1994 | |
 Australia |
 |
Royal Australian Air Force | 1921 | |
|
Australian Air Corps |
|
1921 | ||
 |
1914-1921 | |||
|
Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm | 1947 | ||
|
Australian Army Aviation Corps | 1968 | ||
 Austria |
 |
Austrian Air Force Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte |
1955 | |
|
Luftwaffen Kommando Österreich |
 |
1938-1945 | ||
|
Heimwehr Flieger Korps |
 |
1927-1938 | ||
 Azerbaijan |
 |
Azerbaijan Air Force | 1991 | |
B
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Bahamas |
|
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Air Wing | 1981 | |
 Bahrain |
 |
Royal Bahraini Air Force | 2002 | |
|
Bahrain Ameri Air Force |
|
1987-2002 | ||
|
Bahrain Defence Force Air Wing |
|
1977-1987 | ||
 Bangladesh |
 |
Bangladeshi Air Force বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী Bangladesh Biman Bahini |
1971 | |
 Barbados |
|
Barbados Defence Force | 1981[8] | |
 Belarus |
 |
Belarus Air Force | post 1995 | |
 |
1991-1995 | |||
 Belgium |
 |
Belgian Air Force[9] Belgische Luchtmacht, Force Aérienne Belge |
1946 | |
|
Militair Vliegwezen, Aviation Militaire |
|
1915-1940 | ||
|
Compagnie des Ouvries et Aérostiers |
|
1910-1915 | ||
 Belize |
|
Belize Defence Force Air Wing | 1983 | |
 Benin |
 |
Benin Air Force Force Aérienne Populaire de Benin |
1975 | |
|
Dahomey Air Force |
|
1961-1975 | ||
 Bhutan |
|
Bhutan Air Force | ||
 Bolivia |
 |
Bolivian Air Force Fuerza Aérea Boliviana |
1923 | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
 |
Republika Srpska Air
Force V i PVO VRS |
1992 | |
 Botswana |
 |
Botswana Defence Force Air Wing | 1977 | |
 Brazil |
 |
Brazilian Air Force Força Aérea Brasileira |
1928 | |
 |
Brazilian Naval Aviation Força Aeronaval |
1965 | ||
 |
Brazilian Army Aviation Aviação do Exército Brasileiro |
1931 | ||
|
(Roundel used during World War II) |
|
1941-1945 | ||
 Brunei |
 |
Royal Brunei Air Force Angkatan Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei |
1991 | |
|
Royal Brunei Armed Forces Air Wing |
|
1984-1991 | ||
|
Royal Brunei Malay Regiment Air Wing |
|
1965-1984 | ||
 Bulgaria |
 |
Bulgarian Air Force Български Военновъздушни Сили Balgarski Voennovazdushni Sili (BVVS) |
1992 | |
|
Bulgarian Air Defense and Air Force |
 |
1961-1992 | ||
|
Bulgarian Military Air Force |
|
1952-1961 | ||
|
Bulgarian Military Air Force |
|
1949-1952 | ||
|
Air Army |
 |
1945-1949 | ||
|
|
 |
1941-1944 | ||
|
Royal Bulgarian Air Force[10] |
 |
1937-1941 | ||
|
Department of Aeronautics under Ministry of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs |
|
1924-1937 | ||
|
Section of Aeronautics under Ministry of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs[11] |
|
1920-1924 | ||
|
Gendarmery Aeroplane Detachment |
|
1919-1920 | ||
|
Aeroplane Group |
|
1918-1919 | ||
|
Army Aviation Corps[12] |
|
1915-1918 | ||
|
Aeronautical Battalion |
|
1914-1915 | ||
|
Aeronautical Detachment[13] |
|
1906-1914 | ||
|
Bulgarian Naval Aviation Aviatsia Na Bulgarskiya Voennomorski Flot (AnBVMF) |
1992 | ||
|
Independent ASW Squadron of the Navy |
|
1959-1990 | ||
|
Bulgarian Naval Aviation |
|
1915-1918 | ||
 Burkina Faso |
 |
Burkina Faso Air
Force Force Aérienne de Burkina Faso |
1964 | |
 Burundi |
 |
Burundi Army Aviation Force Armée du Burundi |
1966 | |
C
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Cambodia |
 |
Royal Cambodian Air
Force Toap Akas Khemarak Phoumin Force Aérienne Royale Cambodge |
1993 | |
|
Kampuchean People's Air Force |
|
1984-1991[14] | ||
|
Air Force of the Kampuchean Liberation Army |
|
1977-1979[15] | ||
|
Khmer Air Force |
|
1970-1975 | ||
|
Royal Khmer Air Force |
|
1954-1970 | ||
 Cameroon |
 |
Cameroon Air Force Armée de l'Air du Cameroun |
1960 | |
 Canada |
 |
Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM) | 1968 | |
| Image:Rcaf roundel old wht.png | 1924-1968 | |||
 Cape Verde |
|
Cape Verde Air Force Forza Aérea Caboverdaine |
1982 | |
|
Cape Verde Coast Guard Guarda Costeira de Cabo Verde |
1992[16] | ||
 Central African
Republic |
 |
Central African
Republic Air Force Force Aérienne Centrafricaine |
1961 | |
 Chad |
 |
Chad Air Force Force Aérienne Tchadienne |
1973 | |
 Chile |
 |
Chilean Air Force Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh)[17] |
1930 | |
|
Chilean Military Aviation Service |
|
1910-1930 | ||
|
Chilean Naval Aviation Servicio de Aviación de la Armada de Chile (popularly, Aviación Naval) |
1953 | ||
|
Chilean Naval Aviation Service |
|
1919-1930[18] | ||
|
Chilean Army Aviation Comando de Aviación del Ejército de Chile (popularly, Aviación del Ejército) |
1970[19] | ||
 China (PRC) |
 |
People's Liberation Army
Air Force 中国人民解放军空军 Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Kongjun |
1949 | |
|
Nanyuan Flying Group[20] |
|
1949 | ||
|
Red Army of China Air Force |
|
c. 1930[21] | ||
|
People's
Liberation Army Naval Air Force 中国人民解放军海军航空兵 Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Haijun Hangkongbing |
1953 | ||
 Taiwan (ROC) |
 |
Republic of China Air
Force 中華民國空軍 Chung-Hua Min-Kuo K'ung-Chün |
1938 | |
|
Nationalist Chinese Air Force (Central Government)[22] |
|
1925-1938 | ||
|
Chinese Aviation Ministry |
Image:Chinese Air Force Roundel 1920-1921.svg | 1920-1925? | ||
|
Chinese Aviation Service |
Image:Beiyang star.svg | 1916?-1919? | ||
|
Chinese Army Air Arm |
|
1914-1916? | ||
|
Airplane Corps of the Chinese Army |
|
1913-1914 | ||
|
Republic of China Army Aviation and Special Forces Command | 1999 | ||
|
Army Paratroops and Special Forces Command |
|
1979-1999 | ||
|
Army Aviation Command[23] |
|
1976-1979 | ||
|
Republic of China Navy Aviation Command | 1995 | ||
|
Naval Anti-Submarine Group |
|
1991-1995 | ||
|
Fleet Helicopter Squadron |
|
1977-1991 | ||
|
Chinese Naval Air Service |
|
1927-1938 | ||
 Colombia |
 |
Colombian Air Force Fuerza Aérea Colombiana |
1922 | |
|
Colombian Naval
Aviation Aviación Naval |
1935 | ||
|
Colombian Army
Aviation Aviación del Ejército |
1995 | ||
 Congo[24] |
 |
Congolese Air Force L'Armée de l'Air du Congo |
1961 | |
 Dem. Rep. of the
Congo[25] |
|
Congolese
(DRC) Air Force Force Aérienne du Congo |
||
|
Zaire Air Force |
Image:Roundel of Zaire Air Force.svg | 1971-1997 | ||
 Costa Rica |
|
Air Surveillance
Service Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea (SVA) - Fuerza Pública |
1994 | |
|
Air Section of the Costa Rica Ministry of Public Security |
|
1964-1994 | ||
|
Air Section of the Costa Rica Civil Guard |
|
1957-1964 | ||
|
Costa Rican Air Force |
|
1955-1957 | ||
|
Costa Rican Military Air Force |
|
1947/48-1949[26] | ||
 Côte d'Ivoire |
 |
Côte d'Ivoire Air
Force Force Aérienne de la Côte d'Ivoire |
c. 1965 | |
 Croatia |
 |
Croatian Air Force and
Defense Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzracna Obrana |
1991 | |
|
Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion[27] |
 |
1941-1945 | ||
 Cuba |
 |
Cuban Revolutionary Air
Force[28] Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria |
1959 | |
|
Cuban Rebel Air Force[29] |
|
1958 | ||
|
Cuban Army Air Force |
|
1952-1958 | ||
|
Cuban Army Aviation Corps |
|
1934-1952 | ||
|
Cuban Army Air Corps |
|
1915-1934 | ||
|
Cuban Army Aviation Corps |
|
1913-1915 | ||
|
Cuban Naval Aviation[30] Aviación Naval |
1934-1952 | ||
 Czech Republic |
 |
Czech Air Force Vzdušné síly armády České republiky |
1993 | |
D
| Country | Established | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Indigenous nameCurrentFormer |
||||
 Denmark |
 |
Royal Danish Air Force Flyvevåbnet |
1950 | |
|
Royal Danish Army Air Corps[31] |
|
1912-1950 | ||
|
Royal Danish Naval Aviation |
|
1911-1950 | ||
|
Royal Danish Navy Helicopter Service Søværnets Helikoptertjeneste |
2003 | ||
|
Royal Danish Navy Flying Service |
|
1962-2003 | ||
 Djibouti |
 |
Djibouti Air Force Force Aérienne du Djibouti |
1977 | |
 Dominican Republic |
 |
Dominican Air
Force Fuerza Aérea Dominicana (FAD) |
1962 | |
|
Dominican Military Aviation |
||||