State Major Chutai

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State Major Chutai refers to an Imperial Japanese Army Air Service Air Wing Commander. Its distinctions are the partially or total scarlet or red orange tail with the respective particular Sentai sign on the red background.

These are the operative command in all wings (Chutais) inside of a Sentai (squadron) of an Army air unit (equivalent to a Luftwaffe Stab).

The German units were distinguished by the use of a Green letter between their particular identifications, but the Japanese used other signs, such as a Red-Blue or Blue-White-Blue Band or a particular rank sign of wing commander under cabin too.

In the Japanese army these command units used twin engine airplanes (Mitsubishi Ki-46 or Kawasaki Ki-45), or regular fighters (Nakajima Ki-43, Nakajima Ki-84 or Kawasaki Ki-61) with red tail sign.

The colours mentioned above were also used for Japanese Navy training aircraft in training schools, in land bases and special training sea carriers.

In the Imperial Japanese Navy, training aircraft are codified with the letter K in the aeronautical code identification during World War II. (See link with "K" letter for meaning.)