Naval Flight Officer insignia
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The Naval Flight Officer insignia is a breast insignia of the United States military which is awarded to those aviators of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard who have qualified as Naval Flight Officers (NFO) based on successful completion of flight training. The insignia is similar in design to the Naval Aviator insignia, consisting of a pair of golden wings, a shield, and crossed anchors.
The Naval Flight Officer insignia is identical for both branches and is awarded in a single degree. To qualify for the NFO insignia, a service member must have completed officer aviation training and be qualified as a systems operator onboard a Naval aircraft. Such qualifications also include weapons deployment tactics, electronic warfare, and airborne navigation.
The insignia originated in the 1930s and evolved from the Naval Aviation Observer insignia. The main reason for creating the NFO insignia was to recognize the higher degree of training required for flight officers, compared to other airborne support personnel. In the modern space age, the insignia is upgradeable to a variation of the Astronaut Badge.
Known as the Naval Flight Officer Astronaut insignia, the decoration is a standard NFO insignia upon which is centered a golden astronaut crest. The badge is issued for those Naval Flight Officers who have completed astronaut training at NASA and have subsequently participated in a space flight more than 50 miles above the Earth.
The United States Coast Guard equivalent of the Naval Flight Officer insignia is known as the Coast Guard Flight Officer Badge.
