List of Royal Air Force commands
This is a list of Royal Air Force commands, both past and present.[1]
Although the concept of a command dates back to the foundation of the Royal Air Force, the term command (as the name of a formation) was first used in purely RAF-context in 1936 when Bomber Command, Fighter Command, Coastal Command and Training Command were formed. Since that time the RAF has made considerable use of the term. Until early 2007, the RAF had two commands, Strike Command and Personnel and Training Command, which were co-located at RAF High Wycombe. On 1 April 2007, the two were merged to form Air Command.
| Command | Years active | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aden Command | ||
| Air Command | 2007-present | |
| Air Command Far East | 1946-1949 | |
| Air Support Command | 1967–1972 | |
| Army Cooperation Command | 1940-1943 | |
| Balloon Command | 1938-1945 | |
| Bomber Command | 1936–1968 | |
| Coastal Command | 1936–1969 | |
| Eastern Air Command | Formed on the basis of No. 333 (Special Operations) Group, November 1942. | |
| Far East Air Force | 1943-1971 | |
| Ferry Command | 1941-1943 | |
| Fighter Command | 1936–1968 | |
| Flying Training Command | 1940-1968 | |
| Home Command | 1950-1959 | |
| Iraq Command | 1922-1932 | |
| Joint Helicopter Command | 1999-present | Under British Army command |
| Logistics Command | 1994–1999 | |
| Maintenance Command | ||
| Mediterranean Air Command | ||
| Near East Air Force | ||
| Middle East Command | ||
| Personnel and Training Command | 1994-2007 | |
| Reserve Command | 1939-1940 1946-1950 | |
| Signals Command | 1958–1969 | |
| Strike Command | 1968-2007 | |
| Support Command | 1973-1994 | |
| Technical Training Command | 1940-1968 | |
| Training Command | 1936-1977 | |
| Transport Command | 1943-1967 | |
| Air Defence of Great Britain | ||
| Advanced Air Striking Force | ||
| British Air Forces in France | ||
| No. 1 Area | ||
| No. 2 Area | ||
| No. 3 Area | ||
| No. 4 Area | ||
| No. 5 Area | ||
| Training Division | ||
| Coastal Area | 1919-1936 | |
| Central Area | ||
| North Eastern Area | ||
| North Western Area | ||
| Northern Area | ||
| South Eastern Area | ||
| South Western Area | ||
| Southern Area | ||
| Western Area | ||
| RAF Bengal and Burma | ||
| RAF Burma | ||
| RAF Germany | 1959-1993 | |
| RAF Gibraltar | 1942-present | |
| RAF Iceland | ||
| RAF in Northern Ireland | ||
| RAF India | ||
| RAF Iraq | ||
| RAF Ireland | ||
| RAF Mediterranean | ||
| RAF Mediterranean and Middle East | ||
| RAF Middle East | ||
| RAF Rhine | ||
| First Tactical Air Force | (Desert Air Force) | |
| Second Tactical Air Force | ||
| Third Tactical Air Force | ||
| Allied Expeditionary Air Force | ||
| Balkan Air Force | ||
| Far East Air Force (Royal Air Force) | ||
| Mediterranean Allied Air Forces | ||
| Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force | ||
| Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force | ||
| Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force | ||
| Mediterranean Coastal Air Force | ||
| Middle East Air Force | ||
| Near East Air Force | ||
| Northwest African Coastal Air Force | ||
| Northwest African Tactical Air Force | ||
| Northwest African Strategic Air Force |
See also
References
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