Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-General of Australia is the de jure Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal Australian Air Force is commanded by the Chief of Air Force (CAF), who is subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). The CAF is also directly responsible to the Minister for Defence, with the Department of Defence administering the ADF and the Air Force.
Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk IA of 75 Squadron RAAF, which F/O Geoff Atherton flew over New Guinea in August 1942.
The Brewster F2A Buffalo participated in air campaigns over Malayan, Singapore and Dutch East Indies
Two RAAF Mirage III fighters in 1980
An RAAF F/A-18 with a USAF KC-135, two F-15Es, an F-117, two F-16s and a RAF Tornado over Iraq
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviation or naval aviation units. Typically, air forces are responsible for gaining control of the air, carrying out strategic and tactical bombing missions, and providing support to land and naval forces often in the form of aerial reconnaissance and close air support.
Four fighters and a KC-135 of the USAF
USAF B-2 Spirit stealth strategic bomber
Refuelling a Jaguar GR1 of the Royal Air Force (1991)
RAF Supermarine Spitfire played a vital role in British victory during the Battle of Britain.
