Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force . The RAAF was formed in March 1921 . It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps ( AFC ) , which was formed on 22 October 1912 . The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century ' s major conflicts including the Second World War , the Korean War and the Vietnam War . More recently the RAAF participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and is still involved with the War in Afghanistan ( 2001 – present ) . The motto on the RAAF ' s coat of arms is the Latin phrase " Per ardua ad astra " , which means " Through Adversity to the Stars " . History . Formation , 1912 . The RAAF traces its history back to the Imperial Conference held in London in 1911 , where it was decided aviation should be developed within the armed forces of the British Empire . Australia implemented this decision , the only country to do so , by approving the establishment of the Central Flying School at Point Cook , Victoria on 22 October 1912 . The RAAF was the second air force to be officially formed . First World War . Soon after the outbreak of war in 1914 , the Australian Flying Corps sent aircraft to assist in capturing German colonies in what is now north - east New Guinea . However , these colonies surrendered quickly , before the planes were even unpacked . The first operational flights did not occur until 27 May 1915 , when the Mesopotamian Half Flight was called upon to assist the Indian Army in protecting British oil interests in what is now Iraq . The corps later saw action in Egypt , Palestine and on the Western Front throughout the remainder of the First World War . By the end of the war , four squadrons had seen operational service , while another four training squadrons had also been established . A total of 460 officers and 2 , 234 other ranks served in the AFC , whilst another 200 men served as aircrew in the British flying services . Casualties included 175 dead , 111 wounded , 6 gassed and 40 captured . Inter - war period . The Australian Flying Corps remained part of the Australian Army until 1919 , when it was disbanded along with the First Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) . Although the Central Flying School continued to operate at Point Cook , military flying virtually ceased until 1920 , when the Australian Air Corps was formed . The Australian Air Force was formed on 31 March 1921 . King George V approved the prefix " Royal " in June 1921 and became effective on 31 August 1921 . The RAAF then became the second Royal air arm to be formed in the British Commonwealth , following the British Royal Air Force . When formed the RAAF had more aircraft than personnel , with 21 officers and 128 other ranks and 153 aircraft . Second World War . Europe and the Mediterranean . In September 1939 the RAAF ' s Air Board directly controlled the Air Force via RAAF Station Laverton , RAAF Station Richmond , RAAF Station Pearce , No . 1 Flying Training School RAAF at Point Cook , RAAF Station Rathmines and five smaller units . In 1939 , just after the outbreak of the Second World War , Australia joined the Empire Air Training Scheme , under which flight crews received basic training in Australia before travelling to Canada for advanced training . A total of 19 RAAF bomber , fighter , reconnaissance and other squadrons served initially in Britain , and / or with the Desert Air Force located in North Africa and the Mediterranean . About nine percent of the personnel who served under British RAF commands in Europe and the Mediterranean were RAAF personnel . With British manufacturing targeted by the German Luftwaffe , the Australian government created the Department of Aircraft Production ( DAP ; later known as the Government Aircraft Factory ) to supply Commonwealth air forces . and the RAAF was eventually provided with large numbers of locally built versions of British designs such as the DAP Beaufort torpedo bomber , Beaufighters and Mosquitos , as well as other types such as Wirraways , Boomerangs , and Mustangs . In the European theatre of the war , RAAF personnel were especially notable in RAF Bomber Command : although they represented just two percent of all Australian enlistments during the war , they accounted for almost twenty percent of those killed in action . This statistic is further illustrated by the fact that No . 460 Squadron RAAF , mostly flying Avro Lancaster s , had an official establishment of about 200 aircrew and yet had 1 , 018 combat deaths . The squadron was therefore effectively wiped out five times over . Total RAAF casualties in Europe were 5 , 488 killed or missing . Pacific War . The beginning of the Pacific War — and the rapid advance of Japan ese forces — threatened the Australian mainland for the first time . The RAAF was quite unprepared for the emergency , and initially had negligible forces available for service in the Pacific . In 1941 and early 1942 , many RAAF airmen , including 21 and 453 Squadron s , saw action with the RAF Far East Command in the Malayan , Singapore and Dutch East Indies campaigns . Allied fighter pilots , in particular , performed well in the campaign , despite being outnumbered and the fact that many were allocated sub - standard examples of the Brewster Buffalo . The devastating air raids on Darwin on 19 February 1942 drove the point home . Some RAAF squadrons were transferred from the northern hemisphere — although a substantial number remained there until the end of the war . Shortages of fighter and ground attack planes led to the acquisition of US - built P - 40 Kittyhawks and the rapid design and manufacture of the first Australian fighter , the CAC Boomerang . RAAF Kittyhawks came to play a crucial role in the New Guinea and Solomon Islands campaigns , especially in operations like the Battle of Milne Bay . As a response to a possible Japanese chemical warfare threat the RAAF imported hundreds of thousands of chemical weapons into Australia . In the Battle of the Bismarck Sea , imported Bristol Beaufighter s proved to be highly effective ground attack and maritime strike aircraft . Beaufighters were later made locally by the DAP . Although it was much bigger than Japanese fighters , the Beaufighter had the speed to outrun them . The RAAF ' s heavy bomber force was predominantly 287 B - 24 Liberator s , which could bomb Japanese targets as far away as Borneo and the Philippines from airfields in Australia and New Guinea . By late 1945 , the RAAF had received or ordered about 500 P - 51 Mustang s , for fighter / ground attack purposes . The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation initially assembled US - made Mustangs , but later manufactured most of those used . The RAAF ' s main operational formation , the First Tactical Air Force , comprised more than 18 , 000 personnel and 20 squadrons ; it had taken part in the Philippines and Borneo campaigns and was scheduled to participate in the invasion of the Japanese mainland , Operation Downfall . So too were the RAAF bomber squadrons in Europe , as part of the proposed Tiger Force . However , the war was brought to a sudden end by the US nuclear attack s on Japan . As a result of the Empire Air Training Scheme , about 20 , 000 Australian personnel had served with other Commonwealth air forces in Europe during the Second World War . A total of 216 , 900 men and women served in the RAAF , of whom 10 , 562 were killed in action ; a total of 76 squadrons were formed . Service since 1945 . During the Berlin Airlift , in 1948 – 1949 , the RAAF Squadron Berlin Air Lift aided the international effort to fly in supplies to the stricken city ; two RAF York aircraft were also crewed by RAAF crews . Although a small part of the operation , the RAAF contribution was significant , flying 2 , 062 sorties and carrying 7 , 030 tons of freight and 6 , 964 passengers . In the Korean War , from 1950 – 53 , Mustangs from No . 77 Squadron RAAF , stationed in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force , were among the first United Nations aircraft to be deployed , in ground support , combat air patrol , and escort missions . When the UN planes were confronted by MiG - 15 jet fighters , 77 Sqn acquired Gloster Meteor s , which enabled some success against the Soviet pilots flying for North Korea . However , the MiGs were superior aircraft and the Meteors were relegated to ground support missions , as the North Koreans gained experience . The air force also operated transport aircraft during the conflict . No . 77 Squadron flew 18 , 872 sorties , claiming the destruction of 3 , 700 buildings , 1 , 408 vehicles , 16 bridges , 98 railway carriages and an unknown number of enemy personnel . Three MiG - 15s were confirmed destroyed , and two others probably destroyed . RAAF casualties included 41 killed and seven captured ; 66 aircraft – 22 Mustangs and 44 Meteors – were lost . In 1953 , a Royal Air Force officer , Air Marshal Sir Donald Hardman , was brought out to Australia to become Chief of the Air Staff . He reorganised the RAAF into three commands : Home Command , Maintenance Command , and RAAF Training Command . Five years later the commands were reorganised as Operational Command and RAAF Support Command . Support Command was made responsible for initial training , supply , administration and distribution of all aircraft , stores , and equipment , for maintenance , repair , and other administration . In the Malayan Emergency , from 1950 – 1960 , six Lincolns from No . 1 Squadron RAAF and a flight of Dakotas from No . 38 Squadron RAAF took part in operations against the communist guerrillas ( labelled as " Communist Terrorists " by the British authorities ) as part of the RAF Far East Air Force . The Dakotas were used on cargo runs , in troop movement and in paratroop and leaflet drops within Malaya . The Lincolns , operating from bases in Singapore and from Kuala Lumpur , formed the backbone of the air war against the CTs , conducting bombing missions against their jungle bases . Although results were often difficult to assess , they allowed the government to harass CT forces , attack their base camps when identified and keep them on the move . Later , in 1958 , Canberra bombers from No . 2 Squadron RAAF were deployed to Malaya and took part in bombing missions against the CTs . During the Vietnam War , from 1964 – 72 , the RAAF contributed squadrons of Caribou STOL transport aircraft ( RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam , later No . 35 Squadron RAAF ) , UH - 1 Iroquois helicopters ( No . 9 Squadron RAAF ) and English Electric Canberra bombers ( No . 2 Squadron RAAF ) . The Canberras flew 11 , 963 bombing sortie s , and two aircraft were lost . One went missing during a bombing raid . The wreckage of the aircraft was recovered in April 2009 , and the remains of Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver were found in late July 2009 . The other was shot down by a surface to air missile , although both crew were rescued . They dropped 76 , 389 bombs and were credited with 786 enemy personnel confirmed killed and a further 3 , 390 estimated killed , 8 , 637 structures , 15 , 568 bunkers , 1 , 267 sampans and 74 bridges destroyed . RAAF transport aircraft also supported anti - communist ground forces . The UH - 1 helicopters were used in many roles including medical evacuation and close air support . RAAF casualties in Vietnam included six killed in action , eight non - battle fatalities , 30 wounded in action and 30 injured . Military airlifts were conducted for a number of purposes in the intervening decades , such as the peacekeeping operations in East Timor from 1999 . Australia ' s combat aircraft were not used again in combat until the Iraq War in 2003 , when 14 F / A - 18s from No . 75 Squadron RAAF operated in the escort and ground attack roles , flying a total of 350 sorties and dropping 122 laser - guided bombs . Since August 2007 , a detachment of No . 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit RAAF has been on active service at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan . Approximately 75 personnel deployed with the AN / TPS - 77 radar assigned the responsibility to co - ordinate coalition air operations . Ranks and uniform . The rank structure of the nascent RAAF was proposed in the context of pay scales prepared by then Acting Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams , Director of Air Services in the Australian Army . It was based on RAF rates for officers and industrial awards for other ranks . The highest rank was Air Vice Marshal to be consistent with the Australian Army and Navy . The RAF ranks had been named in a way that showed equivalence with Royal Navy ranks , so that eventually the structure came to be : Aircraftsman , Leading Aircraftsman , Corporal , Sergeant , Flight Sergeant , Warrant Officer , Pilot Officer , Flying Officer . Flight Lieutenant , Squadron Leader , Wing Commander , Group Captain , Air Commodore , Air Vice Marshal , Air Marshal , Air Chief Marshal , Marshal of the RAAF . In 1922 , the colour of the RAAF winter uniform was determined by Williams on a visit to the Geelong Wool Mill . He asked for one dye dip fewer than the RAN blue ( three indigo dips rather than four ) . There was a change to a lighter blue when an all seasons uniform was introduced in the 1970s . The original colour and style were re - adopted around 2005 . Slip - on rank epaulette s , known as " Soft Rank Insignia " ( SRI ) , displaying the word are worn on the shoulders of the service dress uniform . When not in the service dress or " ceremonial " uniform , RAAF personnel wear the Auscam DPCU , which has replaced the old working dress . Roundel . Originally , the air force used the existing red , white and blue roundel of the Royal Air Force . However , during the Second World War the inner red circle , which was visually similar to the Japanese Hinomaru , was removed after a No . 11 Squadron Catalina was mistaken for a Japanese aircraft by a US Navy Wildcat in the Pacific Theatre . After the war , a range of options for the RAAF roundel were proposed , including the Southern Cross , a boomerang , a sprig of wattle , and the red kangaroo . On 2 July 1956 , the current version of the roundel was formally adopted . This consists of a white inner circle with a red kangaroo surrounded by a royal blue circle . The kangaroo faces left , except when used on aircraft or vehicles , when the kangaroo should always face in the direction of travel . Low visibility versions of the roundel exist , with the white omitted and the red and blue replaced with light or dark grey . Australian Army helicopters sometimes use just the Kangaroo , either in black or in one of the camouflage colours . Royal Australian Air Force badge . The RAAF badge was accepted by the Chester Herald in 1939 . The badge is composed of the imperial crown mounted on a circle featuring the words Royal Australian Air Force , beneath which scroll work displays the Latin motto ( shared with the Royal Air Force ) Per Ardua Ad Astra . Surmounting the badge is a wedge - tailed eagle . Per Ardua Ad Astra is attributed with the meaning “ Through Adversity to the Stars ” and is from Sir Henry Rider Haggard ' s novel " The People of the Mist " . Current strength . Personnel . As of June 2011 , the RAAF has 14 , 573 permanent full - time personnel and 2 , 800 part - time active reserve personnel . Aircraft . As of December 2012 , the following aircraft are operated by the RAAF : Roulettes . The Roulettes are the RAAF ' s formation aerobatic display team . They perform about 150 times a year around Australia and South - east Asia , and are part of the RAAF Central Flying School ( CFS ) at RAAF Base East Sale , Victoria . The Roulettes use the Pilatus PC - 9 because it is an easy aircraft to fly and has excellent manoeuvrability and air power . A few small problems persist however , including a strong response to turbulence . At the moment , there are no plans to replace the PC - 9 for the display team . Formations for shows are done in a group of six . The pilots learn many formations . Some of these include : loops , rolls , corkscrews , and ripple roles . Furthermore , most of the performances are done at the low altitude of 500 feet ( 150 metres ) . Future procurement . This list includes aircraft on order or a requirement which has been identified : See also . Lists : Memorials and Museums :