Senior aircraftman (SAC) or senior aircraftwoman (SACW)[1][2][3] was a rank in the Royal Air Force, ranking between leading aircraftman and senior aircraftman technician (SAC(T)) (although SACs in non-technical trades progress directly to corporal) and having a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank, which is non-supervisory, was introduced on 1 January 1951. The rank badge is a three-bladed propeller. The rank was renamed Air Specialist (class 1) (AS1) in the Royal Air Force in July 2022.[4]

A senior aircraftman reservist.

The rank is also used in the Air Force of Zimbabwe.[5]

Rank insignia edit

The senior aircraftman rank badge is a three-bladed propeller and it is worn of the shoulder when in working dress and on the upper sleeve in service dress.

 
Rank badge of a Royal Air Force senior aircraftman
 
RAF senior aircraftman rank insignia as it appears on dress uniform

Senior aircraftman (technician) edit

From March 2005, SACs in technical trades who had attained the Operational Performance Standard were promoted to Senior aircraftman technician SAC Tech and given a new badge of rank, consisting of the three-bladed propeller inside a circle. This new rank was introduced, to distinguish airmen trained to work unsupervised from those who were not, and is equivalent to the old junior technician rank.[citation needed]

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ "Chapter 7: Distinguishing Insignia" (PDF). AP 1358: Uniform Dress and Appearance Regulations. RAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Pay and benefits: Airmen/airwomen". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  3. ^ The spellings "aircraftsman" and "aircraftswoman", despite being occasionally seen even in official documents, are incorrect in any air force.
  4. ^ RAF Ranks
  5. ^ "RANKS AND BADGES IN THE AFZ". Air Force of Zimbabwe Website. Air Force of Zimbabwe. 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.