Back Koninklike Nieu-Seelandse Lugmag Afrikaans القوات الجوية الملكية النيوزيلندية Arabic Royal New Zealand Air Force Breton Royal New Zealand Air Force Czech Royal New Zealand Air Force German Real Fuerza Aérea de Nueva Zelanda Spanish نیروی هوایی سلطنتی نیوزیلند Persian Uuden-Seelannin kuninkaalliset ilmavoimat Finnish Force aérienne royale néo-zélandaise French חיל האוויר המלכותי של ניו זילנד HE
| Royal New Zealand Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa (Māori) | |
 Badge of the Royal New Zealand Air Force | |
| Founded |
|
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 2,409 active personnel 463 reserve personnel 47 aircraft |
| Part of | New Zealand Defence Force |
| Headquarters | Wellington |
| Motto(s) | Per Ardua ad Astra |
| March | Royal New Zealand Air Force March Past |
| Anniversaries | 1 April 1937 |
| Engagements | |
| Website | airforce |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro[1] |
| Chief of the Defence Force | Air Marshal Tony Davies |
| Chief of the Air Force | Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark[2] |
| Deputy Chief of the Air Force | Air Commodore Ian Mower |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Fin flash |  |
| Ensign |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | AgustaWestland A109, SH-2G, NH90 |
| Patrol | Boeing P-8 |
| Trainer | T-6 Texan II |
| Transport | Super King Air, Boeing 757, C-130 Hercules, C-130J Super Hercules |
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; Māori: Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa) is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, becoming an independent air force on 1 April 1937.
The RNZAF fought in World War II, Malaya, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Gulf War and has undertaken United Nations peacekeeping missions. From a peak of over 1,000 combat aircraft in 1945, the RNZAF has shrunk to a strength of around 48 aircraft in 2022. It focuses on maritime patrol and transport duties in support of the Royal New Zealand Navy and the New Zealand Army. Its air combat capability ended in 2001, with the disbanding of the A-4 Skyhawk and Aermacchi MB-339 equipped squadrons.
The Air Force is led by an Air Vice-Marshal who holds the appointment of Chief of Air Force. The RNZAF motto is the same as that of the Royal Air Force, Per Ardua ad Astra, meaning "Through Adversity to the Stars".[3] The Māori language name Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, meaning "New Zealand Warriors of the Sky" or more literally "The New Zealand War Party of the Sky", was adopted in 2009; the name had been Te Hokowhitu o Kahurangi ("War Party of the Blue") for the previous 12 years.[4]
- ^ "NZDF – Governance Structure". www.nzdf.mil.nz. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "New Chiefs Appointed for All Three Branches of the Armed Forces". The New Zealand Herald. 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "What Is The RAF motto". Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
- ^ Wallace, Wal (September 2009). "New Māori Name for Air Force". Air Force News (107). Royal New Zealand Air Force. ISSN 1175-2327. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2012.