Captain general of the Air Force

This article is about the Spanish Air Force rank. For other uses, see Captain general.
Captain General of the Air Force
Capitán General del Aire (Spanish)
Rank flag
Shoulder and sleeve insignia
Country Spain
Service branch Spanish Air and Space Force
AbbreviationACG
Rank groupFlag officer
RankCaptain general
NATO rank codeOF-10
Formation7 October 1939
Next lower rankGeneral of the Air
Equivalent ranksCaptain general (Army)
Captain general (Navy)

Captain General of the Air Force (Spanish: Capitán General del Aire or Capitán General del Ejército del Aire) is a five-star air force officer rank and the highest rank of the Spanish Air Force. The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10. The honorary appointments formally ceased in 1999. The rank of Air captain general is equivalent to a Marshal of the Air Force in many nations such as the United Kingdom, a general of the Air Force of the United States, a capitain general of the Spanish Army or the Navy. This rank is reserved to the monarch as Commander-in-chief. An Air captain general's insignia consists of two command sticks under five four-pointed stars below the Royal Crown and a golden string.

The Spanish Air Force as a separated branch of the Spanish Armed Forces was officially established on 7 October 1939, after the Spanish Civil War. Francisco Franco as head of Spanish state and commander-in-chief named himself 1st captain general of the Spanish Air Force. General Ángel Salas Larrazábal, a veteran fighter pilot, has been the only honorary Air captain general (1991-1994).

List of Captain generals

Date of Promotion
 Image
 Name
 Dead/Retirement
 Notes
7 October 1939 Francisco Franco † 20 November 1975
20 November 1975[1][c] Juan Carlos I
Active until 19 June 2014
(Abdication)
26 April 1991 Ángel Salas Larrazábal [es][2] † 19 July 1994 Ad honorem
19 June 2014 Felipe VI Present

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Named himself.[citation needed]
  2. ^ a b At Civil War until 1 April 1939.
  3. ^ Monarch since 22 November 1975

References

  1. ^ Law-Decree 16/1975, 20 November, promoting HRH the Prince of Spain to honorary captain general of the Armies. Spanish Official Journal. In Spanish
  2. ^ Real Decreto 657/1991, de 26 de abril, por el que se promueve al empleo de Capitán General del Ejército del Aire, con carácter honorífico, al Teniente General, en situación de Segunda Reserva, don Angel Salas Larrazábal. Boletín Oficial del Estado