Last modified: 2024-06-15 by ian macdonald
Keywords: afghanistan | air force | roundel (air force) | star (red) |
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![[Air Force]](../images/a/af^af21.gif)
image by Rob Raeside, 22 May 2024
based on photo located by
Esteban Rivera, 21 May 2024
See also:
I don't know if they've changed since, but they were previously different. In my book (1967), Afghanistan roundels appear as:
David Prothero, 12 July 1997
The Afghan Air Force was officially established in 22 August 1924 in order to
be destroyed in 1929 and reformed in 1937. There are very few sources about its
roundels, with quite a lot of contradiction among them.
Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
The current flag is seen at
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=534949303357964&set=a.534949140024647.
It is blue with the emblem centered.
Esteban Rivera, 21 May 2024
Badge
![[Air Force]](../images/a/af^af21).gif)
image located by
Esteban Rivera, 21 May 2024
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Air_Force
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^af24.gif)
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^af24a.jpg)
images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 10 April 2024
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) reported the
1924-1929 roundels as a black and white arms (opposed colors to the arms on the
1919 flag) on the fuselage and rudder, while an
inscription "Allah Akhbar" was written below the wings.
Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
![[Roundel 1937-1967 (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af_rnd37.gif)
![[Fin Flash 1937-1967 (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af^fin37.gif)
images by Frank George Valoczy, 4 July 2003 and
image
by Mark Sensen and Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) also reported that after reorganization in 1937 under British influence, the Afghan Air Force used a tri-color roundel (inside-out black-red-green) and fin-flash at the same order of colors. Some aircraft may have also tricolor stripes on their wings. Cochrane & Elliott (1998) showed the roundel a with thinner green circle (2:2:1). However Jane's 1945 shows the roundel as red-black-green with a thinner black stripe (2:1:2) and (inside-out) green-red-black stripes on the rudder. I couldn't find a photo from this era but, as far as I can recall, Cochrane & Elliott (1998) is the correct one.
The 1937 roundel was kept when it became the Royal Afghan Air Force in 1948
while in the 50's the rudder stripes became the fin-flash.
Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
This image shows the
roundel as it was used.
Dov Gutterman, 11 June 2004
From Cochrane & Elliott (1998):
Mohammed Nadir Shah, the victor in the 1929 insurrection, changed Afghan colours from largely red to red, green and black, symbolizing bloodshed for independence, hope for the future and the country's dark past.A 1:1 fin flash with those colours was used as fin flash between 1937 —when the Afghan Air Force was reformed— and 1967.
![[Roundel 1937-1967 (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af_rnd67.gif)
image by Frank George Valoczy, 4 July 2003
In 1967 a new roundel was introduced, and used also as a fin flash. David
Prothero reports it as "an isosceles triangle one point at north (12 o'clock)
divided equally into black to the right, red to the bottom, and dark green to
the left. Set on a white circle, the points of the triangle not touching the
circumference."
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) showed it with red on
left, green on right and black at the bottom. They also reported Arabic letters
on the white circle (too small to identify in his image). This roundel was in
use until 1979 (even though the Shah was overthrown in 1973) and according to
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) it was re-introduced
in 1995.
The Roundels of the World website shows this
roundel (with a third possible arrangement - black on the right, green on the
left and red on the bottom), with the Arabic numbers 1,1 and 5 as the Roundel of
the Northern Alliance (and therefore also the current roundel).
Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
A capture from a report on "The World" on
BBC4 TV (15 June 2004) shows that this roundel appears to be in use now.
André Coutanche, 15 June 2004
The "roundel introduced in 1967; also used as a fin flash, is seen here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Air_Force#mediaviewer/File:Roundel_of_the_Afghan_Air_Force_(1948-1979).svg.
The three letters are the initials of Afghan Nero-e-Hawa (Afghan air force). In
use from 1948 until 1979 (according to the image caption).
Esteban Rivera,
24 June 2014
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^af78.gif)
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^af78a.jpg)
images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 10 April 2024
In 1978 a new roundel was introduced, a red disc with yellow inscriptions or
devices. The image at
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) is quite poor, but it can be identified as the
arms on October 1978 flag. According to
Cochrane & Elliott (1998), this roundel was
in use until 1983. However, those arms were already changed on April 1980.
Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
![[Air Force Roundel ca.1985 (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af-round.gif)
image
by Mark Sensen
In Flaggenmitteilung no. 108 (April 1985) I found four air force roundels, including Afghanistan. It is possible these emblems changed, especially that of Afghanistan.
Mark Sensen, 10 July 1997
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) reported a new roundel and fin flash
in 1983 as a red star within a
circle of the national colours. The image is too small to identify the order
of colors. Wheeler (1986) reported this roundel as
that of the Afghan Republican Air Force since
1979 with the colors of the ring as black-red-green.
The Roundels of the World website reported the
ring as green-red black.
The Air Force Badges website shows a narrow
green-red-very narrow black set of rings.
However, from the photo at
http://www.airliners.net/photos/small/7/5/8/294857.jpg
it
seems that the black is in the outer ring and the French website image is
correct (even thou the red seems to have faded).
Dov Gutterman, 10 June 2004
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^f96.gif)
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^f96e.jpg)
images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 20 May 2024
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^na96.gif)
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^na96a.jpg)
images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 10 April 2024
![[Northern Alliance Air Force Roundel 2001 (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af-n^rnd.gif)
image
by Brent Jacobs and Santiago Dotor
The air force roundel reported as being used by the loyalist Northern Alliance
in 2001.
Brent Jacobs, 8 October 2001
I would like to know when did the current roundel (as used by the loyalist Northern Alliance) appear? It looks identical to the 1966 one mentioned above by David Prothero, only removing the bottom, red area of the triangle (hence leaving a spearhead shape). A detailed French television report about Cdr. Massoud (Massoud l'Afghan by Christophe de Pontilly) showed a couple of times the roundel on helicopters transporting him, but I am not sure whether the central element was a spearhead or simply a triangle (half black, half green).
Santiago Dotor, 9 October 2001
![[Air Force Roundel 2006- (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af-n^rnd06.gif)
image located by Esteban Rivera,
24 June 2014
The current roundel (mentioned to be in use since 2006) is seen here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Air_Force#mediaviewer/File:Afghan_National_Army_emblem.svg.
The three letters are the initials of Afghan Ordou-e Melli (Afghan National
Army). This is so because the Air Force is a branch within the ANA.
Esteban Rivera,
24 June 2014
In June 2010 the Afghan National Army Air Corps was officially renamed back to
the Afghan Air Force by order of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Security_Transition_Command_-_Afghanistan
Esteban Rivera,
24 June 2014
![[Air Force Roundel on flag]](../images/a/af^af12.jpg)
image located by Esteban Rivera, 10 September 2012
A roundel seen on
BBC News (image)
appears to show this roundel in use on a flag.
Esteban Rivera, 10
September 2012
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^af10.gif)
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^af10a.jpg)
images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 10 April 2024
![[Air Force Roundel ca.2021 (Afghanistan)]](../images/a/af^round21.gif)
image
by Zoltan Horvath, 29 March 2024
The Taliban use a new air force roundel, you can see an example
here.
29 March 2024
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^f22.gif)
![[Air force markings]](../images/a/af^f22e.jpg)
images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 20 May 2024
From "Afghan National Army Air Corps now Afghan National Army Air Force"
Published June 14, 2010
By Capt. Robert Leese
438th Air Expeditionary
Wing
KABUL -- It is official; the Afghan National Army Air Corps can now
call itself an Air Force. According to order of the President of Afghanistan and
the written guidance of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the Afghan
General Staff, the Afghans are changing the name of the Afghan National Army Air
Corps (ANAAC, established in May 2007, sources:
https://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/ANSF%20OOBpage5-ANAC.pdf and
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/afghanistan/airforce.htm) to
the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF).
The U.S. Air Force also went
through similar changes in 1941 as the Army Air Corps and General Headquarters
merged to form the U.S. Army Air Forces.
This is another step forward in
response to Afghanistan's air power growth; the ANAAF will play an increasing
role in Afghanistan's defense, and will require independent authority to ensure
the best use of scarce national aviation resources.
Source:
https://www.afcent.af.mil/News/Article/220260/afghan-national-army-air-corps-now-afghan-national-army-air-force/
The current denomination (since August 2021 takeover by the Taliban) is
Islamic Emirate Air Force.
Source:
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/11/far-from-finished-islamic-emirate-air.html
Further information on previous roundels here:
http://cocardes.monde.online.fr/v2html/en/pays/afghanistan.html
Images attached:
- af^round07-21).gif (logo) (copied image from the original
located
here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Air_Force#/media/File:Emblem_of_the_Afghan_Air_Force.svg
, source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Air_Force )
- af^af07-21.jpg
(flag) (cropped image from the original located
here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=534949303357964&set=a.534949140024647
,
source: https://www.facebook.com/afghan.airforces1301 )
Regards,
--
Esteban Rivera
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