Group Captain - Definition and Overview

Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Wing Commander and immediately below Air Commodore

It has a NATO ranking code of OF-5, and is equivalent to a Captain in the Royal Navy or a Colonel in the British Army or the Royal Marines.

A Group Captain is typically the commander of an air base.

The rank insignia is based on the four gold bands of Captains in many world navies, comprising four narrow light blue bands over slightly wider black bands. This is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform.

The Command Flag for a Group Captain is similar to the one for a Wing Commander except that there is one broad red band in the center. Only the Wing Commander and Group Captain command flag are triangular in shape.

See also

Comparative military ranks

British commissioned officer ranks
	Student Officer	OF(D)	OF-1	OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-6	OF-7	OF-8	OF-9	OF-10
Royal Navy:	OCdt	Mid	SLt	Lt	Lt Cdr	Cdr	Capt	Cdre	RAdm	VAdm	Adm	Admiral of the Fleet
Royal Marines:	OCdt		2Lt - Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen
Army:	OCdt	OD	2Lt - Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen	Field Marshal
Royal Air Force:	OCdt	OD	PO - FO	Flt Lt	Sqn Ldr	Wg Cdr	Gp Capt	ACdre	AVM	AM	ACM	MRAF