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Captain General of the Air Force Capitán General del Aire (Spanish) | |
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Country | Spain |
Service branch | Spanish Air and Space Force |
Abbreviation | ACG |
Rank group | Flag officer |
Rank | Captain general |
NATO rank code | OF-10 |
Formation | 7 October 1939 |
Next lower rank | General of the Air |
Equivalent ranks | Captain 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).