| General of the Air General del Aire (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:SP-09_General_del_Aire.svg) &sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Spain-AirForce-OF-9_(Sleeve).svg) Shoulder and sleeve insignia | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Service branch | Spanish Air and Space Force |
| Rank group | General officer |
| NATO rank code | OF-9 |
| Formation | 19 May 1999 |
| Next higher rank | Captain general of the Air Force |
| Next lower rank | Lieutenant general |
| Equivalent ranks | |
General of the Air (Spanish: General del Aire) also called Air General, is a general officer and the second highest possible rank in the Spanish Air and Space Force. A General of the Air ranks immediately above a lieutenant general and is equivalent to a general of the army and an admiral general. There is not equivalent in the Civil Guard or in the Spanish Navy Marines; in both cases the top rank is Lieutenant general.
The rank was created in 1999 to adapt the Spanish military rank to the ranks of NATO.[1] This is the highest rank that a military can reach, because the next higher is captain general and that rank is only reserved to the King or Queen as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces (even that sometimes has been given as honorary rank to some generals).
The General of the Air insignia consist in a baton crossed over a saber under a Royal Crown and a star in every angles that form the crossed baton and the saber. Being under a Crown means that the rank is part of the generalship (the group of generals of the Armed Forces), the baton and the saber means command and the four stars means the rank of General. This insignia was used before to 1999 by the Head of State as Captain General.[2]
- ^ "Law 17/1999, of May 18, on the Armed Forces Personnel Regime". BOE.es. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Ministry of Defense Order 1756/2016, of October 28, which approves the uniformity rules of the Armed Forces". BOE.es. Retrieved 29 September 2018.