The IAF's rank structure is based on that of the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

. The highest rank attainable in the IAF is Marshal of the Indian Air Force, conferred by the President of India after exceptional service during wartime. MIAF Arjan Singh

Arjan Singh

Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC is the only officer of the Indian Air Force to be promoted to five-star rank, equal to a Field Marshal, to which he was promoted in 2002. He was born in the Punjab town of Lyallpur, British India, into a Aulakh family...

 is the only officer to have achieved this rank. The head of the Indian Air Force is the Chief of the Air Staff

Chief of the Air Staff (India)

The head of the Indian Air Force is known as the Chief of the Air Staff . The position was held by an Air Commodore , by an Air Vice-Marshal and by an Air Marshal . In 1965, the position was upgraded to that of an Air Chief Marshal...

, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal

Air Chief Marshal

Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

. The current Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal P.V.Naik, appointed on May 1, 2009, following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major

Fali Homi Major

Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major served as the eighteenth Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force taking office on April 1, 2007, and becoming the first helicopter pilot in the service to be promoted to the office of Chief...

.
The following table shows the officer rank insignia for the Indian Air Force.