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Military & Defence vocabulary · Branches of the Armed Forces

Air force

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/ˈeə fɔːs/nounCore term

In military & defence, air force means: The branch of the armed forces that operates military aircraft and air defence systems and carries out missions in the air.

In Turkish: hava kuvvetleri

How it is used

Capitalised in names (the Royal Air Force, RAF; the US Air Force, USAF). Pilots are only a small part of its people; technicians, air traffic controllers and logistics staff also serve in it.

Example sentences

  1. Only a small part of the air force personnel are pilots; most work in maintenance and support.

  2. The air force base opened its gates to families for an open day.

Common collocations

  • join the air force
  • air force base
  • air force pilot
  • air force officer
  • armyThe branch of the armed forces that operates on land; as a unit name, also a very large formation made up of several corps.
  • navyThe branch of the armed forces that operates at sea, with its warships, submarines, naval aircraft and the people who serve in them.
  • aircraftAny machine that flies, including aeroplanes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles; military aircraft include transport, training and combat types.
  • baseA place with buildings and facilities where military units live, train and keep their equipment, and from which they operate.

More terms: Branches of the Armed Forces

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