thumb|upright|RAF Air Cadets marching in a parade |alt=
The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is the combined volunteer-military youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force, which is formed by both the Air Training Corps and RAF Sections of the Combined Cadet Force. The organisation is headed by a serving RAF officer, Commandant Air Cadets. The current commandant is Air Commodore Al Lewis.
Prior to 1 October 2017, the RAFAC was called the Air Cadet Organisation. As of 1 April 2023, the RAFAC had a strength of 42,190 cadets and 10,070 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs), along with ~5,000 trustees. Cadets are aged between 12 and 17 on entry to the organisation, and can remain until they are 18, or with special permission, until they are 20.
Organisation
The RAFAC consists of:
- Headquarters RAF Air Cadets (HQRAFAC) at RAF Cranwell
- 6 Regional Headquarters
- 34 Wing Headquarters
- Two National Air Cadet Adventure Training Centres, at Windermere (in the Lake District) and in Wales
- Over 900 Air Training Corps Squadrons in the UK and overseas
- Around 200 RAF contingents of the Combined Cadet Force Examples of these posts include Region Staff Officer, Region Training Officer, and Region STEM Officer.
RAFAC Sections of the Combined Cadet Force
Air Cadet sections within the Combined Cadet Force usually follow their own chain of command within their school's unit. Above their school unit, they diverge into the same chain of command as the Air Training Corps, which is usually their Wing or Region.
Trustee governance
In addition to the uniformed command structure, the Air Training Corps squadrons are supported by a parallel trustee pillar, responsible for managing non-public funds and ensuring lawful governance. Trustees operate at squadron, wing, regional, and national levels. The National Chair, who is the senior representative of the trustee pillar, is Mr Stuart Ensor OBE