Uploaded March 2010 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Advice from the 1992 team leader on how to join the Red Arrows at the end of this clip.
Requirements:-
Entry level
To become an RAF officer, you need to be at least 17½ and below the upper age limit specified for each branch or specialisation. You must also have been since birth a citizen of the UK, the Republic of Ireland or a country that was a member of the Commonwealth at the time.
Having met these requirements, you have to pass a series of selection tests held at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre at the RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. The selection procedure lasts three days and includes aptitude tests, practical initiative tests, fitness tests, interviews and a medical.
While some 40% of applicants are graduates, you would need at least two A levels/AH grades/three H grades or equivalent and five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) including English language and maths, to be considered for basic entry. Some specialisms require a professional qualification or recognised degree.
You can apply for a permanent or short service commission. The former usually means being an officer to the age of 38 or for 16 years from age 21; the latter can be from three to 12 years, depending on your specialism.
Making the grade
Most new officer recruits start with the 24-week Initial Officer Training course at RAF Cranwell, which includes defence studies and general RAF service knowledge. You would develop a high level of physical fitness on the course, and have classroom lectures and practical exercises to develop your leadership and management skills. You would then progress, as a newly commissioned officer, to specialist training in your chosen branch.
Personal qualities
You would need excellent leadership and team-working skills, with the ability to accept responsibility, make decisions and manage large groups of people. Being an RAF officer would also involve communicating with people of all abilities, explaining ideas, giving spoken and written instructions and motivating others. You must be physically fit and prepared to travel anywhere in the world.
Each branch has its own additional requirements. You would need, for example, an aptitude for operating high-tech equipment, together with the ability to think and react quickly, as a pilot / navigator.
There are more than 9,000 officers in the RAF and around 700 to 800 are recruited each year. Competition for places is fierce.
Advice from the 1992 team leader on how to join the Red Arrows at the end of this clip.
Requirements:-
Entry level
To become an RAF officer, you need to be at least 17½ and below the upper age limit specified for each branch or specialisation. You must also have been since birth a citizen of the UK, the Republic of Ireland or a country that was a member of the Commonwealth at the time.
Having met these requirements, you have to pass a series of selection tests held at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre at the RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. The selection procedure lasts three days and includes aptitude tests, practical initiative tests, fitness tests, interviews and a medical.
While some 40% of applicants are graduates, you would need at least two A levels/AH grades/three H grades or equivalent and five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) including English language and maths, to be considered for basic entry. Some specialisms require a professional qualification or recognised degree.
You can apply for a permanent or short service commission. The former usually means being an officer to the age of 38 or for 16 years from age 21; the latter can be from three to 12 years, depending on your specialism.
Making the grade
Most new officer recruits start with the 24-week Initial Officer Training course at RAF Cranwell, which includes defence studies and general RAF service knowledge. You would develop a high level of physical fitness on the course, and have classroom lectures and practical exercises to develop your leadership and management skills. You would then progress, as a newly commissioned officer, to specialist training in your chosen branch.
Personal qualities
You would need excellent leadership and team-working skills, with the ability to accept responsibility, make decisions and manage large groups of people. Being an RAF officer would also involve communicating with people of all abilities, explaining ideas, giving spoken and written instructions and motivating others. You must be physically fit and prepared to travel anywhere in the world.
Each branch has its own additional requirements. You would need, for example, an aptitude for operating high-tech equipment, together with the ability to think and react quickly, as a pilot / navigator.
There are more than 9,000 officers in the RAF and around 700 to 800 are recruited each year. Competition for places is fierce.
