Air Marshal is a three-star rank in the Royal Air Force. It is the second most senior rank active in the RAF today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s.
An Air Marshal is also the term given to the 'air police' who travel uncover aboard commercial airliners to protect against the threat of terrorism. The need for these came into place after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York.
