Roundel

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English: A roundel is a distinctive mostly round logo or marking, most commonly painted on military aircraft to indicate which air force or navy they belong to.

Italiano: Una coccarda è un distintivo ottico applicato solitamente sui velicoli militari per indicarne l'apparteneza.

Nederlands: Een roundel is een onderscheidingsteken, meestal een rond logo, dat vooral op militaire vliegtuigen aangebracht wordt, zodat het duidelijk is tot welke krijgsmacht (en krijgsmachtonderdeel) het vliegtuig behoort. Zie ook Roundels van de wereld.

Polski: Oznaczenia militarne jednostek latajacych (samolotów, smiglowców, itp.), pozwalajace na identyfikacje przynaleznosci panstwowej.

Русский: Рондо — это логотип, используемый военно-воздушными силами для отличения своих воздушных судов от чужих.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[edit] A

Afghanistan 1924 to 1929 Wing and tail	Afghanistan 1937 to 1967 Wing and fuselage	Afghanistan 1937 to 1967 Fin flash	Afghanistan 1967 to 1979 The three initials were those for Afghan Hawa-e Ourdou
Afghanistan 1967 to 1979 Various phrases were observed inscribed in the bottom portion	Afghanistan 1983 to 1994	Afghanistan 2001 to present Current emblem. The initials are for Afghan Melli-e Ourdou	Albania 1946 to 1958
Albania 1946 to 1958 Fin flash Applied vertically from 1949 on	Albania 1958 to 1960	Albania 1960 to 1991	Albania 1960 to 1991 Alternate version
Albania 1992 to present	Algeria 1962 to 1964	Algeria 1962 to present Fin flash	Algeria 1964 to present
Angola 1975	Angola 1975 to 1980	Angola 1975 to 1980 Fin flash	Angola 1980 to present
Argentina 1919 to present	Argentina 1919 to present Navy Used in place of the roundel	Argentina 1919 to present Fin flash (Air Force) Rudder striping (Navy)	Armenia 1991 to present Used on inherited ex-Soviet aircraft
Armenia 1991 to present Original proposal	Armenia 1996 to present Current insignia	Australia 1915 to 1942 Matched RAF standard markings	Australia 1915 to present Fin flash Worn currently only on non-combat aircraft
Australia 1942 to 1946 Modified RAF marking with red dot painted over	Australia 1943 to 1946	Australia 1956 to present	Australia 1982 to present Low visibility
Austria 1915 to 1918	Austria 1915 to 1918 Navy Wing striping Applied alongside Maltese cross insignia	Austria 1915 to 1918 Navy Rudder striping	Austria 1918
Austria 1918 to 1920 Wing striping Rudder striping Not universal	Austria 1918 to 1920, and 1938 to 1945 Not universal	Austria 1936 to 1938 1945 to present	Austria 1936 to 1938 Rudder striping
Azerbaijan 1991 to present Most inherited aircraft retained their red star	Azerbaijan 1991 to present This roundel is more common recently

[edit] B

Bahamas 1976 to present	Bahrain 1977 to present Wings and fuselage	Bahrain 1977 to present Fin flash	Bangladesh 1971 to present Wings
Bangladesh 1971 to present Fin flash	Barbados 1981 to present Fin flash No other insignia is used	Belarus 1991 to present Wings and fin	Belgium 1915 to 1940 1949 to present
Belgium 1915 to 1940 1949 to present Rudder striping Fin flash	Belgium 1945 to 1948	Belgium 1945 to 1948 Fin flash	Belize 1983 to present Wing and fin
Benin 1967 to 1975 1991 to present Wings and fuselage	Benin 1967 to 1975 1991 to present Fin flash	Benin 1975 to 1991 Wings and fuselage	Benin 1975 to 1991 Fin flash
Bolivia 1924 to present	Bosnia and Herzegovina 1991 to 1995 Wings and fin	Bosnia and Herzegovina 2007 to present Wings and fin	Botswana 1977 to present
Brazil 1914 to 1918 (AF) 1914 to present (Navy)	Brazil 1918 to present	Brazil 1918 to present Fin flash	Brazil 1943 to 1945 Used only in Europe
Brunei 1975 to present Fin flash	Brunei Reported	Bulgaria 1915 to 1918	Bulgaria 1918 to 1920 Air force
Bulgaria 1938 to 1941	Bulgaria 1941 to 1944	Bulgaria 1944 to 1946	Bulgaria 1946 to 1948
Bulgaria 1948 to 1992	Bulgaria 1992 to present	Burkina Faso 1963 to 1990	Burkina Faso 1963 to 1990 Fin flash
Burkina Faso 1990 to present	Burkina Faso 1990 to present Fin flash	Burundi 1966 to present

[edit] C

Cambodia 1954 to 1970 1994 to present	Cambodia 1970 to 1975	Cambodia 1975 to 1979 Wings and fuselage	Cambodia 1975 to 1979 Fin flash
Cambodia 1979 to 1989 Wings	Cambodia 1979 to 1989 Fin flash	Cambodia 1989 to 1994 Wings	Cambodia 1989 to 1994 Fin flash
Cameroon 1960 to present Wings and fuselage	Cameroon 1960 to present Rudder striping or Fin flash	Canada 1920 to 1946 Matched RAF standard markings	Canada 1920 to 1958 Fin flash
Canada 1947 to present	Canada 1957 to 1965 Fin flash	Canada 1965 to present Fin flash	Canada 1988 to present Low visibility Used for combat aircraft
Canada 1988 to present Low visibility Fin flash Used for combat aircraft	Cape Verde 1975 to 1992 Fin flash	Cape Verde 1992 to present Fin flash	Central African Republic 1960 to present
Chad 1960 to present	Chile 1918 to 1930	Chile 1930 to present	Chile 1983 to present Low visibility
China (ROC) 1928 to 1990s ROC Air Force used the Kuomintang emblem in Mainland China until 1949 and in Taiwan thereafter	China (ROC) 1990s to present A modified roundel was adopted in the 1990s to distinguish the ROC emblem from the Kuomintang emblem	China (PRC) 1949 to present PLA Air Force	Colombia 1925 to 1953
Colombia 1953 to present	Colombia 1953 to present Variant	Colombia 1953 to present Navy	Comoros 1976 to present Fin flash
Republique du Congo 1960 to 1970 Fin flash	Republique du Congo 1970 to 1990 Fin flash	Republique du Congo 1991 to present Wings and fuselage	Croatia 1944 to 1945 Late in WWII, Croatian aircraft adopted an insignia similar to the German Balkenkreuz
Croatia 1991 to 1994 Fuselage and wings 1994 to present Fin flash From independence, the Coat of Arms has been used as the insignia, often black and white/green.	Croatia 1991 to 1994 Fin flash Originally, the national flag was used as a fin flash	Croatia 1994 to present A new roundel was introduced in 1994 and remains in use	Croatia 1994 to present Low visibility Optional low visibility version of the standard roundel
Czechoslovakia Czech Republic 1921 to present Used by Czechoslovakia and then by the Czech Republic from 1993

[edit] D

Denmark

1916 to present

A two-tone roundel with large white disc

Djibouti

1983 to present

The standard roundel since independence

Djibouti

1983 to present

Fin flash

The national flag is used on the fin

Dominican Republic

1933 to present

A unique roundel with cross insignia has been used since its first aircraft

[edit] E

Ecuador 1920 to present Since its foundation, Ecuador's air force has used this roundel with an exaggerated yellow band	Ecuador 1967 to present Ecuadorean Navy The Navy superimposes an anchor and eagle motif on the air force roundel	Equatorial Guinea Modern	Egypt 1945 to 1953 Post-war Egyptian aircraft carried a simple green and white roundel
Egypt 1972 to present In 1972, the stars were dropped and a simple three color roundel has been used	Egypt 1972 to present Fin flash In 1972, the new national flag was adopted as a fin flash	El Salvador 1922 to present Since its foundation the air force has used a simple roundel	Eritrea 1994 to present Eritrea uses a unique three color roundel
Estonia 1918 to 1940 1991 to present Estonia is one of the few to use a triangular roundel	Ethiopia 1984 to present A three-color roundel featuring a five pointed star	EUFOR 2004 to present Authorized, but not used on aircraft as yet	Eurofighter Consortium 1986 to present This roundel combined the four participating nations (Germany, Italy, Spain, & UK) and was used on development aircraft

[edit] F

Finland 1918 to 1944 From foundation until surrender in 1944, the Finns used the blue swastika roundel	Finland 1939 to 1944 Variant This version was rarely seen	Finland 1944 to present Following the end of allegiance with Germany, the swastika was replaced by a White-Blue-White roundel, retained to this day	France 1912 to 1945 Air Force The world's first aircraft roundel in red, white, and blue
France 1925 to 1945 Navy A black anchor was superimposed over the air force roundel for naval aircraft	France 1945 to present Air Force After the war, the roundel was changed by darkening the blue and lightening the red tones	France 1945 to present Navy As before a superimposed black anchor was used for the navy	France 1991 to present Navy Low visibility A toned down version was adopted for use on the Rafale

[edit] G

Gabon 1960 to present A simple tri-color roundel has been used since independence	Georgia 1991 to present A seven pointed red star inside thin blue ring	Germany 1914 to 1918 The standard identification for WWI Imperial German aircraft was a black Maltese Cross	Germany 1936 to 1945 The Balkenkreuz was the standard insignia for aircraft during the Nazi period
Germany 1940 to 1945 Many German aircraft added wider white portions to their Balkenkreuz insignia during the war	Germany 1955 to present The modern insignia of the Luftwaffe is a mix of the WWI and WWII designs	Germany (East) 1959 to 1990 In 1959, the national coat of arms was added to the insignia	Ghana 1959 to present A simple tri-color was adopted at independence
Ghana 1964 to 1966 For a brief period the yellow band was re-colored white	Greece 1919 to present A simple blue and white roundel has been used for most of Greece's aviation history	Guatemala 1923 to present A star insignia similar to the early US insignia all in light blue and white has been used since the air unit's foundation	Guinea 1962 to present The current tri-color pattern was adopted in 1962
Guinea-Bissau 1978 to present A red disc with black five pointed star superimposed	Guyana 1968 to present A simple three ring roundel is used to this day

[edit] H

Haiti 1971-1986	Honduras Modern	Hungary 1919	Hungary 1919
Hungary 1919	Hungary 1938 to 1941	Hungary - 1942, "Winkel"	Hungary 1942 to 1945 During WWII, Hungary adopted a cross roundel
Hungary 1948 to 1949	Hungary 1949 to 1951	Hungary 1951 to 1990	Hungary 1990 to 1991
Hungary 1991 to present Upon the end of Communist rule, a version of historical triangle roundel was adopted	Hungary 2000 to present Low visibility A variant of the triangular colors for combat aircraft

[edit] I

India 1947 to 1950 The Indian Air Force used the Ashok Chakra roundel unitl it became a republic	India 1950 to present The Indian Air Force uses a simple three color roundel	India 1947 to present Fin flash A vertical version of the national tri-color is used as a fin flash	Indonesia 1954 to present A simple red pentagon serves as the insignia of the Indonesian Air Force
Indonesia 1954 to present Army aircraft add a black five pointed star within the pentagon	Indonesia 1954 to present Navy aircraft add a black anchor within the pentagon	Iran 1922 to present A simple three color roundel has served Iran since 1922	Ireland 1954 to present A unique three-color roundel is used by the Irish Air Corps
Israel 1948 to present From the formation of the air force, the Star of David has been the insignia used	Italy 1922 to 1943 Fuselage only	Italy 1940 to 1943 Adopted during World War II for use on the wings	Italy (RSI) 1943 to 1945 The Italian Social Republic air force wore this square insignia on the wings
Italy (RSI) 1943 to 1945 The Italian Social Republic air force wore an Italian flag motif on the fuselage and fin	Italy 1910 to 1922 1944 to 1989 A standard tri-color was used in World War I, and again from World War II after Italy joined the Allies	Italy 1990 to present The white portion was reduced in 1990 for visibility purposes on most aircraft	Ivory Coast 1961 to present A simple tri-color roundel has been used since independence

[edit] J

Jamaica

1963 to present

Aircraft of the Jamaican Defence Force use a simple tri-color roundel

Japan

1915 to present

Standard insignia for Japanese aircraft has remained the red disc representing the rising sun

Jordan

1949 to present

Roundel of black, white, and green rings with superimposed red quarter with white seven point star

[edit] K

Kazakhstan 1991 As with many former Soviet republics, many inherited aircraft continued to carry the red star after independence	Kazakhstan 1991 to present Most Kazakh aircraft have had national symbols of the sun and eagle superimposed on the red star	Kenya 1964 to present Kenya uses a tri-color roundel with thin white interspersing bands	Korea (North) 1948 to present The current insignia has been in use since the foundation of the air force
Korea (South) 1950s to 2000s Similar to the US roundel, but the blue and red yin-yang replacing 5-pointed star in the middle	Korea (South) 2000s to present Red and blue yin-yang roundel with black bars	Kuwait 1961 to present Kuwait uses a four color roundel, though it has rarely been applied since the 1991 Gulf War	Kyrgyzstan 1991 to present A unique insignia representing the sun and a yurt (tent) is used

[edit] L

Latvia 1918 to 1940 Prior to annexation by the Soviets, a red swastika roundel was used	Latvia 1992 to present Since regaining its independence, a more traditional roundel has been used	Latvia 1992 to present Fin flash Since independence, the national flag is used as a fin flash	Lebanon 1949 to present
Libya 1959 to 1969 A red, black, and green roundel with exaggerated black ring	Libya 1969 to 1978 A three color roundel was used during the period of close ties with Egypt	Libya 1978 to present	Lithuania 1921 to 1940 and 1991 to present The double cross insignia has been in use both before and after Soviet occupation
Luxembourg 1982 to present Some NATO aircraft registered in the Duchy carry this fin emblem

[edit] M

Macedonia	Madagascar 1961 to present A simple tri-color roundel, sometimes with golden border ring	Malaysia 1963 to 1982 14 point gold star on a blue square with black (sometimes dark blue) outline	Malaysia 1982 to present In 1982 the roundel was changed from a square to a circle
Malta 1992 to present The first true national roundel features a George Cross within a red ring	Manchukuo 1942 to 1945 Manchukuo Air Force	Mauritania 1961 to present A golden star and crescent on a green field have been used since independence	Mexico 1922 to present Adopted in 1922, Mexico has retained a rare triangular roundel to this day
Moldova 1991 to present	Montenegro 2006 to present	Morocco 1956 to present A gold crown and green star on a red disc ringed in green	Mozambique 1975 to present A unique roundel, incorporating Marxist national symbols has been used since independence
Myanmar 1955 to present A triangular insignia in blue, white, and gold (a pun on the 'Golden Triangle')

[edit] N

Nepal Modern Used by Nepalese Army aircraft	Netherlands 1921 to 1939 1945 to present A pie shaped three color roundel with an orange dot in the center has served the Netherlands since 1922	Netherlands 1939 to 1941 As a symbol of neutrality, the Dutch adopted an orange triangle insignia until German invasion	New Zealand 1944 to 1945 American style bars were added to the RNZAF insignia late in the war
New Zealand 1970 to present The standard RNZAF roundel incorporates a red kiwi within a blue ring	New Zealand 1989 to present Low visibility Optionally filling the blue ring offers an alternative for combat aircraft	Nicaragua 1936 to 1979 Blue triangle inside a white triangle, within a blue and red roundel	Nicaragua 1979 to present Sandinista colors with a superimposed gold star, on a gold circle with a black outline
Niger 1980 to present Horizontal tri-color roundel of orange, white, and green with a central orange disc	Nigeria 1964 to present Three ring roundel of green, white, and green	Norway 1915 to 1945 Up through WWII, stripes in the national colors were painted along the chord from leading to trailing edge of the wing	Norway 1945 to present A stylized red and blue aircraft motif within a blue ring

[edit] O

Oman

Modern

The national emblem on a white-bordered red disc

Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

1909 to 1918

A simple white-bordered black square

Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

1909 to 1918

A simple fixed Turkish flag

[edit] P

Pakistan 1947 to present A two color roundel of green and white	Panama 1964 to present National flag in shape of roundel and bars	Papua New Guinea 1975 to present	Paraguay 1945 to present A simple roundel was adopted after WWII
Peru 1922 to present A simple roundel of red, white, and red rings	Philippines 1945 to present Red, white, and blue diamond insignia with blue outline wings	Poland 1918 to 1920 Red and white checker insignia	Poland 1920 to 1993 Red extents were added outboard of the white sections
Poland 1920 to 1993 A variant with an additional red border around the insignia	Poland 1960 to 1980 Armored vehicle marking Variant of the aircraft insignia for vehicle use	Poland 1993 to present The insignia was vertically mirrored to achieve its current state	Portugal 1915 to 1916 The country's first roundel was a simple two-tone roundel with the national colors
Portugal 1916 to present A unique roundel consisting of a stylized red cross on a white disc was adopted later and serves to this day	Portugal Recent years Low visibility Portugal recently adopted a gray low visibility variant for use on some aircraft

[edit] Q

Qatar

1974 to present

A simple three color roundel is used

[edit] R

Romania 1915 to 1941 1944 to 1947 1985 to present The standard tri-color has repeatedly adorned Romanian aircraft	Romania 1941 to 1944 During WWII a gold cross was used with a roundel imposed on the center	Russia 1915 to 1917 During World War I a roundel with enlarged center section was used by Imperial forces	Russia 1918 to present Red star with white outline
Rwanda Current A four ring roundel of yellow, red, yellow, and green

[edit] S

Saudi Arabia 1933 to present A green, white, green roundel with exaggerated center disc with emblem superimposed	Senegal 1961 to present A green star on yellow disc with red wings	Serbia 1912 to 1915 Serbian national marking was created by simply painting out the white of the original French markings with blue	Serbia 2006 to present The Serbian Air Force and Air Defense adopted this insignia, reflective of the pre-WWII Yugoslav insignia
Serbia & Montenegro 2003 to 2006 The 'Pepsi' roundel with blue upper and red lower sections broken by a horizontal wide white stripe	Sierra Leone 1993 to present The official roundel is a simple tri-color in light tones	Singapore 1990 to present Red Lion symbol of Singapore within a red circle	Singapore 1990 to present Low visibility A black version of the standard insignia is used for combat aircraft
Singapore 1968-1973 A Red-White-Red roudel was used, similar to Peru and Turkey's roundels	Singapore 1973-1990 A Ying-Yang symbol with waving-out stripes was used	Slovakia 1941 to 1945 A blue balkenkreuz with a red disc at the center	Slovakia 1993 to present It is the Coat of Arms of Slovakia
Slovenia 1918 to 1919 1996 to present The current insignia is a simple tri-color roundel, with the unusual use of white for the outer ring	Slovenia 1991 to 1996	Somalia 1961 to present A white star superimposed on a light blue disc	South Africa 1924 to 1947 A simple roundel based on the RAF roundel, but with the red disc replaced by orange
South Africa 1947 to 1957 Like the previous roundel, but with a springbok replacing the orange disc	South Africa 2003 to present A blue disc with superimposed nine point fort (representing the nine provinces of South Africa)and golden eagle	Spain 1918 to 1931 1942 to present A red, yellow, and red roundel, sometimes with an exaggerated middle ring	Spain 1931 to 1939 A red, yellow, and purple representing the Spanish Second Republic Flag
Spain 1936 to 1939 A white X on a black disc	Sri Lanka 1950 to present A maroon and yellow roundel with orange and green bars	Sudan 1969 to present A red, white, and black roundel with green quarter field	Suriname 1983 to present A green, white, and red roundel with superimposed yellow star
Sweden 1937 to present Color was added in 1937 to the traditional three crowns and has been retained to present	Sweden 1990 to present Low visibility Sweden uses a low visibility version for combat aircraft	Switzerland 1945 to present A white cross on a red disc replaced the wartime wing striping	Syria 1961 to present Syria retains the UAR roundel after it seceded from the union

[edit] T

Tanzania 1964 to present White, blue or yellow torch and wreath on a green disc, sometimes bordered in blue	Thailand 1917 to 1940 1945 to present A five-ring roundel based on the national flag, was not in use during WWII	Togo 1960 to present A round variant of the national flag, bordered in gold	Tunisia 1960 to present A red crescent and star on a white disc, bordered in red
Turkey 1918 to 1972 A simple white-bordered red square	Turkey 1918 1972 to present A simple red, white, and red roundel

[edit] U

Uganda 1964 to present A black, yellow, red, and white with enlarged white disc superimposed with a crested crane motif	Ukraine 1991 to present A two-tone roundel in yellow and blue	Ukraine 1991 to present A black anchor was superimposed for navy aircraft	Ukraine 1991 to present The coat of arms used as fin emblem
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 1918 to 1991 Red star with white outline	United Arab Emirates 1976 to present In 1976 all aircraft of the Emirates began wearing the same universal roundel	United Arab Emirates 1976 to present Fin flash The national flag was used from 1976 as the fin flash	United Arab Republic 1958 to 1971 A red, white, and black roundel with two green stars in the white ring
United Kingdom 1915 to present The standard British roundel of blue, white, and red remains in use	United Kingdom 1915 to present Fin flash The standard fin flash has remained a vertical tri-color	United Kingdom 1942 to 1945 Far East Command To avoid confusion with Japanese markings, red was removed from this roundel for use in SE Asia	United Kingdom 1937 to present Low visibility Many camouflage schemes have removed the white band to reduce visibility
United Kingdom 1985 to present Low visibility The RAF adopted a light tone low visibility roundel for use with light camouflage schemes	United States 1918 to 1919 American Expeditionary Force Three-tone red, blue, and white roundel used only in Europe	United States 1927 to 1942 Revised roundel with smaller red disc	United States 1942 to 1943 The red disc was removed during the war to eliminate confusion with Japanese markings
United States March 1943 to September 1943 White bars were added and red outline added to include all 3 national colors. Short-lived variant due to concerns about confusion with Japanese markings	United States 1943 to 1947 White bars were added along with a blue outline, though outline was sometimes in red	United States 1947 to present White star on a blue disc with blue, white, and red bars	United States 1990 to present Low visibility A version in all cobalt was developed as a low visibility version of the insignia
Uruguay 1916 to present The long-used roundel is based on the military cockade but with horizontal stripes

[edit] V

Venezuela

1956 to present

Horizontal bars were added to the roundel in 1956

Vietnam (South)

1962 to 1975

Similar to the US roundel, but bordered in red and with yellow bars replacing the white ones

Vietnam

1965 to present

A yellow star on red disc with red bars bordered in gold

[edit] Y

North Yemen 1962 to 1990	South Yemen 1967 to 1990	Yemen 1990 to present A red, white, and black roundel	Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1923 to 1941 This roundel is based on Yugoslav colours, with a superimposed cross, which simbolized the airplane engine.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1923 to 1941 Fin flash	SFR Yugoslavia 1945 to 1992 Using a red star over a blue ring, this roundel was adopted upon Communist control of the country	FR Yugoslavia (Montenegro and Serbia) 1992 to 2003 Using the colours from Yugoslavian flags as roundel (white band thinner)	FR Yugoslavia (Montenegro and Serbia) Fin flash