Commander Air Force's mid-rank officers' ranks are modelled on those of the Royal Navy, the term wing commander is used as a rank, and this is the equivalent of a lieutenant colonel in the army or a commander in the navy. The rank of wing commander is above that of squadron leader and below that of group captain. In the former Royal Naval Air Service, which was merged with the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force in 1918, the pilots held appointments as well as their normal ranks in the Royal Navy, and they wore insignia appropriate to
No. 9 Squadron (Pakistan Air Force) well as its most senior. No. 9 Squadron was originally raised on 13 November 1943 at Risalpur. The squadron was formed at Lahore on 3 January 1944, equipped with the Hawker Hurricane IIC, by Squadron Leader A.W. Ridler of the Royal Air Force. During this time the squadron was commanded by then Squadron Leader Asghar Khan and deployed in Burma where it was extensively involved in World War II operations against the Japanese, later being awarded the sword of a Japanese general for its services. The squadron was also converted to the Spitfire VIII in 1945, still with then Squadron