Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton is to be appointed as the UK’s next Chief of the Air Staff in the rank of air chief marshal, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston in June, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed on 31 March 2023.
AM Knighton is currently Deputy Commander Capability and People at Air Command, where he is responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of all aspects of Royal Air Force (RAF) capability.
Perhaps as a sign of the times, AM Knighton will be the first engineer to lead the RAF; before now a pilot has always led the service.
AM Knighton joined the RAF in 1988 and spent his early career working as an engineer officer in a range of operational and staff appointments on Nimrod, Tornado F3 and Harrier aircraft.
In 2007 AM Knighton was promoted to group captain and became Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff Strategy and Plans at Air Command at RAF High Wycombe. He joined RAF Wittering as the Logistics Force Commander two years later and also served as the station commander at RAF Wittering.
AM Knighton has held a range of staff appointments in the UK Ministry of Defence, Air Command and in equipment acquisition and support. He has thus been closely involved in strategic and capability planning for the RAF. The air marshal has also been the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, where he was responsible for the strategic coherence and co-ordination of the RAF and for planning the RAF100 centenary programme.
While AM Knighton has not served on deployment to either Afghanistan or Iraq during his career, he brings with him a reputation as an effective operator, with his particular skillsets viewed as most appropriate for leading the RAF in the 21st century.
Peter Felstead
