Armed Forces (Brunei)

Last modified: 2024-06-15 by zachary harden
Keywords: brunei | military | scimitars: 2 | anchor | cap | wreath | canton | roundel (air force) | fin flash |
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1:2 image by Zachary Harden, 19 September 2019

• Introduction
• Armed Forces Flag
• Land Forces Flag
• Air Force Flag
• Special Forces
• Defense Academy
• Aircraft Marking
  • Fin Flash
    • 1974-1997/98
• Naval Ensign

See also:

• Brunei

I have been searching for Brunei flags and found the of the Ministry of Defence website. There is a square triband with a complicated emblem on that page — I don't know whether that's a flag. On this page are an emblem and a picture with some four flags (hardly visible). On this page badges of Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force, Royal Brunei Services Force, Training Centre Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
Jarig Bakker, 25 March 2001

The military flag of Brunei starts with the basic yellow, black and white colored flag. A red stripe is added between the black and red stripe and the arms are replaced by the military forces badge. It has a 2:3 proportion, different from the national flag's proportion of 1:2. Sources: Smith 1980, Crampton 1989.
Calvin Paige Herring, 1 April 1998

Yellow flag with three diagonal stripes white over red over black, with Armed Forces' badge in the middle. The construction sheet details are in Album des Pavillons 2000, page BR 2.1, (1+4+4+4+11):(18+18). A coloured image of the badge is shown on Royal Brunei Armed Forces website, though the flag seems to use black and white version only.
Željko Heimer, 30 March 2001

In this 2016 photo, the Land Forces flag can be seen. It is the national flag in the canton and the badge of the Land Forces at the bottom fly.
Zachary Harden, 19 September 2019

Land Forces Training Institute

The flag of the Land Forces Training Institute is a green flag with the LFTI badge at the bottom fly and the Armed Forces flag in the canton.
Zachary Harden, 29 December 2020

2:3 image by Zachary Harden, 19 September 2019

There is a new ensign for the Air Force. In this 2016 photo, the war flag was replaced by the national flag and the roundel was replaced by the badge of the Air Force. I am not certain when this flag became official.
Zachary Harden, 19 September 2019

pre-2016; 2:3 image by Zachary Harden, 19 September 2019

Light blue field, 2:3 ratio, with the army flag in canton and air force roundel (red-green-white-yellow) at lower hoist. Source: Album des Pavillons 1995.
Ivan Sache, 4 August 1999

The Royal Brunei Air Force was formed by decree of the Sultan of 1 October 1991. Cochrane & Elliott (1998) reported an insignia used since 1965 by the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment with its crest. Cochrane & Elliott (1998) also reported that, since 1975 as an all-helicopters force, only the fin flash is used as seen at below. No roundel is reported. However in http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/brunei/02.htm it is corrected to have a roundel as shown here as "since 1975". It was maybe used until 1991, but today some non-camouflaged planes use the Air Force emblem and national flag as fin flash. See http://www.airliners.net/open.file/071471/L/ and http://www.scramble.nl/mil/6/tudb/main.htm.
Dov Gutterman, 12 June 2004

1:2 image by Zachary Harden, 9 September 2020

The flag of the Special Forces Regiment of the Brunei Armed Forces (Rejimen Pasukan Khas) is the Armed Forces flag in the canton of a dark-maroon flag with the badge of the RPK is placed in the fly.
Zachary Harden, 9 September 2020

1:2 image by Zachary Harden, 29 December 2020

The flag of the Defence Academy Royal Brunei Armed Forces has the Armed Forces flag in the canton of a purple flag with the badge of the Academy is placed in the fly.
Zachary Harden, 9 September 2020

1:2 image by Zachary Harden, 25 April 2024

A change occurred as early as 1997 when new aircraft were introduced; roundels were dropped. It looks like this was applied to existing aircraft as well, possibly during the next overhaul. You can see a number of pictures and some history in this official document (Ed. note: 94 MB in size).
Pier Paolo Lugli, 22 August 2019

image by Željko Heimer

Album des Pavillons 2000, page BR 2.1, shows the aircraft marking as four concentric discs of red, green, white and yellow.
Željko Heimer, 30 March 2001

The correction no. 1 to Album des Pavillons 2000, page BR 2.1, (...) shows a new design for the aircraft marking, with a larger yellow central disc and the other annuli accordingly narrower.
Ivan Sache, 8 October 2001

The Aircraft Encyclopedia shows this roundel with same colors as but in proportions of 3:1:3:1 (centre to outside).
Dov Gutterman, 6 July 2004

Brunei Defence force Air wing roundel & fin flash 1975-1997.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 25 April 2024

1:2 image by Nozomi Kariyasu, 25 April 2024

Brunei Malay Regiment Air wing roundel 1965-1975.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 25 April 2024

image by Zachary Harden, 23 August 2019

Željko Heimer on 30 March 2001 asked if there were fin flash changes since 1998. This and this show that a change occurred, yet I am not sure when. It goes from (L to R) light blue, white and yellow; the national flag is also added on (2x3 ratio, above the fin flash). However, I am stuck on the roundel as I do not see it used but the main air force emblem used.
Zachary Harden, 22 August 2019

Zachary is correct. A change occurred as early as 1997 when new aircraft were introduced. Roundels were dropped, a new fin flash was painted. It looks like this was applied to existing aircraft as well, possibly during the next overhaul. You can see a number of pictures and some history in this official document (Ed. note: 94 MB in size).
Pier Paolo Lugli, 22 August 2019

image by Dov Gutterman and Vincent Morley

From 1975 onward a fin flash of the national colors —yellow, white, black and red— is used. Source: Cochrane and Elliott 1998.
Dov Gutterman, 7 February 2000

A note to the figure of the aircraft marking in Album des Pavillons 2000, page BR 2.1, explains that the fin flash is painted in yellow-white-green-red (yellow in front). Any changes since 1998? (Ed. note: See above)
Željko Heimer, 30 March 2001