Naval Air Service (Greece)

Naval Air Service
Ναυτική Αεροπορική Υπηρεσία
The Greek version of the roundel was introduced in the Greek Armed Forces in 1917
Active	1915–1930
Country	Greece
Branch	Hellenic Navy
Type	Naval aviation
Commanders
Notable commanders	Aristeidis Moraitinis (1917–1918)[1]

The Naval Air Service (Greek: Ναυτική Αεροπορική Υπηρεσία, ΝΑΥ) was the air arm of the Hellenic Navy from 1915 to 1930.

The first aviation units in the Greek Armed Forces were formed in June 1912. In the subsequent Balkan Wars, the Hellenic Navy was the first in military history to use aircraft to track down and bomb the enemy fleet (1913).^[2] The Naval Air Service was officially established during the First World War and participated with the Allies in several missions over the Aegean. After participation in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) a long period of peace followed during which the Naval Air Service was reorganized and upgraded, especially with the establishment of the State Aircraft Factory, which manufactured various types of aircraft. In 1930 the Naval Air Service was merged with the Hellenic Army Aviation and formed the third branch in the Greek Armed Forces, the Hellenic Air Force.

The present-day Hellenic Navy retains an aerial component in the form of the Navy Aviation Command.