The Hellenic Air Force (HLA) is the third oldest Branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces which is also the combat air power of Greece. The primary mission of the Air Force is to guard and protect the Greek airspace from all kinds of violations, to provide aerial support to operations of both the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, and at the same time search and rescue, firefighting, as well as the provision of all possible humanitarian aid even to other countries when an emergency occurs.

During the period of the Royal Republic the air force was called the Hellenic Royal Air Force (EBA).
The motto of the Hellenic Air Force is "Aien Ypsikratein", which means "Always reign supreme", a phrase attributed to

Vice-Commander (later Vice-Commander) Spyros Papaspyros, commander of the Command Center at the Gaza Base, who with this phrase, in the Daily Order of October 5, 1941, welcomed to Egypt the personnel of 335 Squadron, the first Greek Fighter Squadron in the Middle East . The emblem of the Hellenic Air Force depicts an eagle in flight in front of its circular insignia.