The Air Force Cross - or AFC - was awarded by British military authorities to an officer or warrant officer as a means of recognising acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, but not while in active operations against an enemy.

Instituted at the same time as the Distinguished Flying Cross on 3 June 1918 - King George V's birthday - the Air Force Cross (which has the year of the award engraved on the reverse) was in practice seldom awarded.  In all some 679 AFCs were awarded in 1918-19.

A supplementary Bar could be awarded to recognise an additional act that would by itself have merited an award of the AFC.

The AFC was essentially a non-combat version of the Distinguished Flying Cross.