Expeditionary Air Wing

On 1 April 2006 Expeditionary Air Wings (EAWs) were formed at nine of the RAF's Main Operating Bases. Each EAW has its own identity and is led by the Station Commander, supported by his Station management team. The deployable elements of the station structures form the core of each EAW, reinforced by assigned Capability-based Module Readiness System (CMRS) personnel and elements of the Air Combat Support Units (ACSUs). EAWs enable the RAF to train as cohesive units of Air Power which are prepared and capable of transitioning quickly from peacetime structures and deploying swiftly on operations.

UK Based Wings

Current wings

• RAF Waddington – No. 34 EAW^[1] (ISTAR)
• RAF Brize Norton – No. 38 EAW (Air Transport)
• RAF Coningsby – No. 121 EAW^[2] (Fighter)
• RAF Marham – No. 138 EAW^[2] (Ground Attack)

Former wings

• No. 38 EAW - RAF Lyneham^[1]
• No. 122 EAW - RAF Cottesmore^[2] (Fighter / Ground Attack) - stood down in 2012
• No. 125 EAW - RAF Leuchars^[2] (Fighter) - stood down in 2013
• No. 135 EAW - RAF Leeming (Fighter)
• No. 140 EAW - RAF Lossiemouth (Fighter) - stood down in 2014
• No. 325 EAW - RAF Kinloss^[1] (Maritime Patrol & Surveillance) - stood down in 2013

Deployed EAWs

Visiting Aircraft Section (VASS) from 901 Expeditionary Air Wing marshalling a No. 32 Squadron RAF BAe 125 aircraft in the Middle East.

• No. 901 EAW
  • Current:
    • Unknown deployed location.^[3]
      • Provides support to No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group and Joint Force Communication and Information Systems (Middle East).
  • Previous:
    • A Flight
      • Unknown.
        • Lockheed Hercules C.4^[4]
    • B Flight (reformed in 2013 as unknown):^[3]
      • Unknown.
    • C Flight (disbanded March 2015):^[3]
      • Bahrain International Airport:^[5]
        • 32 (The Royal) Squadron, based at RAF Northolt, operating a mix of BAe125s and BAe146s.
• No. 902 EAW
  • RAFO Musannah in support of Operation Kipion (May 2015 – present):
    • 2 x AgustaWestland Merlin HM.2 helicopters.^[6]
  • Previous:
    • During 2008: Muscat International Airport, Oman.
      • Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.2 & R.1^[4]
    • October 2013: Unknown deployed location suspected to be Muscat International Airport, Oman.
      • No. 5 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, based at RAF Waddington.
        • Raytheon Sentinel R.1 Airborne Stand Off Radar (ASTOR) aircraft.
• No. 903 EAW
  • RAF Akrotiri in support of Operation Shader (14 December 2014 – present):^[7]
    • Panavia Tornado GR.4
    • Lockheed C-130 Hercules
    • Airbus Voyager
    • Boeing E-3D Sentry
    • Raytheon Sentinel R.1
  • Previous:
    • Contingency Operating Base Basra/Basra Airport, Iraq – Stood down May 2009.^[7]
      • No. 1419 Flight RAF
        • Merlin HC.3^[4]
      • No. 1563 Flight RAF
        • Puma HC.1^[4]
    • Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.^[7]
      • Royal Air Force:
        • 5 (Army Cooperation) Sqn – Raytheon Sentinel Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR).
        • Boeing Chinook
        • Airbus Voyager
        • Boeing C-17A Globemaster III
        • Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
      • British Army:
        • Elbit Hermes 450
      • Army Air Corps:
        • AgustaWestland Apache AH.1
      • Fleet Air Arm:
        • Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control (SKASaC).
• No. 905 EAW
  • RAF Mount Pleasant, Falklands Islands^[8] – 1 April 2006 – Current.
    • No. 1312 Flight RAF
      • Lockheed Hercules^[4]
    • No. 1435 Flight RAF
      • 4 x Eurofighter Typhoon
        • Previously Panavia Tornado F.3's^[4]
    • No. 1564 Flight RAF
      • 2 x Westland Sea King HAR3^[4]
  • Previous:Unknown
• No. 906 EAW
  • Al Minhad Air Base, United Arab Emirates (15 January 2013 – present):^[9]
  • Previous:
    • Gioia del Colle Air Base, Italy in support of Operation Ellamy:^[10]
      • 10 × Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters from RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars,^[11]
      • 16 × Tornado GR4 interdictor/strike aircraft from RAF Marham^[12][13]

Disbanded Wings

• No. 140 EAW^[7]
  • RAF Akrotiri (August 2014 - 14 December 2014):
    • Tornado GR4
    • Lockheed C-130 Hercules
    • Airbus Voyager
  • Previous:
    • RAF Lossiemouth as No. 140 EAW (Fighter)
• No. 904 EAW
  • Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.^[14]
    • Panavia Tornado GR4 detachment.
    • Tactical Air Transport Detachment
      • Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.
      • British Aerospace 146.
    • General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper detachment.
    • No. 1310 Flight RAF
      • Boeing Chinook HC.2 & HC.2A^[4]
• No. 907 EAW
  • Unknown
  • Previous:
    • RAF Akrotiri^[10]
      • 3 × Sentry AEW.1 AWACS aircraft from RAF Waddington^[15]
      • 1 x Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft^[16] – operational requirements forced the Royal Air Force to deploy one of its two remaining Nimrod R1s two weeks before they were due to be withdrawn.^[17]
      • 1 x Sentinel R1 airborne standoff radar aircraft from RAF Waddington^[10]

References

Citations

1. Cotter 2008, p. 34.
2. Cotter 2008, p. 33.
3. "901 EAW". RAF. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
4. Cotter 2008, p. 38.
5. "901 EAW C Flight". Royal Air Force (RAF). Retrieved 8 December 2013.
6. "902 Expeditionary Air Wing". RAF. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
7. "903 Expeditionary Air Wing". RAF. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
8. "Falklands Garrison still going strong". MoD. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
9. "New RAF unit strengthens relationship with United Arab Emirates". MoD. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
10. "Coalition operations in Libya to continue". Ministry of Defence (MoD). 21 March 2010.
11. Judd, Terri (19 March 2011). "Operation Ellamy: Designed to strike from air and sea". The Independent (London). Retrieved 20 March 2011.
12. "Libya update". MoD. 20 March 2011.
13. "Operational Update on Libya – 25 March". MoD. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
14. "904 Expeditionary Air Wing". RAF. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
15. "Coalition Against Gadhafi Growing". Defense News. 20 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
16. "UK military to be stretched by long Libya campaign". Reuters. 19 March 2011.
17. Jane's Defence Weekly, 16 March 2011

Bibliography

• Cotter, Jarrod (2008). Royal Air Force celebrating 90 years. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-946219-11-7.