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

• RAF Waddington – No. 34 EAW (ISTAR)
• RAF Brize Norton – No. 38 EAW (Air Transport)
• RAF Coningsby – No. 121 EAW (Fighter)
• RAF Leeming – No. 135 EAW (Training)
• RAF Marham – No. 138 EAW (Ground Attack)
• RAF Lossiemouth – No. 140 EAW (Fighter)

Stood down

• RAF Cottesmore – No. 122 EAW (Fighter / Ground Attack) (Stood down 2012).
• RAF Leuchars – No. 125 EAW (Fighter) (Stood down 2013).
• RAF Kinloss – No. 325 EAW (Maritime Patrol & Surveillance) (Stood down 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:
    • A Flight:
      • Unknown deployed location.^[1]
        • Joint Force Communication and Information Systems (Middle East).
    • C Flight:
      • Bahrain International Airport:^[2]
        • 32 (The Royal) Squadron, based at RAF Northolt, operating a mix of BAe125s and BAe146s.
  • Previous: RAF Al Udeid, Qatar.

• No. 902 EAW
  • Current: Unknown deployed location.^[3]
    • No. 5 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, based at RAF Waddington.
      • Sentinel R1 Airborne Stand Off Radar (ASTOR) aircraft.
  • Previous: Muscat International Airport, Oman.

• No. 905 EAW
  • RAF Mount Pleasant, Falklands Islands^[4] – 1 April 2006 – Current.
    • No. 1312 Flight RAF
      • Lockheed C-130 Hercules
    • No. 1435 Flight RAF
      • 4 x Eurofighter Typhoon
    • No. 1564 Flight RAF
      • 2 x Westland Sea King HAR3
  • Previous:Unknown

• No. 906 EAW
  • Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates on 15 January 2013.^[5]
  • Previous:
    • Gioia del Colle Air Base, Italy for Operation Ellamy^[6]
      • 10 × Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters from RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars,^[7]
      • 16 × Tornado GR4 interdictor/strike aircraft from RAF Marham^[8][9]

• No. 907 EAW
  • Unknown
  • Previous:
    • RAF Akrotiri^[6]
      • 3 × Sentry AEW.1 AWACS aircraft from RAF Waddington^[10]
      • 1 x Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft^[11] – 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.^[12]
      • 1 x Sentinel R1 airborne standoff radar aircraft from RAF Waddington^[6]

Disbanded Wing's

• No. 903 EAW
  • Contingency Operating Base Basra/Basra Airport, Iraq – Stood down May 2009.^[13]
  • Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.^[13]
    • 5(Army Cooperation) Sqn – Raytheon Sentinel Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR).
    • Army Air Corps – AgustaWestland Apache
    • Boeing Chinook
    • Airbus Voyager
    • Boeing C-17A Globemaster III
    • Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
    • Elbit Hermes 450
    • Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control (SKASaC).

• 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.

References

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