The 1st Wing is a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

in the

Air Component The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne bel ...

of the

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became indepen ...

, located at

Beauvechain Air Base Beauvechain Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield in Belgium, located south of Beauvechain in Wallonia (Walloon Brabant Province); east-southeast of Brussels. It is home to the 1st Wing, operating A109BA helicopters, and the ...

Training Wing

The 1st Fighter Wing (All Weather) was disbanded in 1996, with 349 Squadron and the Operational Conversion Unit moving to

Kleine Brogel Air Base Kleine Brogel Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield located east of Kleine-Brogel, in the municipality Peer, Belgium. It is home to the Belgian 10th Tactical Wing, operating F-16 Fighting Falcons, which are capable, among other ...

. 350 Squadron moved to

Florennes Air Base Florennes Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield located east southeast of Florennes, a Walloon municipality of Belgium. It is home to the 2nd Tactical Wing, operating F-16 Fighting Falcons. It also used to be the home to the Ta ...

. Later that year, all Belgian Air Force Training Squadrons moved to

Beauvechain Beauvechain (; wa, Bôvètché; nl, Bevekom, ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 6,529 inhabitants. The total area is 38.58 km2, giving a population ...

, creating 1st Wing. This unit was responsible for the education and training of the pilots of the

Belgian Air Component The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

and comprised the 5th Squadron, which operated the SIAI Marchetti SF260, the 7th Squadron and 11th Squadron, which operated the

Alpha Jet The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, as ...

. The 7th Squadron used to operate the

Fouga Magister Fouga (also known as Air Fouga) was a French manufacturing company established by Gaston Fouga at Béziers during 1920. Originally specialising in the repair of railway rolling stock, the firm eventually became most noted for the aircraft it p ...

as well. Instructors of the 9th Squadron, also known as "Training and Evaluation Centre" (TEC), flew on the SF260 as well as the Alpha Jet. In 2005, 11th Squadron and the

s moved to Cazaux in France, to participate in the Advanced Jet Training School (AJeTS). The

was retired from service in September 2007, and 7th Squadron moved to Tours in France. The 1st Wing then consisted of 5th Squadron and 9th Squadron, both operating the SF260.

Helicopter Wing

On September 9, 2010, the A109 helicopters of the

Wing Heli The Wing Heli was a helicopter wing in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Mission The mission of the Wing Heli is to intervene in order to provide aid to the nation, urgent humanitarian aid and armed support on the national territor ...

moved from Bierset to Beauvechain. The former Training Squadrons (5th and

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

) became the Basic Flying Training School, still located at Beauvechain.

was disbanded, and 1st Wing became a helicopter wing,La Libre Belgique "Les hélicoptères Agusta en vol le 13 septembre" 25/08/10 consisting of 15th (Operational Conversion and Training Unit), 17th and 18th Squadrons. 17th Squadron still operates the A109BA helicopter, while 18th Squadron started flying the

NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter. It was developed in response to NATO requirements for a battlefield helicopter which would also be capable of being operated in naval environments. The NH90 ...

as of October 2013. Image:Belgian air force SIAI-Marchetti SF260.JPG, A SIAI Marchetti SF.260 of the Belgian Air Component Image:Aircraft Alpha-Jet Belge AT-18.JPG, An

of the Belgian Air Component Image:Fouga_magister.jpg, A

of the Belgian Air Component Image:Belgian A109BA Helicopter anti-tank.JPG, An A109BA helicopter of the Belgian Air Component

Endnotes

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External links

Section of the website of the Belgian Ministry of Defence about the 1st Wing
Wing, 1