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 elements of the Air Combat Service Support Units (ACSSUs). Flying and Force Protection force elements are attached to meet the requirements of each operation. EAWs enable the RAF to train as cohesive air power units which are prepared and capable of transitioning quickly from peacetime structures and deploying swiftly on operations in tailored packages.

UK based wings

Current wings

No. 34 EAW

RAF Waddington Royal Air Force Waddington otherwise known as RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located beside the village of Waddington, south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire in England. The station is the RAF's Intelligence Surveillance Target A ...

( ISTAR) * Previously located at

RAF Lyneham Royal Air Force Lyneham otherwise known as RAF Lyneham was a Royal Air Force station located northeast of Chippenham, Wiltshire, and southwest of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transpor ...

; deployed between May and December 2016 to NSA Souda Bay supporting Operation Shader.

No. 38 EAW

* 38 EAW is an Air Mobility specialist EAW composed of personnel from RAF Brize Norton and

RAF Northolt ("Ready to carry or to fight") , pushpin_map = Greater London , pushpin_label = RAF Northolt , pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London , coordinates = , type = Royal Air Force station , code = , site_area = , height = , owners ...

. * Deployed to Barbados on

Operation Ruman Operation Ruman was the British government's combined military and humanitarian operations in September 2017 to provide relief to the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Irma. Background In early September 2017 Hurr ...

9 September 17 to support Hurricane Irma relief efforts in the Caribbean. 38 EAW comprised ** Elements of No. XXIV Squadron. (38 EAW was commanded by OC of No. 24 Squadron). ** Elements of

No. 47 Squadron RAF No. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Lockheed C-130 Hercules from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, England. History First formation No. 47 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire on 1 March 19 ...

with Lockheed Hercules C4/C5. ** Elements of

No. LXX Squadron RAF No.70 or LXX Squadron RAF provides strategic transport. History First World War The squadron was formed on 22 April 1916 at Farnborough, and was equipped with the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. The squadron was posted to France, and in 1917 re-equi ...

with Airbus Atlas C1. ** Elements of

No. 99 Squadron RAF Number 99 Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force which operates the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic/tactical transport aircraft from RAF Brize Norton. The squadron conducts global deployments on behalf of the B ...

with

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...

. ** Elements of No 1 Air Mobility Wing

No. 121 EAW

No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing is a deployable Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England. The current wing was established on 1 April 2006 the wing has history dating back to May 1944: Second Worl ...

RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and hom ...

* Deployed to

RAF Akrotiri RAF Akrotiri ( el, Βασιλική Πολεμική Αεροπορία Ακρωτηρίου) is a large Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which compr ...

from August to November 2013 for Operation Luminous comprised ** Elements of No. XI Squadron with Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 ** Elements of No. 8 Squadron with Boeing Sentry AEW1 ** Elements of No. 216 Squadron with Lockheed Tristar ** Elements of

No. 1 Air Control Centre No. 1 Air Control Centre (also known as 1 ACC) is a deployable mobile command and control unit of the Royal Air Force that is currently based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. The unit acts in conjunction with the Control and Reporting Centre (CRC ...

with T101 Radar ** Elements of No. 4 Force Protection Wing * Deployed to

Ämari Air Base Ämari Air Base is a military airbase in Harjumaa, Estonia located south of Lake Klooga and southwest of Tallinn. History Ämari Air Base was built between 1940–1952 under an agreement signed by the Estonian SSR and the Soviet Union. In 19 ...

from April to September 2015 for Operation Azotize with

Typhoon FGR4 The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twinjet, twin-engine, canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactu ...

No. 135 EAW

* No. 135 Expeditionary Air Wing, RAF Leeming * Deployed to Šiauliai, Lithuania from April to September 2014 for Operation Azotize with Typhoon FGR4 * Deployed to Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase near

Constanța Constanța (, ; ; rup, Custantsa; bg, Кюстенджа, Kyustendzha, or bg, Констанца, Konstantsa, label=none; el, Κωνστάντζα, Kōnstántza, or el, Κωνστάντια, Kōnstántia, label=none; tr, Köstence), histo ...

, Romania from April to August 2017 under Operation Biloxi with four Typhoon FGR4s of No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron. *Deployed to Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase near Constanta, Romania in April 2018 under Operation Biloxi with four Typhoon FGR4s of No.1 (Fighter) Squadron and No. II (Army Cooperation) Squadron. *Deployed to Šiauliai, Lithuania from April to September 2019 for Operation Azotize with Typhoon FGR4 of No. 6 Squadron.

No. 138 EAW

RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...

* Believed to have deployed to West Africa in 2014 for Operation Turus with

Panavia Tornado The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (inter ...

GR4

No. 140 EAW

* RAF Lossiemouth * Deployed to

from August to December 2014 for Operation Shader, succeeded by 903 EAW, comprised ** Elements of the RAF Tornado Force (Tornado GR4 strike aircraft) ** Elements of the RAF Air Mobility Force: *** Hercules C5 transport aircraft *** Voyager KC3 tanker aircraft * Deployed to

from April to September 2016 for Operation Azotize with Typhoon FGR4

Former wings

* No. 122 EAW - RAF Cottesmore (Fighter / Ground Attack) - stood down in 2012 * No. 125 EAW -

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or RAF Leuchars was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northern UK airspac ...

(Fighter) - stood down in 2013 * No. 325 EAW - RAF Kinloss (Maritime Patrol & Surveillance) - stood down in 2013

Deployed Wings

Marshalling a Royal Air Force BAe 125 Aircraft in the Middle East MOD 45153874

No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group

No. 901 Expeditionary Air Wing

As of 2017, the wing was located at

RAF Al Udeid Al Udeid Air Base ( ar, قاعدة العديد الجوية) is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport (). It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and othe ...

, providing support to Headquarters 83 EAG and Headquarters Joint Force Communication and Information Systems (Middle East). Previously as a Middle Eastern EAW it comprised "A" Flight, at a not-publicly known location, flying Lockheed Hercules C4; "B" Flight (unknown location, reformed in 2013 as unknown) flying the

Boeing C-17 The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...

A Globemaster III; and "C" Flight (disbanded March 2015) at Bahrain International Airport flying a mix of BAe125s and BAe146s from No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron. During the Second World War, No. 901 Wing formed part of No. 224 Group RAF,

Third Tactical Air Force The RAF Third Tactical Air Force (Third TAF), which was formed in South Asia in December 1943, was one of three tactical air forces formed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from t ...

. It was formed on 1 October 1944 at

Chiringa Chiringa is a town in Malawi. Location Chiringa is located approximately , by road, east of Phalombe, where the district headquarters are located. This is approximately , by road, east of Blantyre, the financial capital of Malawi and the lar ...

in British India. At the time of its formation, 901 Wing consisted of two Squadrons: 177 and 211 Squadron, both of which flew Bristol Beaufighter twin-engined fighter-bombers. The Wing was renamed No 901 (Tactical) Wing with effect from 1 December 1944. The Wing continued to operate up to four squadrons equipped with Beaufighters and de Havilland Mosquitoes during 1944-45.

No. 902 EAW

* RAFO Musannah in support of Operation Kipion (May 2015 – present): ** 2 x AgustaWestland Merlin HM.2 helicopters. *Previous: ** During 2008: Muscat International Airport, Oman. *** Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 & R1 ** October 2013: Unknown deployed location suspected to be Muscat International Airport, Oman. ***

Sentinel R1 The Raytheon Sentinel is an airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). While based on the Bombardier Global Express ultra long-range business jet, the prime contractor for the Sentine ...

Airborne Stand Off Radar (ASTOR) aircraft from No. V (Army Cooperation) Squadron

No. 903 EAW

in support of Operation Shader (14 December 2014 – present): ** Elements of the RAF Typhoon Force (9 x

multirole fighter aircraft) ** Elements of the RAF Air Mobility Force: *** 2 x Hercules C5 transport aircraft (1 withdrawn during 2014) *** 2 x Voyager KC3 tanker aircraft ** Elements of the RAF ISTAR Force: *** 2 x

ISTAR aircraft from No. V(Army Cooperation) Squadron *** 2 x

Sentry AEW1 The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weath ...

AEW&C aircraft from No. 8 Squadron (aircraft withdrawn from service 2021) ** Elements of the RAF A4 Force. * Previous ** Elements of the RAF Tornado Force (10 x

Tornado GR4 The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (interd ...

strike aircraft) (Retired 2019) ** Contingency Operating Base Basra/Basra Airport,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

for

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

(2003- 2009). **

Camp Bastion Camp Shorabak (formerly Camp Bastion) is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp was situated in a remote desert area, far from population centres. The camp was built ...

, Afghanistan for Operation Herrick (2009-2014)

No. 906 EAW

Al Minhad Air Base Al Minhad Air Base ( ar, قاعدة المنهاد الجوية, , also just Minhad Air Base) is a military installation in the United Arab Emirates. The base is located approximately south of Dubai and is operated by the United Arab Emirates Air ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

(15 January 2013 – present): *Previous: **

Gioia del Colle Air Base Gioia del Colle Air Base is an Italian Air Force ( Aeronautica Militare) base located in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, located approximately 1 km south-southeast of Gioia del Colle. World War II During World War II the air base was ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in support of

Operation Ellamy Operation Ellamy was the codename for the United Kingdom participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the United Nation ...

(2011) comprising *** 10 × Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters from

and RAF Lossiemouth, *** 16 ×

interdictor An interdictor is a type of attack aircraft that operates far behind enemy lines, with the express intent of air interdiction of the enemy's military targets, most notably those involved in logistics. Interdiction prevents or delays enemy for ...

/strike aircraft from

British Forces South Atlantic Islands

No. 905 EAW

* RAF Mount Pleasant,

Falklands Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about fro ...

(1 April 2006 – present) ** No. 1312 Flight RAF *** Airbus A400M Atlas *** Voyager KC2 **** Previously VC10 and Tristar **

No. 1435 Flight RAF No. 1435 Flight is a Eurofighter Typhoon, Typhoon FGR. 4 unit of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Mount Pleasant, providing air defence for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Permanently based in the islands, the ...

*** 4 x Eurofighter Typhoon **** Previously Panavia Tornado F3s *Previous:Unknown

Disbanded Wings

No. 904 EAW

* Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan for Operation Herrick (2006-2015). ** Harrier aircraft (eight aircraft, with eleven crews) 2009

No. 907 EAW

in support of

(2011) comprising ** 3 ×

AWACS aircraft from

** 1 x

Nimrod R1 The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R1 is a signals intelligence (reconnaissance) aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Air Force. The aircraft was a conversion of the existing Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft, with all of the electronic equipment and ...

signals intelligence aircraft from No 51 Squadron – operational requirements forced the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

to deploy one of its two remaining Nimrod R1s two weeks before they were due to be withdrawn.'' Jane's Defence Weekly'', 16 March 2011 ** 1 x

airborne standoff radar aircraft from No V(Army Cooperation) Squadron

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/wiki/No_906_Expeditionary_Air_Wing,_Royal_Air_Force - 906 EAW badge {{RAF Wings E Expeditionary units and formations