List of wings of the Royal Air Force

Wings within the Royal Air Force have both administrative and tactical applications. Over the years, the structure and role of wings has changed to meet the demands placed on the RAF. Many of the RAF's numbered wings were originally Royal Flying Corps (RFC) or Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) units.

Wings can be found at every station in the RAF and also abroad, deployed on operations.

Expeditionary Air Wings
Formed on 1 April 2006, Expeditionary Air Wings (EAW) are established at the following RAF Flying Stations:
 * RAF Waddington – 34 EAW (ISTAR)
 * RAF Brize Norton – 38 EAW (Air Transport)
 * RAF Coningsby – 121 EAW (Fighter)
 * RAF Leeming – 135 EAW
 * RAF Marham – 138 EAW (Ground Attack)
 * RAF Lossiemouth – 140 EAW

Deployed EAWs

 * No. 901 EAW – Deployed to Middle East
 * No. 902 EAW – Deployed to Middle East
 * No. 903 EAW – RAF Akrotiri
 * No. 905 EAW – RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands
 * No. 906 EAW – Al Minhad Air Base, United Arab Emirates since 15 January 2013

Disbanded EAWs

 * 122 EAW – RAF Cottesmore
 * 125 EAW – RAF Leuchars
 * 904 EAW – Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan – stood down December 2014
 * 907 EAW – RAF Akrotiri

Force Protection Wings
Formed from RAF Regiment field squadrons and RAF Police components, Force Protection (FP) Wings are responsible for defending aircraft and personnel whilst deployed on operations. the overarching Force Protection Force HQ is located at RAF Honington. Each Wing is parented by an RAF Station with whom it is usually deployed:


 * No 2 Force Protection Wing – RAF Leeming
 * No 3 Force Protection Wing – RAF Marham
 * No 4 Force Protection Wing – RAF Brize Norton
 * No 5 Force Protection Wing – RAF Lossiemouth
 * No 7 Force Protection Wing – RAF Coningsby
 * No 8 Force Protection Wing – RAF Waddington

RAF Force Protection Wings were, until April 2004, known as Tactical Survive To Operate Headquarters (Tac STO HQs).

Miscellaneous Wings

 * No 1 Air Mobility Wing – RAF Brize Norton – HQ Squadron, 44 Mobile Air Movements Squadron and 45 Mobile Air Movements Squadron. This is UK Mobile Air Movements Squadron (UKMAMS) expanded to wing strength.
 * No. 42 (Expeditionary Support) Wing – RAF Wittering
 * No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing – RAF Wittering
 * No. 1 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing – RAF Waddington
 * ISTAR Air Wing – RAF Waddington
 * 2nd Tactical Air Force Communication Wing RAF - formed 31 March 1945; disbanded 15 July 1945 at RAF Buckeburg. Became British Air Forces of Occupation Communication Squadron.

Station-based Wings
A typical Royal Air Force flying station (not training) will have the following integrated wing-based structure:
 * Administrative Wing / Base (Station) Support Wing / Support Wing
 * Depth Support Wing
 * Forward Support Wing
 * Operations Wing

On a smaller RAF Station, these functions may be termed squadrons but their role is identical.

Specialised Station-based Wings
Some stations has Wings which are customised to their particular role with the RAF:
 * Airport of Embarkation Wing – RAF Brize Norton

Tactical Wings
Wings termed 'Tactical' within the Royal Air Force provide are cohesive, specialised teams.
 * Tactical Communications Wing – RAF Leeming
 * Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing – RAF Marham – Disbanded, merged to become No. 1 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing RAF based at RAF Waddington
 * Tactical Medical Wing – RAF Brize Norton – This unit has the Latin motto "Summum Bonum" which means 'for the highest good'. It became operational on 1 April 1996 and its CO is currently Wing Commander Alan Cranfield. Some of its sub-units are Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Deployable Aeromedical Response Teams (DARTS), Operational Training Squadron and Operations and Logistics Squadron.
 * Tactical Provost Wing – RAF Honington
 * Tactical Supply Wing – MOD Stafford