A group is a military unit or a military formation that is most often associated with military aviation .
61-528: The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches of a national defence force. Air groups vary considerably in size and status, but generally take two forms: During the early stages of World War I in France and Germany , the respective aviation services formed groupes and Gruppen . Beneath the level of the group was a unit of six to 16 aircraft: an escadrille or Staffel . Immediately above
122-507: A Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) (ground-based anti-aircraft missile and machinegun weapons) battalion/detachment, under a MACG headquarters detachment, commanded by a colonel . Marine Air Training Support Groups (MATSG) provide administrative control and training support at for Marines at formal naval aviation training units (e.g., combined USN/USMC Fleet Readiness Squadrons (FRS) and Naval Air Training Command and Naval Air Technical Training Command installations). These groups, commanded by
183-429: A Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS) (control of air traffic and tactical air defense), a Marine Air Support Squadron (MASS) (control and coordination of tactical aircraft operations directly supporting ground forces), a Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron (MTACS) (command of tactical ground support and tactical air defense), a Marine Wing Communication Squadron (MWCS) (wire, radio, data, and satellite services), and
244-479: A Marine Aviation Logistics Squadrons (MALS) (intermediate aircraft maintenance, aviation supply, and aviation ordnance support), a Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) (air base functions), and a MAG headquarters detachment with a colonel as the commanding officer. The MAG is the organizational equivalent of a Marine Regiment . Marine Air Control Groups (MACG) consist of several aviation command, control, communications, and air defense units. These units include:
305-471: A combat group , an air base group , a maintenance and supply group , and a medical group . Constituted combat wings are always numbered in a single series beginning with Arabic "1st". Examples: 1st Fighter Wing , 21st Space Wing , and the Strategic Air Command 's 509th Bomb Wing . All constituted wings have one, two, or three digits in their numerical designations. In many cases,
366-407: A division in size, its commander is usually a major general . Unlike their USAF counterparts, all USN and USMC air wings are tenant activities ashore and have no command responsibility for the installation at which they are normally based when not afloat or forward deployed. Naval air stations and Marine Corps air stations (and facilities) have separate commanding officers that are independent of
427-500: A wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons , with several wings forming a group (around 10 squadrons). Each squadron will contain around 20 planes. On its establishment in 1912, the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was intended to be an inter-service, combined force of
488-471: A wing commander (equivalent to a lieutenant colonel ). From World War II onwards, operational flying wings have usually been commanded by group captains (equivalent to colonels ), whereas ground-based wings have continued to be commanded by wing commanders. Air forces of NATO member countries which use the term 'wing' to denote their main formations include the Spanish Air Force ( Ala ),
549-705: A "Military Wing" (i.e. an army wing) and a "Naval Wing". Each wing consisted of a number of squadrons (the term "squadron" already being used by both the Army and the Navy). By 1914, the naval wing had become the Royal Naval Air Service , and gained its independence from the Royal Flying Corps. In 1915, the Royal Flying Corps had significantly expanded and it was felt necessary to create organizational units which would control two or more squadrons;
610-565: A Middle Eastern EAW it comprised "A" Flight, at a not-publicly known location [likely to be Al Udeid, Qatar], flying Lockheed Hercules C4; "B" Flight (unknown location [likely to be Mussanah, Oman], reformed in 2013 as unknown) flying the Boeing C-17 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
671-461: A USMC Marine Aircraft Group or USAF wing. Officers in command of wing level units other than carrier air wings utilize the legacy title of "commodore" and are authorized to fly a command broad pennant from their headquarters ashore or when embarked aboard a warship as the senior officer present afloat (SOPA). Group is no longer a contemporary term in the USN portion of Naval Aviation except for that of
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#1732764887734732-546: A colonel, do not have subordinate squadrons assigned and are not part of the Fleet Marine Force (FMF). Two or more MAGs (usually three or four), and a MACG, under a Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters (MAW HQ) supported by a Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron (MWHS) form a Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), usually commanded by a major general , and is the FMF organizational equivalent of a Marine Division (MARDIV). The MAW
793-498: A headquarters. USAF groups may be dependent or independent: "A dependent group is a mission, maintenance, mission support, medical, or large functional unit (e.g., security forces, special tactics, communications, etc.) that encompasses a number of related squadrons to provide the specified capability to a parent wing. Such groups may possess small supporting staff elements, such as standardization and evaluation or quality control, that are organized as sections." "An independent group has
854-542: A legacy title from the former carrier air groups. In the United States Marine Corps , a Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) is an overall command, equivalent to a Marine Division , consisting of at least two Marine Aircraft Groups , a Marine Air Control Group (MACG), a Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron (MWHS), and a Marine Wing Headquarters (the Wing Commander and his staff). Being equivalent to
915-495: A logistics support ship, all under the command of an embarked flag officer at the OF6 (US pay grade O-7) or OF7 (US pay grade O-8) level. Within armies and land forces, groups are units or formations that are roughly equivalent to regiments and are commanded by colonels. Groups should not be confused with army groups which are multiple armies commanded by a general or field marshal. Many group-sized formations have existed throughout
976-569: A maintenance group, a medical group and a mission support group. Such a wing is referred to as a Combat Wing Organization, which is comparable to a brigade in the US Army . Other wings, such as Air Expeditionary Wings , exist for various other purposes, and their scope may extend to one base, one theater or worldwide. In United States Air Force usage, a military organization above a squadron level ( group , wing , air division , numbered air force , air component command, Major Command (MAJCOM) )
1037-690: A maintenance support squadron. Wings responsible for an air base also have other dependent groups such as a mission support group (security, communications, logistics support, mission support, and civil engineering squadrons) and a medical group. The dependent group commanders are considered to be in command billets, but they function like staff officers (the A3/S-3/G-3/J3 or the A4/S-4/G-4/J4) in other organizations. Independent groups are effectively small wings with both flying and maintenance squadrons. USAF groups are usually commanded by officers in
1098-585: A particular group, although expeditionary air groups control expeditionary air wings directly. Groups are directly subordinate to a command (or, historically, to a tactical air force ). In the Royal Navy 's Fleet Air Arm , like some other Commonwealth naval air services, a group usually consists of two or three squadrons. In the United States Air Force (USAF) a group consists of two or more squadrons, often functionally aligned within
1159-404: A wing. Per AFI 38-101 Air Force Organization (21 April 2015) a group is a "level of command between wings and squadrons. Groups bring together multiple squadrons or other lower echelon units to provide a broader capability." Prior to 1991, it was not unusual for a USAF support group to have no subordinate squadrons, but merely be a larger unit than a squadron. In such cases the group would not have
1220-504: Is a regimental-level unit within United States Marine Corps Aviation , equivalent to a USAF wing. A MAG consists of at least two air aircraft squadrons and two aviation support squadrons; two or more MAGs and a MACG form a Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW). Marine Aircraft Groups consist of two or more aircraft squadrons (usually four to six) and can range to as many as ten (see MAG-14 ). A MAG also contains
1281-629: Is an establishment , while that of a squadron and lower ( squadron , flight , center, complex), if designated as such, is a unit . The U.S. Army Air Service / U.S. Army Air Corps / U.S. Army Air Forces wings that existed before 1947 are not comparable with the wings of the USAF. World War II wings, for example, were expansive administrative and operational organizations that usually controlled several combat groups and numerous service organizations, often located at widely scattered locations. Many World War II wings were redesignated as air divisions after
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#17327648877341342-470: Is analogous to a USAF numbered air force or a British Royal Air Force (RAF) group. All the aircraft on a United States Navy (USN) aircraft carrier, historically, were called the carrier air group regardless of whether the total was 72–90 on a fleet carrier or 20 to 30 on an escort carrier. Even today, the commander of the carrier air wing is traditionally called "CAG," a legacy title from when they were known as "commander, air group." A USN aviation wing
1403-430: Is based on an aircraft carrier . The squadrons of a CVW are also assigned to administrative type wings (such as Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic ). Naval Air Forces are commanded by either a rear admiral (upper half) or a vice admiral and wings are commanded by captains , with the title of commodore . Carrier air wings are commanded by either a Navy captain or a USMC colonel with the title of "CAG" (Commander, Air Group),
1464-611: Is designated as either carrier air, maritime patrol & reconnaissance, strategic communications, training air, or type (there are type wings for strike fighters, electronic warfare, airborne early warning and logistics, maritime strike helicopter, and sea combat helicopters that provide squadrons to the carrier air wing for operations, as well as shore based fleet logistics support and tactical support wings that operate independently of aircraft carriers). All of these entities maintain administrative and standardization control and are OF 5 (US pay grade O-6) captain commands roughly analogous to
1525-442: Is the carrier strike group commander, a surface or aviation rear admiral in the grade of OF 6 or 7 (US pay grade O-7 or O-8), with a mixed air, surface, and subsurface staff, who integrates four major USN (OF 5) (US pay grade O-6) commands – a carrier air wing, an aircraft carrier, one or more cruisers, a destroyer squadron, and an attached attack submarine – into a coherent air, surface and subsurface fighting force. The commodores of
1586-630: The 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) 's Special Forces Groups and PSYOP Groups and formerly some Air Defense Artillery, Armored Cavalry, Combat Engineer, Field Artillery, Military Intelligence, Military Police, and Signal Corps units) are/were also organized into groups, vice brigades or regiments. These units are/were generally smaller than brigades, usually consisting of from two to four battalions/squadrons (armored cavalry only), separate companies/batteries (air defense and field artillery)/troops (armored cavalry only), and/or detachments. Wing (military aviation unit) In military aviation ,
1647-552: The British Air Training Corps , a wing consists of a number of squadrons within a designated geographical area, usually named after the county in which it is based. In this context, a wing is inferior to a " region " which is made up of six wings. In all, there are 36 Air Training Corps wings in six regions within the United Kingdom , each of which is commanded by a RAFVR(T) wing commander. While
1708-472: The British Army and Royal Navy . Given the rivalry that existed between the army and navy, new terminology was used, in order to avoid marking the corps out as having an army or navy ethos. While the term "wing" had been used in the cavalry , its more general use predominated. Accordingly, the word "wing", with its allusion of flight, was chosen as the term of subdivision and the corps was split into
1769-490: The Civil Air Patrol , there are 52 wings (each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. , and Puerto Rico ). Each wing supervises the individual groups and squadrons in that state, district or commonwealth, which are the basic operational units of the organization. Some wings, for example Delaware Wing , have only one group due to the small geographical and manpower size of the wing. The United States Navy follows
1830-606: The Croatian Air Force ( zrakoplovna baza , Croatian for aviation base ) use the term air base for regiment -equivalents commanded by colonels in a direct parallel to the wings of other member states. Non-English equivalents of the British wing include the German Gruppe , Italian Gruppo , and French groupe . The World War II German Luftwaffe Geschwader and Gruppe were similar to the wing and group of
1891-496: The Geschwader were named according to their function. For instance, I./StG 77 was I Gruppe Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 , which flew Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers . II./JG 26 was II Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 26 , which flew Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, then switched to Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters. Each Gruppe was composed of three, sometimes four, Staffeln (singular Staffel ) (usually 8–12 aircraft). Each Geschwader
Group (military unit) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1952-801: The Hellenic Air Force ( πτέρυγα [ pteryga ]), Royal Norwegian Air Force ( luftving , Norwegian for air wing), Royal Danish Air Force (which adopted the English term wing directly, although the Danish word is vinge ), the Belgian Air Component (also adopted the English term wing directly), the Polish Air Force ( skrzydło ) and the Slovak Air Force ( krídlo ). Additionally countries influenced by
2013-540: The RAF Regiment , (in which a wing equates to a battalion ). Additionally, RAF stations are administratively divided into wings. In 2006, expeditionary air wings were established at the RAF's main operating bases. These expeditionary air wings consist of the deployable elements of the main operating base and other supplementary forces. Expeditionary air wings may be subordinated to an expeditionary air group . In
2074-672: The United States Army Air Forces of the same era. 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 their Station management team. The deployable elements of the station structures form the core of each EAW, reinforced by elements of
2135-779: The 1990s, the Canadian Forces Air Command (the post-1968 RCAF until 2011) altered the structure of those bases under its control, declaring them to be wings under the overall control of 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg . For instance, CFB Trenton in Ontario was redesignated 8 Wing Trenton. The base commander of these bases (as well as other wings whose headquarters were stood up on bases not controlled by Air Command, such as 16 Wing at CFB Borden and 1 Wing at CFB Kingston ) were re-designated Wing Commanders (or Wg Comd). As well as continuing their functions as
2196-628: 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. As of 2017, the wing was located at RAF Al Udeid , providing support to Headquarters 83 EAG and Headquarters Joint Force Communication and Information Systems (Middle East). Previously as
2257-418: The British structure in that a wing is an administrative formation commanding two or more squadrons of aircraft that are based on land. Several wings are combined into a Naval Air Force. The several wings assigned to each Fleet Naval Air Force control the wing's type squadrons. A carrier air wing (CVW, formerly known as a carrier air group ) consists of several squadrons and is an operational formation that
2318-698: The French and German groups was the escadron or Geschwader . In the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), a squadron was usually composed of 18–24 aircraft. When the Royal Air Force (RAF) was formed in 1918 from a merger of the RFC and RNAS, an officer with the rank of colonel typically commanded a group. The following year, when the RAF introduced its own rank system, RAF colonels became group captains , reflecting both
2379-816: The German Geschwader originate from the naval term squadron . A similar formation in the Swedish Air Force is the Flygflottilj, which translates in English as air wing (literal meaning is air flotilla or flight flotilla). Among the NATO member countries the Turkish Air Force ( Ana Üssü , Turkish for main base ) and the Bulgarian Air Force ( авиобаза [ aviobaza ], Bulgarian for air base or aviation base ) use
2440-647: The RAF (like the air forces of most other Commonwealth countries), a group is made up of several stations or wings, each of which typically controls two or more squadrons, so that a group normally includes six to 10 squadrons. When the ranks of the RAF were designed, an officer with the rank of group captain (equivalent to colonel and naval captain) commanded such a unit, although by the time of World War II, many groups were commanded by air commodores (equivalent to brigadiers/brigadier generals and commodores) or air vice-marshals (equivalent to major generals and rear admirals). Several RAF stations (air bases) are controlled by
2501-1028: The US in the building of their modern air forces also use the term wing . Several such examples are the Republic of Korea Air Force , the Japan Air Self-Defense Force , the Royal Thai Air Force , the Philippine Air Force , the Peruvian Air Force , the Venezuelan Air Force , the Ecuadorian Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force . A wing may also be used for non-flying units, such as the infantry forces of
Group (military unit) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2562-539: The command of a flag officer at the OF6 (US pay grade O-7) level. In the United States Army Aviation Branch , a group is a term that has, historically, been used interchangeably with combat aviation brigade or air division . A CSG usually consists of one aircraft carrier with an embarked carrier air wing, one or two guided missile cruisers, a destroyer squadron of two or three guided missile destroyers, one or two attack submarines, and
2623-572: The commanding officers of the bases they were assigned to, they also serve as formation commanders to all squadrons and units duly assigned to them by 1 Canadian Air Division or 2 Canadian Air Division (regardless if they are physically located on the base in question or elsewhere; as witness 12 Wing in Nova Scotia, which has one unit, 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron , based at Patricia Bay near CFB Esquimalt in British Columbia, on
2684-487: The grade of OF-5 (US pay grade O-6), i.e., a full colonel. Wings are also usually commanded by officers in the grade of OF-5, but these are typically more senior colonels by virtue of time in grade and/or date of rank. Some USAF wings are also commanded by officers in the grade of OF-6 (US pay grade O-7), i.e., a brigadier general. In the United States Marine Corps , a Marine Aircraft Group (MAG), Marine Air Control Group (MACG) or Marine Aviation Training Support Group (MATSG)
2745-528: The late 1980s, the doctrinal Canadian Army division organized manoeuvre forces into brigades while division level combat support and combat service support was organized into groups. The doctrinal division would have had an artillery group, an engineer group, and a support group. Present day Canadian Army divisions each contain a division support group commanded by a colonel. In the United States Army, certain non-aviation formations (e.g., currently
2806-466: The level of command responsibility and the seniority of naval captains (the equivalent Royal Navy rank). By World War II, the groupes of the French Armée de l'Air usually comprised two escadrilles (but sometimes only one, or as many as four). French groupes were the equivalent of U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC)/ U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) groups (analogous to RAF wings), while a groupement
2867-481: The modern history of the British Army , especially post- Second World War . For instance, following the radical 1966 Defence White Paper , several signal groups were formed, such as the 1st Signal Group, 2nd Signal Group (Static Communications Network), and 3rd Signal Group. These formations were all commanded by a Colonel . Since 2012, several colonel sized groups have been formed, including: 7th Air Defence Group and 29th Pre-Hospital Divisional Medical Group. By
2928-402: The numerical designation of the wing came from the combat group that preceded it and became an integral part of the post-World War II wing. In other words, when the 14th Fighter Wing (later, 14th Flying Training Wing ) came into existence, it received the 14th numerical designation from the 14th Fighter Group, which had already existed for several years and became the wing's combat component. At
2989-411: The operational wing structure. Many mission support functions on these installations, such as personnel support and medical/dental facilities, are also independent of both the air wing and air station command structures and are independent tenant commands with their own commanding officers or officers-in-charge. The United States Space Force has a single command echelon known as a delta which combines
3050-403: The original pre-unification Royal Canadian Air Force followed the British pattern and used squadrons, which belonged to wings, which in turn belonged to groups, the modern Royal Canadian Air Force has eliminated groups. Squadrons still report to wings which now report to one of two air divisions. Wings vary greatly in size and may comprise personnel numbering in the hundreds or thousands. In
3111-562: The other USN aviation organizations will also report to similar rank flag officers, e.g., patrol & reconnaissance wing commodores reporting to the commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group (COMPATRECONGRU); training air wing commodores reporting to the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA); tactical air control group commodore reporting to an expeditionary strike group (ESG) commander, etc. A patrol and reconnaissance group (PATRECONGRU) consists of two or more patrol and reconnaissance wings under
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#17327648877343172-403: The other side of the country from Shearwater). By comparison, in the United States Air Force , a wing is normally the organizational tier below a Numbered Air Force . Most USAF wings are commanded by a colonel , but some are commanded by brigadier generals . USAF wings are structured to fulfill a mission from a specific base, and contain a headquarters and four groups: an operations group,
3233-483: The same functions and responsibilities as a like-type wing but its scope and size do not warrant wing-level designation and associated overhead costs." A group requires at least 400 personnel, while a wing requires at least 1,000. A fighter wing, for example, is normally composed of dependent groups: an operations group of typically three flying squadrons and an operations support squadron and a maintenance group with aircraft, equipment, and component maintenance squadrons and
3294-447: The same time, the other component establishments, and units of these establishments, also received the 14th numerical designations, aligning each of them directly to the 14th Wing. However, the tactical squadrons of the combat group retained their separate and distinct numerical designations. The Air Force has three basic types of wings: operational, air base, and specialized mission. According to Air Force Instruction 38-101 (1994): In
3355-417: The tactical air control group. This entity uses "group" in lieu of "wing" as a legacy title and is also an OF 5 (US pay grade O-6) captain command analogous to a USMC Marine Aircraft Group, Marine Air Control Group, or USAF wing in which the incumbent senior officer also utilizes the title of "commodore" while in command. The immediate superior of a carrier air wing commander (CAG) is the flag officer who
3416-586: The term air base for their main formations. These air bases are brigade -equivalents commanded by brigadier generals unlike the air wings of other NATO members, which are regiment -equivalents commanded by colonels . The Royal Netherlands Air Force ( vliegbasis , Dutch for aviation base or air base ), the Portuguese Air Force ( base aérea ), the Czech Air Force ( základna letectva , Czech for air base or aviation base ) and
3477-528: The term "wing" was re-used for these new organizational units. The Royal Flying Corps was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service in 1918, creating the Royal Air Force . The RFC usage of wing was maintained in the new service. In most Commonwealth air forces, as well as some others, a wing is usually made up of three or four squadrons . In these air forces a wing is inferior to a group. Originally all wings were usually commanded by
3538-625: The war. Modern wings began with a service test of combat wings in 1947-1948. These wings were temporary Table of Distribution (T/D) organizations, each having a combat group (the only Table of Organization establishment of the wings), an airdrome group, a maintenance and supply group, and a station medical group. At the end of the service test, the Air Force implemented the Hobson Plan and replaced these T/D wings with permanent Table of Organization and Equipment ( constituted ) combat wings having
3599-726: The wing and group echelons found in air forces. In other languages, equivalent air force units equivalent to a US wing include: Geschwader in the German Luftwaffe ; Aviatsionniy Polk ( Aviation Regiment ) in Russia; Stormo in Italy; and escadre or régiment in the French Air Force . ( Escadre is also the official Canadian French translation of wing in the Canadian Forces .) The French Escadre and
3660-536: Was composed of three Gruppen . By the time of World War II , some Commonwealth air force groups were commanded by air commodores (equivalent to brigadiers / brigadier generals and commodores ) or even air vice-marshals (equivalent to major generals and rear admirals ). They were somewhat analogous to a USAAF numbered air force (led by a brigadier general ), with 200 to 400 aircraft. From 1943 to 1945, RAF Bomber Command groups were composed of several stations (air bases) and were analogous to USAAF wings. In
3721-648: Was the equivalent of a RAF group (USAAC/USAAF wing). For example, in May 1940 the Groupe de Bombardement I/31 , a bomber unit, was operationally part of Groupement de Bombardement 6 . In the German Luftwaffe , the principal unit of action was the Gruppe (plural Gruppen ); the equivalent of a French or USAAC/USAAF group. Gruppen were part of a Geschwader (equivalent to a USAAC/USAAF wing or an RAF group) and
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