Wing ( military aviation unit ) Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command . The terms wing , group or are used for different - sized units from one country or service to another . In some military aviation services , a wing is a relatively large formation of two or more groups , which in turn control two or more squadrons . In other contexts a wing is a smaller unit , comprising two to four squadrons , with several wings forming a group . For example , In the United States Air Force , a wing is equivalent to a group in the air forces of most Commonwealth countries ( although the Canadian Forces are an exception ; see below ) and both are equivalent to an army regiment , and a USAF group is equivalent to a wing in most Commonwealth air forces . Commonwealth usage . Origins . On its establishment in 1912 , the British Royal Flying Corps ( RFC ) was intended to be an inter - service , combined force of 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 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 ; 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 . Current use . 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 a wing commander ( equivalent to a lieutenant colonel ) . From World War II onwards , operational flying wings have usually been commanded by group captain s ( equivalent to colonel s ) , whereas ground - based wings have continued to be commanded by wing commanders . A wing may also be used for non - flying units , such as the infantry forces of the RAF Regiment , ( in which a wing equates to a battalion ) . Additionally , RAF station s are administratively divided into wings . In 2006 , expeditionary air wing s 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 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 regard , 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 . Canadian usage . While the original pre - unification Royal Canadian Air Force followed the British pattern , the modern Royal Canadian Air Force is an example of a Commonwealth air force which does not follow British usage . The size of a wing ( base ) follows US usage ( see below ) ; it varies greatly and may comprise personnel numbering in the thousands . In 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 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 CDN AIR DIV HQ and AIRCOM HQ ( 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 the other side of the country from Shearwater ) . United States Air Force usage . 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 General s . USAF wings structured to fulfill a mission from a specific base , and contain a headquarters and four groups : an operations group , 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 Wing s , 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 , division , command , air force ) is an " establishment " , while that of a squadron and lower ( squadron , flight , detachment ) 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 very large administrative and operational organizations that usually controlled several combat groups and numerous service organizations , often located at widely scattered locations . Many of the World War II wings were redesignated as air divisions after the war . Modern wings , as we know them , began their existence 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 . In 1948 , at the end of the service test , HQ USAF replaced these T / D wings with permanent Table of Organization and Equipment ( " constituted " ) combat wings having a combat group , an air base group , 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 , 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 a number of years and which became the wing ’ s combat component . At 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 . The tactical squadrons of the combat group , however , 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 ) : Other U . S . services . The United States Navy follows 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 may be combined into a group . For example the Patrol and Reconnaissance Group ( CPRG ) is in command of the three Patrol and Reconnaissance Wings ( CPRW ) , which in turn command the various Patrol Squadron s ( VP ) or Fleet Reconnaissance Squadrons ( VQ ) . A Carrier Air Wing ( CVW , formerly known as a Carrier Air Group ) consists of several squadrons and is an operational formation that is based on an aircraft carrier . The squadrons of a CVW are also assigned to an administrative type wings ( such as Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic ) . Navy groups are commanded by Rear Admiral s ( Lower Half ) and wings are commanded by Captains . In the United States Marine Corps , a wing is an overall command consisting of at least two Marine Aircraft Groups and their subordinate squadrons and support units . Being equivalent to a division in size , its commander is usually a Major General . In 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 , which are the basic operational unit of the organization . Some wings , for example Delaware Wing have only one group due to the small size of the wing . Equivalents in other countries . Most other Western air forces tend to follow the USAF nomenclature , with squadrons coming directly under groups . Immediately above this however , some air forces have foreign terms which are equivalent to a US " wing " . For example : " Geschwader " in the German Luftwaffe ; " Polk " ( Regiment ) in Russia , see Aviation Regiment ; " Stormo " in Italy ; and " escadre " in pre - World War II French Air Force , which is also the official French translation of a wing in modern - day Canadian Forces . German usage . The World War II German Luftwaffe used " Geschwader , Gruppe , Staffel " similar to " wing , group , squadron " of the United States Army Air Forces of the same era .