- Group (air force)
Group is a term used by different
air force s for an element ofmilitary organization . The size of a group varies considerably between different countries. The terms group and wing are used differently in different air forces and this can cause confusion.In the
Royal Air Force (RAF) and most other Commonwealth air forces, a group is usually a formation of several wings, which in turn control two or moresquadron s.At the present time, groups control stations, although expeditionary air groups control expeditionary air wings directly. Groups are directly subordinate to a command (or, historically, to a
tactical air force ).When the RAF was formed, an officer with the rank of
Group Captain (equivalent toColonel ) commanded such a unit, although they have been commanded byAir Vice-Marshal s since before the Second World War.By contrast, in the French "
Armée de l'Air ", a "groupe" may comprise only onesquadron ("escadron"). Similarly, In theUnited States Air Force and theUnited States Marine Corps , a group is aformation consisting of as few as two squadrons. Two or more groups form a wing.Therefore a British group is equivalent to a US wing, which is in turn equivalent to an army
regiment , whereas one step down the nomenclature, a British wing is equivalent to a US group.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.