380th Air Expeditionary Wing
 | |
|---|---|
 A mechanic of the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron working on one of the wing's KC-135 Stratotankers | |
| Active | 1942–1946 1947–1951 1955–1995 2002–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Expeditionary air operations |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates |
| Nickname(s) | "The Flying Circus" and "King of the Heavies" |
| Motto(s) | "Strength and Confidence" |
| Engagements |
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| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brig Gen Andrew Clark |
| Insignia | |
| 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Emblem |  |
The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing (380 AEW) is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is attached to the United States Air Forces Central Command component of ACC and is stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.[1]
About 1,200 active duty military members, Reserve, and Air National Guard personnel make up the Wing. Aircraft assigned: McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extenders, Lockheed U-2 Dragon Ladies, Boeing E-3 Sentry (AWACS) and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. Its mission is aerial refueling and reconnaissance.
The Wing's origins date to 1942 when the 380th Bombardment Group was established. It operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force.
Active for over 40 years, the 380th Bombardment Wing was a component organization of Strategic Air Command's deterrent force during the Cold War, as a strategic bombardment wing.
- ^ Globalsecurity.org, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, accessed July 2009