No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing

No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing Royal Air Force is an Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force. It is currently based at RAF Akrotiri within the Sovereign Base Area on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, and is tasked with conducting operations against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq and Syria.
903 EAW was activated during 2003 in its current form as part of a modernisation directive to make the Royal Air Force more deployable on an 'expeditionary' basis. It was previously stationed at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, controlling RAF operations at the airbase there between Summer 2009 and November 2014. It used to report to No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF.

History

903 Wing RAF was active from to 31 October 1945 as a tactical wing, part of No. 224 Group RAF, Third Tactical Air Force. It was formed at Chittagong Airfield from Royal Air Force HQ Patenga. In December 1944, it was temporarily at Comilla with No. 67 Squadron RAF ;
In May 1945, 903 Wing provided close support to ground forces as they recaptured Rangoon before being redeployed to attack concentrations of Japanese forces remaining in Burma. On 12 September, No. 903 Wing was stationed at Kallang, the old civil airport of Singapore City when Lord Louis Mountbatten accepted the formal surrender of all Japanese forces in south-east Asia. It included No. 31 Squadron RAF. On, No 903 Wing was disbanded, becoming Station Headquarters Kallang.

903 Wing was re-commissioned into service during 2003, and sent to Contingency Operating Base Basra as part of Operation Telic.
The wing stayed at Basra until May 2009.

During mid-2009, the 903 Wing was moved to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick, subsequently forming as an Expeditionary Air Wing. It then consisted of:

It also supported the following:

Camp Bastion was transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces when the United Kingdom withdrew from Afghanistan, and 903 EAW was stood down in.

In, the 903 EAW reformed at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to replace No. 140 EAW as part of Operation Shader. It consists of:

Royal Air Force aircraft have been using RAF Akrotiri as their home airbase whilst carrying out these operations. In February 2019, the Tornado GR4 force returned to RAF Marham for the types' retirement from service. The Tornado role in theatre is being undertaken by the Typhoon FGR4 detachment. Sentry AEW1 airborne early warning and control aircraft from No. 8 Squadron were previously employed on operations. However, the aircraft was withdrawn from RAF service in 2021. The previously employed Sentinel R1 ISTAR aircraft from No. V(AC) Squadron was similarly retired in March 2021. In October 2025, two Protector UAVs were reported deployed at RAF Akrotiri it was the first known international deployment of the type by the RAF.

In early 2024, in response to attacks launched against international maritime shipping by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 combat aircraft, supported by Voyager KC2/KC3 tanker aircraft, carried out strikes against Houthi forces. Four Cyprus-based Typhoons, carrying Paveway IV laser-guided bombs, and two Voyager aircraft were employed in the strikes.