No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group | |
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Active |
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Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Air Force |
Type | Operational headquarters |
Part of | RAF Air Command |
Home station | Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar |
Motto(s) | A Deux Plus Forts (French for 'Two heads are better than one')[1] |
Commanders | |
CO of 83 EAG and Deputy Air Component Commander, Middle East | Group Captain Bishop |
No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group is a group within the Royal Air Force, currently based at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Originally formed in 1943, during the Second World War it formed part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force (2TAF) and was known as No. 83 (Composite) Group. It provided support to Allied forces during the liberation of Europe. After being disbanded in 1946 it was re-established as No. 83 Group in 1952 to lead the 2TAF's units in Germany, until it disbanded again in 1958.
On 1 April 2006 it was reformed as No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group Headquarters, to lead UK air operations in the Middle East. Activities include Operations Kipion (the UK's maritime presence in the Middle East) and Operation Shader (the UK's part of the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)).