- Vigil category device · not official insignia
Identity provenance
Vigil category device — drawn from this record’s own domain, echelon and role. Not an official insignia.
In brief
The air expeditionary wing at Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates — the base from which American fighters, early-warning and reconnaissance aircraft operate over the Gulf, and the organisational form of the Emirati basing relationship in the most heavily attacked state in the region.
- Scope
- Structure, role, lineage and links. No subordinate records published.
- Subordination
- Subordination confirmed
- Sources
- 2 on the record
- Record state
- Partial
Broad area of activity
Al Dhafra air base, United Arab Emirates
Notable history
Al Dhafra is the American air force's fighter and surveillance base in the Gulf, shared with the Emirati air force, and the 380th is the wing that operates it. It has hosted every generation of American fighter deployed to the region and the early-warning and reconnaissance aircraft that watch the Gulf, and it sits in the state that received roughly half of all Iranian launches at the Gulf between February and May 2026. That makes it the wing whose host relationship has been tested hardest. What it flies and in what numbers is not recorded here.
Strengths
Co-location with the Gulf's most capable Arab air force, and a position on the lower Gulf from which the strait is close.
Limitations
The same proximity, on the territory of the most heavily attacked state. No aircraft, numbers, sortie rates or posture are recorded, and the wing's presence implies no commitment to the Emirates beyond the agreements themselves.
Assessed as of2026-09Last reviewed2026-09-09
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