This is a list of Fleet Air Arm groups of the Royal Navy, that were either formed or planned. There were two types of groups: there were Carrier Air Groups that administered squadrons which operated on aircraft carriers, and there were Training Air Groups which administered squadrons that operated from airbases.
The Fleet Air Arm squadrons, embarked on the Fleet and Light Fleet aircraft carriers, were placed into Air Groups to align with US Navy policy, once World War II in Europe had ended, to support operations in the Pacific War against the Japanese, in 1945. They were designed with 100% spare groups for Fleet carriers, and 50% spare groups for Light Fleet carriers.[1]
The carrier air groups were divided up based on the aircraft carrier class and using a standardised strength approach of Fleet Air Arm squadrons and aircraft type. Nine of the twenty two groups planned formed up on the 30 June 1945 based on available squadrons, however, one formed as a spare in August 1945, and a number did form post-World War II, or were reactivated at a later date.[2]
During World War II the creation of a 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Carrier Air Group also was planned. The surrender of Japan rendered these new carrier air groups unnecessary, and they were never formed.[2] However, the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st were formed post-war, with 18 and 19 allocated to the Royal Canadian Navy, and 21 a Royal Australian Navy Air Group[5]