This is achieved by fulfilling roles such as:
· Maritime Surveillance,
· Border Control Missions,
· Search and Rescue
on land and at sea,
· Maritime Law Enforcement and Interdiction,
· MEDEVAC (Medical Evacuation),
· CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation),
· VIP & military conveyances,
· Reconnaissance, including Aerial photography & filming,
· Security escort overwatch,
· Transportation and quick deployment of troops,
· Other military activities including limited fire
support.
Headquarters Squadron
The Headquarters Squadron provides
logistical and service support to the other sub-units of the AFM Air Wing, MQR.
The HQ Squadron, apart from its own dedicated
Squadron HQ, is further sub-divided into five sub-sections:
i.
Quartermaster (Logistics & Procurement) Section
ii.
Wing Armoury
iii. Canteen Section
iv. Motor Transport Section
v. Base Maintenance Section
Although
the smallest sub-unit of the Wing, HQ Squadron is responsible for providing day-to-day
routine support such as transport for
all Unit jobs, logistics procurement, and other administration required for the Unit's daily duties and
commitments. The Quartermaster
(Logistics & Procurement) Section is tasked with processing all requisition orders required
by the Unit including stocking up of all aircraft spare parts and consumable stores. The Wing Armoury stores all Air Wing firearms including any
aircraft-mountable weaponry systems and provides First-Line Maintenance. The
Canteen personnel ensure that all members have access to a hot meal during the
long hours on base during their respective duty rota. The Motor Transport
Section sees to maintaining and providing transport for all the Unit as
required. Like every other base in the AFM, daily barracks conservation and
repairs are required to ensure adequate upkeep, which is taken care of by the
Base Maintenance Section.
Operations Squadron
This is the operative element of
the Unit, which fulfils the function of Air Wing and is divided into four sub
sections, in addition to its own
Squadron HQ and Flight Records, as follows:
i.
Fixed Wing Section
Handles all fixed wing
(aeroplane) operations which include, but not limited to, coastal and offshore
patrolling, surveillance operations, sighting and reporting of irregular
migration at sea and interdiction, fisheries patrols, VIP conveyances and
several other varied flight duties as tasked
i.
Rotary Wing Section
Handles all rotary wing
(helicopter) operations, ranging from coastal and offshore patrolling, Maritime
Interdiction Operations and Law Enforcement, offshore casualty evacuation,
Search and Rescue, as well as air ambulance service if required. Rotary Wing Section
performs other roles such as support to troops on the ground and conveyances of
personnel, whilst also being able to provide assistance to other government
entities as required, such as VIP conveyances.
i.
Helicopter
Rescue Swimmers Section
The
Helicopter Rescue Swimmers Section comprises
of highly motivated soldiers and airmen, capable of performing all kinds of
rescues on land or out at sea mainly
deploying from one of the Rotary Wing assets, hence the aptly named section.
Each rescuer is qualified in advanced first aid, lifesaving techniques, and other specialist skills such as working at heights and rope access,
which ensures a high-level service to any persons in distress. A high level of physical
fitness and mental resilience is required to be a part of such a dedicated
section of specialised soldiers.
i.
Air Operator
Section
The Air Operator Section comprises
of soldiers who are formed into
airmen and specialise in ISTAR
(Intelligence, Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) Operations
on both Fixed and Rotary Wing assets enabling them to maximise the sensor
equipment on the respective aircraft. The Air Operators are responsible for the
conduct of all Cabin Operations on-board all the aircraft that the Air Wing
fleet encompasses, including the setting
up of and the use of firearms from the assets when limited fire support is
required.
Support Squadron
Support Squadron provides technical support for all AFM
aircraft on inventory to ensure readiness to be scrambled at a moment's
notice. The Support Squadron is the largest sub-unit within the Wing,
and maintains the Unit’s aircraft types, special tools, and necessary ancillary
equipment as needed.
The Support Squadron, apart from its own Suquadron HQ, is further sub-divided into five
sub-sections:
i. Airframes & Engineering Section
ii.
Avionics Section
iii. Aircraft Publications & Documentation
iv. Ground Crew
v. Hangars Area Maintenance & Spray Workshop
Maintenance schedules and
procedures are strictly adhered to, so as to ensure a safe flight environment
especially during ad-hoc situations and emergency missions. Varying
levels of maintenance work is routinely carried out ranging from relatively
simple line inspections to aircraft and engine overhauls, and refurbishment.
The Aircraft Engineers and Technicians perform daily scheduled or unscheduled pre-flight
inspections and modifications, to rectify any faults, if any. Technically
inclined soldiers are then specialised
in either a specific Fixed Wing or Rotary Wing aircraft type due to the immense
workload and responsibility that befalls this Section. Some engineers and technicians also form part of flight crews to carry
out visual checks in flight, and few are certified to operate sophisticated
equipment on board such as hoist operations on helicopters on actual operations
should the need arise.

The Avionics Section employs
technical personnel that maintain all aircraft electronic systems onboard. With
the huge advancements in technology especially in the aviation world, it goes
without saying the immense dedication this section entails to ensure that all
aircraft with all their complexities are updated and ready to deploy as per the
required parameters and criteria. Whilst most of the downtime is scheduled, the
technical expertise of this section is consistently called upon to have the job
completed as soon as possible.
The Ground Crew Section consists of personnel that are responsible for preparing all aircraft and ancillary equipment
handling on the ground, emergency firefighting, aircraft marshalling, aircraft
towing, aircraft refuelling, and other essential line duties. The Duty Crew
Chief oversees all apron movements to ensure safety and efficiency.
The Aircraft Documentation Office
keeps track of aircraft airworthiness and availability and prepares the
Aircraft Daily State, in addition to updating the maintenance aircraft manuals and
virtual libraries. Airworthiness Directives and Service Bulletins are tracked
and archived as they become available from various local and overseas aviation
authorities, manufacturers, and administrations. All these documents help
create the definitive maintenance schedules that must be strictly adhered to in
order to ensure a safe flight environment. The office staff track the acquisition
of technical manuals and revisions,
and prepare the necessary 'Certificate of Airworthiness' inspections of
all aircraft. All aircraft documents
are signed off by the Chief Engineering Officer who oversees this process.
AIR WING NATIONAL AWARD
On 13 December 2013, the Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta was awarded the 'Midalja Ghal Qadi tar-Repubblika' (MQR) service medal by H.E. Dr George Abela President of Malta.
This was the second time that an AFM Regiment was decorated with this honour in the history of the Armed Forces of Malta.