Originally the air wing was called an air group and had a name, not a number; the air group title was based upon the carrier it was assigned to. For instance, an air group on CV-3 USS Saratoga would have simply been called the "Saratoga Air Group". In 1942, air groups lost the carrier name and began to be numbered.

The number given to each air group came from the hull number of the carrier to which it was assigned. i.e. CAG-3 for the "Saratoga Air Group" on CV-3 USS Saratoga, CAG-14 for the "Ticonderoga Air Group" on CV-14 USS Ticonderoga, etc. It is from this original term for the air wing that the term “CAG” comes from for the commanding officer (it literally meaning “Commander Air Group”) of an air wing of today. The CAG is typically an O-6 Captain and experienced naval aviator who, when embarked, reports to the Rear Admiral in command of the strike group.

This numbering scheme remained in use until late 1948 when all CAGs (the air groups, not the commanding officers) were renamed as CVGs and as they started to move from carrier to carrier, they lost the relationship to the carrier hull number. As an example of the new naming scheme, in 1951, CV-9 USS Essex deployed on a WESTPAC cruise not with CVG-9 but CVG-5 as her airwing.

There are currently ten CVWs (five on the east coast and five on the west; although one of the west coast airwings is permanently forward deployed to Japan) and one Tactical Support Wing. A modern CVW, more capable and packing more punch than many air forces, has roughly 2,500 personnel and consists of roughly 60-65 aircraft from up to nine front line squadrons.

A modern Air Wing consists of the following:

Squadron	Aircraft	Typical role
VFA	12x F/A-18E/F Super Hornet	Strike fighter Air wing tanker
VFA	12x F/A-18E/F Super Hornet	Strike fighter Air wing tanker
VFA	10x F/A-18A+/C Hornet	Strike fighter
VFA	10x F/A-18A+/C Hornet	Strike fighter
VAQ	4x EA-6B Prowler or 5x EA-18G Growler	Tactical electronic warfare SEAD
VAW	4x E-2C Hawkeye	Airborne early warning
HSC	6x MH-60S Knighthawk	SAR / CSAR Logistics (VERTREP)
HSM	6x MH-60R Seahawk	ASW / ASuW
VRC Det	2x C-2A Greyhound	Logistics support

A CVW is literally a self contained air force that can handle threats at sea, in the air and on the ground by night and day and in all sorts of weather. Multi-element strike packages can fight their way in, hit their targets with the latest in precision munitions, fight their way out and all the while have electronic support to suppress enemy defences whilst helicopters stand ready for SAR. Other embarked helicopters could also be conducting maritime security operations such as providing a means to stop and/or board a suspect vessel. Air wing tankers (F/A-18E/F) don’t have the high offload ability or range of the “big wing” tankers such as KC-135s so hang around the carrier to allow returning aircraft that have to go around or that have 'bolted' (missed a wire) the opportunity to take on board much needed fuel to get back home.

Whilst most aircraft carry small air wing emblems somewhere about their fuselage or tails, it is the tailcodes that clearly identify the air wing with the first letter designating which coast the air wing hails from. An 'A' prefix, i.e. AC, signifies East Coast (air wing headquarters at NAS Oceana, VA) and an 'N' prefix, i.e. NG, signifies West Coast (air wing headquarters at NAS Lemoore, CA). All active fleet EA-6Bs and EA-18Gs, be they assigned to an east or west coast air wing, call NAS Whidbey Island, Washington their home.

Some of the many Air Wing personnel work on the flightdeck to ensure smooth running of flight operations and have clearly defined roles to play. To determine, at a glance, what each person's role is, they wear colour coded uniforms which conform to fleet wide regulations.