Australian Army Aviation | |
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Active | 1968 – present |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Australian Army |
Type | Army aviation |
Motto(s) | Vigilance |
Colors | ![]() |
Insignia | |
Roundel | ![]() |
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Australian Army Aviation (AAAvn) is a corps of the Australian Army. It was formed on 1 July 1968. The motto of the Australian Army Aviation corps is Vigilance.
In August 2018, the Corps consisted of 140 aircraft, 1495 uniformed personnel and over 3000 personnel engaged in industry support. [1]
The Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers trains aeronautical engineers, structural fitters, technicians, life support staff and avionics technicians, while the Royal Australian Corps of Transport trains and provides air dispatchers and drivers. As with many other Army units, a wide range of qualified personnel fill roles within the regiments.
Members of the Aviation Corps are entitled to wear a sky blue beret with the Corps or Regiment badge. Members of other corps posted to AAAvn units wear the sky blue beret with their parent corps badge.
The Australian Army Aviation Corps provides aviation reconnaissance, firepower support, air mobility, battlefield support and surveillance, in a combined, joint or interagency environment. [2] AAAvn primarily accomplishes this through mission-specific organisations such as task forces and battle groups where support is provided to the Army's combat brigades.
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The Corps was formed on 1 July 1968 with a strength of 106 officer pilots and one Non-Commissioned Officer, [3] [1] however the history of Australian military and Army aviation far predates the establishment of the Corps.
The earliest known Australian military aviation flights were made by a Royal Engineer Balloon Section at the Sydney Agricultural Ground on 7–8 January 1901. In late 1910, a plan for an Australian Aviation Corps was submitted to the Military Board. Final approval to establish the Australian Flying Corps was promulgated in Military Order No.570 on 22 October 1912, with orders placed for two B.E.2a, two Deperdussin and a Bristol Boxkite to equip the new air arm. [4]
Australian Army Aviation traces its origins back to the Australian Flying Corps (AFC). The Australian Flying Corps was a branch of the Australian Army (then Australian Imperial Force). [5] It was established as a result of the British Empire's call for aviation to be developed in the Empire's armed forces.
In 1914, the Central Flying School was established at Point Cook. Initially, the school consisted of two instructors and five aircraft. From this, Australia became the only British dominion to establish a flying corps for service during World War I. [6] The four line squadrons served under the Royal Flying Corps. [7]
The Australian Flying Corps saw action in Mesopotamia, Sinai, Palestine and on the Western Front. [6] By the end of the war, operations were regular on the Western Front, with pilots providing direct support to the ground battle. For example, on 21 September 1918 a combined air patrol consisting of No. 1 Squadron (AFC) and British bombers discovered the main Turkish advance and inflicted heavy losses. [6]
The Australian Flying Corps remained operational until 1919, when it was disbanded along with the First Australian Imperial Force. Although the Central Flying School continued to operate at Point Cook, military flying virtually ceased until 1920, when the Australian Air Corps (AAC) was formed. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was formed on 31 March 1921. [5]
After the RAAF was formed, military aviation was no longer a function of the Australian Imperial Force.
Forties and Fifties. The early history of Australian Army aviation has traditional links with the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). From the formation of modern Army aviation in the late 1950s and early 1960s aircrew were drawn from arms and services across the Army, supplemented by the RAAF in key positions. [8]
No. 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron was formed on 1 December 1960 as a joint Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force unit at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. [9] The Squadron was established to support Army activities and train Army pilots. [10] It consisted of Cessna 180 aircraft and Bell 47G3B-1 helicopters. [11]
In June 1965, 161 Reconnaissance Flight (161 Recce Flight) was also raised at Amberley. On 13 September 1965, the Flight deployed with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) into Vung Tau. The Flight deployed initially with two Cessna 180s and two Sioux. The combined force was called the 1 RAR Group [10] and was under operational control of the United States' 3rd Artillery Battalion of the 319th Artillery. The Flight moved to the newly established Luscombe Army Airfield at Nui Dat on 22 Mar 1967. [10] Later, the flight was strengthened to four Cessna 180s and six Sioux. [11]
16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron became the 1st Divisional Army Aviation Regiment on 26 April 1966 and was re-designated the 1st Aviation Regiment on 31 March 1967. [12] [13]
On 1 July 1968, the Corps was formed. [1]
On 29 November 1969, Three Pilatus Porters were added to the Flight which was still on service in South Vietnam. [10] In 1971, pilot training was commenced at Vung Tau by the 5th Aviation Detachment, US Army onto the OH58A Kiowa. Eight Kiowa were later delivered on 24 July 1971. [10] 161 Recce Flight departed Vietnam on 7 March 1972 and was the last 1st Australian Task Force unit to leave Vietnam. [10]
The Corps has seen service on a variety of operations since its creation:
The Corps consists of three operational regiments under the command of the 16th Aviation Brigade. The Brigade currently consists of: [14]
The Corps manages four primary employment streams:
The design of the colour patch of the Australian Army Aviation Corps is based on the patch of the original Australian Army Flying Corps, from which the Aviation Corps was born. The three Aviation regiments have individual colour patches utilising the Corps patch. 1st Aviation Regiment's patch features a black rectangle in the centre of the Corps patch, 5th Aviation Regiment's patch features a black diamond in the centre, and 6th Aviation Regiment's patch includes a black oval. [15] [16]
Since November 2009 the Army's air assets are composed exclusively of rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operating Australian Defence Force's fixed-wing fleet. A limited number of fixed-wing aircraft were used by Aviation Corps, mostly in a surveillance role. A ceremony was held at RAAF Base Townsville on 20 November 2009 to transfer the last three fixed-wing aircraft from the Army to the RAAF. [17]
The MRH 90 Taipan (Multi Role Helicopter 90, an Australian variant of the NHI NH90). The aircraft are designed for use in a troop-lift role. [18] The first test flight of an MRH-90 was conducted at Eurocopter's flight test centre in Marignane, France on 28 March 2007. The first 13 of the total of 47 helicopters were delivered when the remaining aircraft were suspended until issues had been resolved. [19] The MRH-90 was listed as a Project of Concern by the Australian Government on 28 November 2011 due to operational capability concerns. [20] The first four were built in the main plant in France, the remainder built in Brisbane by Australian Aerospace. The MRH-90 was chosen ahead of the UH-60M Black Hawk. This decision was primarily made due to the ADF preferring the Black Hawk, but indicating both airframes could accomplish the missions required. The Government of the time therefore saw both aircraft as capable, but Airbus offered jobs and industrial knowledge by offering a production line in SW Queensland which Sikorsky did not. [21] The MRH 90 Taipan is in service with the 5th and 6th Aviation Regiment. There are, however, significant difficulties with the MRH 90 Taipan in the Special Operations role, which is the remit of 6th Aviation Regiment. This includes an inability to provide covering fire to deployed troops while roping or rappelling from the airframe. In December 2021, the government announced that they would be replacing the Taipan. [22]
The Tiger ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) was designed to provide significant reconnaissance and fire support in a combined arms team and is equipped with Hellfire missiles, 70 mm rockets and cannons. [23] 22 Tigers will be delivered to the Army under the AIR 87 Project, built at the Australian Aerospace Brisbane facility. [24] The Tiger ARH achieved Final Operational Capability on 14 April 2016 originally planned for June 2009 and is in service with the 1st Aviation Regiment. [25] The Tiger will be replaced by the Apache helicopter. [26]
The S-70A-9 Black Hawk is operated by the 171st Aviation Squadron in the 6th Aviation Regiment. Its role is to provide support to Special Operations Command. The Black Hawks were manufactured in Australia by Hawker de Havilland, under licence from Sikorsky. As of 2015, 34 are in service. [27]
The CH-47D Chinook is operated by C Squadron, 5 Aviation Regiment. C Squadron was raised on the Army order of battle in June 1995, on the return of the Chinooks to Australia after re-manufacture by Boeing USA. The Chinooks' primary role is logistic and battlefield support. They can also be used in the troop-lift role. The current fleet of seven CH-47Ds have been replaced by 7 new CH-47Fs, the first of which was delivered in May 2015. [28]
The EC135 T2+ is operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Boeing Defence Australia at 723 Squadron, HMAS Albatross. [29] [30] The EC135 is a twin-engine light utility helicopter used primarily for aircrew training but has been deployed on operations. [31] All new Army Aviation aircrew are trained on the EC135.
Army Aviation operated fixed-wing aircraft for a period of almost 50 years, from taking delivery of Cessna 180s in 1961 until 20 November 2009. 173rd Surveillance Squadron, based at Oakey, was the last operator of fixed-wing aircraft, using three Beechcraft B300 King Air 350s in Command and Control, Surveillance, and Transport roles. Other aircraft types operated were the Pilatus Porter, the GAF Nomad and the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter. [17] [32]
The Bell 206B-1 Kiowa (1972-2019) was primarily employed for airborne observation and flying training. [33] It was also utilised for the command and control of tactical aircraft, such as the F/A-18 and F-111. They often worked closely with artillery and armoured cavalry units. The Kiowa was replaced in 2018 by the Eurocopter EC135 under HATS.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(June 2020) |
Aircrew within Australian Army Aviation consist of officers and soldiers filling the roles of pilots and load-masters respectively. Load-masters are known as aircrewmen within the Army. Aircrew are selected via a screening process. For pilots, screening begins either prior to entry to the Australian Defence Force Academy, or during initial training at the Royal Military College - Duntroon (RMC-D). Pilots are occasionally selected from other Corps of the Army through the same selection process.
Historically, pilots were able to enter under the Specialist Service Officer scheme (SSO) where the Army rapidly trains and employs specialist officers. In 2018, this scheme was closed to pilots.[ citation needed ]
For aircrewmen, selection is restricted to in-service candidates who meet the selection criteria.
Pilots begin their employment training at the No.1 Flying Training School on the Pilatus PC-21. After successful completion, pilots are transitioned to rotary wing training at 723 Squadron, HMAS Albatross on the EC135. Pilots attain their category ("wings") and are then streamed for their respective operational conversion courses. These are typically run at the Army Aviation Training Centre. Once complete, pilots complete their Regimental Officer's Basic Course. The entire training continuum is designed to be completed in under two years.[ citation needed ]
Aircrewmen must be selected from within Army and are drawn from a wide range of Corps. Aircrewmen are trained initially at the Army Aviation Training Centre before attending their basic course at 723 Squadron, HMAS Albatross. Aircrewmen then complete an operational type conversion course.
There are two non-aircrew trades in the Corps, Groundcrewman Aircraft Support and Groundcrewman Mission Support. Training for both is in addition to 80 days of basic training, undertaken at the Army Recruit Training Centre, Kapooka.
Basic GCAS training consists of three individual courses covering driving, refuelling and forward arming. They are held at Army units throughout Australia. [34] GCAS soldiers are primarily employed to conduct forward arming and refuelling of aircraft, in tactical or non-tactical environments.[ citation needed ]
Training for groundcrewman mission support also consists of three courses covering driving, communications and command post operations. [35] GCMS soldiers are employed to manage flight following, mission planning and other operational activities for aircraft missions.[ citation needed ]
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal air and space force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally, the Governor-General of Australia, is the de jure Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal Australian Air Force is commanded by the Chief of Air Force (CAF), who is subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). The CAF is also directly responsible to the Minister for Defence, with the Department of Defence administering the ADF and the Air Force.
The Army Air Corps (AAC) is a component of the British Army, first formed in 1942 during the Second World War by grouping the various airborne units of the British Army. Today, there are eight regiments of the AAC as well as four Independent Flights and two Independent Squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations around the world. Regiments and flights are located in the United Kingdom, Brunei, Canada, and Germany. Some AAC squadrons provide the air assault elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade through Joint Helicopter Command.
The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until 1914 that it began flight training.
An aircrew flying badge is the badge worn on the left breast, above any medal ribbons, by qualified aircrew in the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army, Indian Air Force, Pakistan Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, South African Air Force and Sri Lanka Air Force. An example of a real pilot brevet is as opposite:
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA), known formerly as the Australian Navy Aviation Group, is the division of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) responsible for the operation of aircraft. The FAA was founded in 1947 following the purchase of two aircraft carriers from the Royal Navy. FAA personnel fought in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and participated in later conflicts and operations from host warships.
No. 3 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron, headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, New South Wales. Established in 1916, it was one of four combat squadrons of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I, and operated on the Western Front in France before being disbanded in 1919. It was re-established as a permanent squadron of the RAAF in 1925, and during World War II operated in the Mediterranean Theatre. The Cold War years saw the squadron disbanded and re-raised twice. It was based at RAAF Butterworth during the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi. Equipped with McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters from 1986, the squadron deployed to Diego Garcia in 2002 to provide local air defence, and the following year contributed aircraft and crews to the invasion of Iraq as part of Operation Falconer. In April 2016, it deployed to the Middle East as part of the military intervention against ISIL. The squadron began re-equipping with Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighters in 2018.
No. 6 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) electronic attack squadron. It was formed in 1917 as a training unit based in England during World War I. The squadron was disbanded in 1919 but re-formed at the start of 1939. It subsequently saw combat as a light bomber and maritime patrol squadron during World War II, and took part in the New Guinea Campaign and New Britain Campaign before being disbanded after the war.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) traces its history back to the Imperial Conference held in London in 1911, where it was decided aviation should be developed within the Armed Forces of the British Empire. Australia implemented this decision, the only country to do so, by approving the establishment of the Central Flying School (CFS) in 1912. The location for the proposed school was initially to be at Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, but in July 1913 Point Cook, Victoria, was announced as the preferred location. The first flights by CFS aircraft took place there in March 1914.
The 5th Aviation Regiment is an Australian Army aviation unit. Formed in 1987 after the Army took over responsibility for operating helicopters from the Royal Australian Air Force, the regiment is based at RAAF Base Townsville, in Queensland. It currently forms part of the 16th (Aviation) Brigade and it operates the majority of the Army's transport helicopters. Throughout its existence, the regiment has been deployed overseas numerous times, supporting both peacekeeping and warlike operations. Since its formation elements of the regiment have made operational deployments to Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Iraq, Indonesia and Pakistan.
No. 4 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron composed of the air force special forces Combat Controllers, aircrew who operate the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft and instructors for the Australian Defence Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) course.
No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) unit that saw action in World War II supporting Australian Army operations. It was formed in October 1944 and disbanded in June 1947. The flight was reestablished in September 1958, and was disbanded again in December 1960, when its responsibilities were transferred to a joint Army-RAAF unit.
No. 38 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport and training unit active between 1943 and 2018. It was formed on 15 September 1943 and saw service during World War II transporting supplies and personnel between Australia and the combat zones in New Guinea and Borneo, using Douglas Dakota aircraft. Following the war, the squadron conducted regular courier flights between Australia and Japan in 1947 and 1948. No. 38 Squadron was deployed to Singapore from 1950 to 1952, supplying Commonwealth forces engaged in the Malayan Emergency and undertaking courier flights across Asia. In 1954 it became responsible for training RAAF personnel to operate Dakotas.
Oakey Army Aviation Centre is situated approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) from the town centre of Oakey in Queensland, Australia. It provides a training establishment for Australian Army Aviation, and also hosts the Republic of Singapore Air Force's "Cougar" 126 Squadron. The Defence name for the facility is Swartz Barracks, named for prominent politician, Army Aviation advocate, and ex-POW Sir Reginald Swartz.
No. 9 Squadron is a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The squadron was formed in early 1939 and saw active service in World War II as a fleet co-operation unit providing aircrews for seaplanes operating off Royal Australian Navy cruisers. It was disbanded in late 1944, but was re-raised in 1962 and later became an Army co-operation unit, flying helicopters in support of Australian troops during the Vietnam War. The squadron was disbanded in 1989 when the RAAF transferred its battlefield helicopters to the Australian Army's aviation regiments. In March 2023, the Australian Government announced plans to reactivate the squadron to operate Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton, due to enter service in 2024.
No. 5 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force training, army co-operation and helicopter squadron. The squadron was formed in 1917 as a training unit of the Australian Flying Corps in Britain, readying pilots for service on the Western Front. It subsequently became a naval fleet co-operation squadron, but was later redesignated as No. 9 Squadron RAAF before being re-formed as an army co-operation squadron during World War II. In the mid-1960s, it was re-formed as a helicopter squadron, before being disbanded in December 1989, when it was used to form the Australian Defence Force Helicopter Training School.
The Royal Australian Air Force's Air Combat Group (ACG) is the group which administers the RAAF's fighter and bomber aircraft. ACG was formed on 7 February 2002 by merging the RAAF's Tactical Fighter Group and Strike Reconnaissance Group in an attempt to improve the speed with which the RAAF can deploy its combat aircraft.
The 171st Special Operations Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter squadron that provides aviation support to the Special Operations Command. The squadron is equipped with the NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan helicopter. The squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment as the regiment's sole operational squadron.
The 173rd Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter training squadron equipped with MRH 90 Taipan helicopters and provides support to the Special Operations Command. The squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment. The squadron may have been renamed as it does not appear in an Army December 2020 Order of battle.
The 6th Aviation Regiment is one of the Australian Army's three Army Aviation regiments and was raised on 1 March 2008 to provide air mobility for the Australian Army Special Operations Command (SOCOMD).