Bangladesh Army Aviation Group

Army Aviation Wing
Army Aviation Wing
	Bangladesh Army Insignia
Active	1 January 1978 – present
Country	Bangladesh
Branch	Bangladesh Army
Type	Army aviation
Role	Aerial support and transport
Headquarters	Tejgaon Airport, Dhaka Cantonment
Engagements	Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict
Decorations	See Medals of the Bangladesh Armed Forces
Commanders
Group Commander	Major General IKM Mostahsenul Baki
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Aircraft flown
Trainer helicopter	Bell 206
Utility helicopter	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin
Trainer	Cessna 152, Diamond DA40 NG
Transport	C-295W, Cessna 208 Caravan, Mi-171Sh

Last updated September 18, 2023

The Army Aviation Group is the army aviation unit of the Bangladesh Army. The AAG conducts military air operations and is responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all aviation resources in the Army.

History

Origin

The unit started its journey on 1 January 1978 as Army Aviation Flight. At that time, the army had no pilot training facilities of its own. Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh took up the responsibility of pilot training. Initially, the unit had no aircraft. The first aircraft in the army aviation unit were two Bell 205 helicopters gifted by Iran government in 1978. On 7 September 1979, the unit was upgraded to Army Aviation Squadron. On 15 July 1980, the unit got regiment strength and named Army Air Regiment. In 1982, four Cessna 152 were procured for the regiment. These were the first fixed-wing aircraft of the army aviation. In 1983, one Piper PA-31T Cheyenne aircraft was procured which was used for VIP transport purpose. On 27 November 1995, the unit was named Army Aviation. Three Bell 206 L4 helicopters and one Cessna 208 Caravan were procured later to strengthen the Aviation Group. On 20 March 2012, the unit was finally named Army Aviation Group.

Present

The strength of the unit is more than 204 with 30+ pilots. Members from all the corps of Bangladesh Army can join this unit with proper qualification and training. The unit is headquartered at the Tejgaon Airport, Dhaka. After the formulation of Forces Goal 2030, the modernisation and expansion of army aviation is going on in accordance with this goal. Following the goal, modern aircraft like 2 Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin helicopters, 2 C-295W transport aircraft and 12 Mi-171Sh combat and transport helicopters have been added to this unit. Recently six Diamond DA40 aircraft have been procured to slowly phase out the old Cessna 152s and increase training facilities. Four of these aircraft have been already added to the fleet while the rest two will join soon.^[1]

A new base for AAG was set up at Lalmonirhat Airport on 2 March 2020. This base will have the dedicated infrastructure for the Army Aviation Training School.^[2]

Army aviation maintenance workshop

This unit is responsible for the maintenance of the aircraft of the army aviation group. Previously, personnel from Bangladesh Air Force did all the maintenance task of army aviation. Later on, army came up with its own maintenance unit with its own personnel.

Aircraft

Current inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Fixed wing
Cessna 152 Aerobat	United States	Light aircraft		5	A152 Aerobat variant	1^[3]
Cessna 208	United States	transport / utility		1^[3]
CASA C-295	Spain	transport		2^[4]
Diamond DA40	Austria	training		4^[5]
Helicopters
Bell 206	United States	training	206L	1^[3]	1 Crashed.
Bell 407	United States	training	407GXi	2 ^[6]
Mil Mi-17	Russia	transport	Mi-171Sh	6	6 on order^[3]
Eurocopter AS365	France	utility		2^[3]
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Bramor C4EYE	Slovenia	Reconnaissance UAV	Bramor C4EYE	36	^[7]
RQ-12B Wasp AE	United States	Miniature UAV	RQ-12B		on order^[8]

Future modernisation plans

Bangladesh government has adopted a total restructuring plan for the Army Aviation Group. As per the plan, the Army Aviation Group will be renamed as the Army aviation. The total manpower of the unit will be raised from 204 to 704 personnel. By 2021, the number of aircraft operated by army aviation will be twenty-six. The army aviation maintenance workshop with 147 personnel will be re-structured to army aviation engineering workshop with 490 personnel. An aviation directorate will also be formed in the army.^[9]

They also have a plan to add fixed wing aircraft, transport aircraft, attack helicopters to the fleet in the process.^[10]

Related Research Articles

The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The Air Force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy. Furthermore, the BAF has a territorial role in providing tactical and strategic air transport and logistics capability for the country.

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 two 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, Kenya, and Canada. Some AAC squadrons provide the air assault elements of 16 Air Assault Brigade through Joint Helicopter Command.

The Russian Air Force is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. The modern VVS was originally established on 7 May 1992 following Boris Yeltsin's creation of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Russian Federation's air force can trace its lineage and traditions back to the Imperial Russian Air Service (1912–1917) and the Soviet Air Forces (1918–1991).

The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and defence strategies and defending the nation's territorial integrity against external attack. Control of personnel and operations is administered by the Army Headquarters, Dhaka. The Bangladesh Army is also constitutionally obligated to assist the government and its civilian agencies during times of domestic national emergency. This additional role is commonly referred to as "aid to civil administration".

The Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, is the air force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces.

The Czech Air Force is the air force branch of the Army of the Czech Republic. Along with the Land Forces, the Air Force is the major Czech military force. With traditions of military aviation dating back to 1918, the Czech Air Force, together with the Slovak Air Force, succeeded the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1993. On 1 July 1997, the 3rd Tactical Aviation Corps and the 4th Air Defence Corps of the Czech Army were merged to form an independent Air Force Headquarters.

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.

The Hungarian Air Force, is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

The Guatemalan Air Force is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history. The FAG is a subordinate to the Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to the Defence Minister.

The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. It is headquartered and mainly based at the Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, within the Brunei International Airport (BIA). The role of the Royal Brunei Air Force is to defend the national airspace and to provide air policing and surveillance of its land and maritime borders. As of 2023, the Royal Brunei Air Force operates twenty manned aircraft and four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The Lithuanian Air Force or LAF is the military aviation branch of the Lithuanian armed forces. It is formed from professional military servicemen and non-military personnel. Units are located at Zokniai Air Base near the city Šiauliai, at Radviliškis and Kaunas.

The Sri Lanka Air Force is the air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major role throughout the Sri Lankan Civil War. The SLAF operates more than 160 aircraft and has a projected trained strength of 30,000 airmen and 2000 officers, who are from both regular and reserve service.

The Myanmar Air Force, known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanmar Army in counter-insurgency operations. It is mainly used in internal conflicts in Myanmar, and, on a smaller scale, in relief missions, especially after the deadly Cyclone Nargis of May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Aviation Branch</span> US Army administrative organization

The United States Army Aviation Branch is the administrative organization within the United States Army responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all army aviation units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Army Aviation</span> Military unit

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.

Ankara Güvercinlik Army Air Base, is a military airport of the Turkish Army located in Güvercinlik of Etimesgut district, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Ankara in central Turkey.

The Air and Air Defence Forces are the aerial arm of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was formed following the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, though the military was not created by the Uzbek government until 1992. The Air Force consists of 10,000 to 15,000 personnel in 2006, with most of them being Russians as of 1995.

Forces goal 2030 is a military modernization program of the which Began in 2009 and revised in 2017, designed to the capabilities of the three services of the Bangladesh armed forces: the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The primary focus of the modernization program is the reformation of the military organization, expansion of the forces, the transformation of the indigenous defense sector to support research and manufacturing, and acquisition of modern military weapons. The requirement for modernization was realized in the aftermath of 2008 Bangladesh–Myanmar naval standoff later resulting in Bangladesh's favour. One of the primary objectives of the modernization program is to develop a three-dimensional force capable of conducting multi-platform warfare.

Alamgir Hossain is a retired Major General of Bangladesh Army. He served as the Group Commander of the Bangladesh Army Aviation Group.

References

↑ "Trade Register 1971-2019". SIPRI. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
↑ "Army chief inaugurates Army Aviation School base in Lalmonirhat". New Age . 3 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 "World Air Forces 2021" . Flightglobal Insight. 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
↑ বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনীর আর্মি এভিয়েশন গ্রুপের বিমান বহরে যুক্ত হলো দ্বিতীয় কাসা-সি ২৯৫ ডব্লিউ সামরিক বিমান. Inter-Services Public Relations. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
↑ "Training Aircraft Inducted In Bangladesh Army". ISPR. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
↑ Herk, Hans van. "Bangladesh Army Bell 407". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
↑ "Bramor C4EYE". C-Astral. Archived from the original on 30 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
↑ Gareth Jennings (11 October 2020). "Bangladesh to receive Wasp UASs". Jane's Information Group . Retrieved 9 October 2020.
↑ সেনাবাহিনীর জন্য নতুন এভিয়েশন পরিদপ্তর হচ্ছে. Daily BD News (in Bengali). 5 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
↑ মিয়ানমারকে বলেছি রোহিঙ্গাদের ফিরিয়ে নেয়ার সব ব্যবস্থা তাদেরকে করতে হবে. Manab Zamin (in Bengali). 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[SIPRI-1] "Trade Register 1971-2019". SIPRI. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

[2] "Army chief inaugurates Army Aviation School base in Lalmonirhat". New Age . 3 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

[World_Air_Forces_2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 "World Air Forces 2021" . Flightglobal Insight. 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

[Inter_Service_Public_Relation_Directorate-4] বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনীর আর্মি এভিয়েশন গ্রুপের বিমান বহরে যুক্ত হলো দ্বিতীয় কাসা-সি ২৯৫ ডব্লিউ সামরিক বিমান. Inter-Services Public Relations. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.

[5] "Training Aircraft Inducted In Bangladesh Army". ISPR. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.

[6] Herk, Hans van. "Bangladesh Army Bell 407". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 30 August 2021.

[7] "Bramor C4EYE". C-Astral. Archived from the original on 30 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.

[8] Gareth Jennings (11 October 2020). "Bangladesh to receive Wasp UASs". Jane's Information Group . Retrieved 9 October 2020.

[9] সেনাবাহিনীর জন্য নতুন এভিয়েশন পরিদপ্তর হচ্ছে. Daily BD News (in Bengali). 5 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.

[aagdev-10] মিয়ানমারকে বলেছি রোহিঙ্গাদের ফিরিয়ে নেয়ার সব ব্যবস্থা তাদেরকে করতে হবে. Manab Zamin (in Bengali). 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]