Pakistan Army Aviation Corps | |
---|---|
Founded | 1958 |
Country | Pakistan |
Branch | Pakistan Army |
Type | Combined and Combat support service |
Role | Administrative and staffing oversight. |
HQ/Garrison | Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, Punjab in Pakistan. |
Nickname(s) | AVN |
Colors identification | Purple, White, Yellow |
Anniversaries | 1958 |
Engagements | Military history of Pakistan |
Commanders | |
Director-General | Maj-Gen. Nadeem Yousaf |
Notable commanders | Brigadier Zakaullah Bhangoo |
Insignia | |
War Flag | |
Patch | |
Aircraft flown | |
Attack helicopter | AH-1 Cobra Mi-35M Hind-E Z-10ME Bell AH-1Z Viper |
Multirole helicopter | AW139 Bell 412 Eurocopter Fennec |
Trainer helicopter | 206 JetRanger Enstrom 280FX Schweizer 300C |
Utility helicopter | Mi-17/171 SA 330 Puma Alouette III Eurocopter Écureuil SA 315B Lama UH-1 Huey |
Reconnaissance | Super King Air 350i |
Transport | Super King Air 350 Y-12 Turbo Commander 690C 206 Stationair 208 Caravan Citation V Citation Bravo G450 |
This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2017) |
Administrative Corps of the Pakistan Army | ||||
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The Pakistan Army Corps of Aviation is a military administrative and combined arms service branch of the Pakistan Army. [1]
The Aviation Corps is tasked with configuration of all army aviation aircraft and provides principle close aerial combat support and aerial logistics for the Pakistan Army. [1]
Originally formed by the British Army Air Corps in 1942, the partition in 1947 of the former British Indian Army allowed the entire unit of the British Army's Air Corps to be transferred to the Pakistan Army. [1] Initially, the Aviation Corps was part of the Pakistan Air Force but was commissioned in the Pakistan Army after its personnel were trained and certified in the United States in 1958.: 32 [2] [3] The Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering started to maintain the aircraft and helicopters given by the U.S. Army's Aviation Branch, opening its own aviation school in 1959. [4]
Since the 1960s, the corps expanded in momentum, manpower, and its operational scope has widened. [4] The Aviation Corps became a combat support branch when it inducted its first attack helicopters from Iran in 1970. [4] The Aviation Corps is commanded by an active-duty two star major-general, who serves as its director-general and functions directly under the Chief of the General Staff at the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, Punjab. [5]
The Pakistan Army operates 314+ helicopters alongside several fixed-wing aircraft.
3 CAIC Z-10 attack helicopters of China were delivered for trial use so that orders could be made in the future. However, as of 2018, no orders have been made further and replaced by TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK, this could mean that these 3 helicopters were returned with no follow-up order.[ citation needed ]
15 Bell AH-1Z Viper with Hellfire missiles, equipment and support worth $952 million were on order but are on hold due to political tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan. [6]
30 TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK worth $1.5 billion is on order however production is still on hold due to the United States not giving export license for the engine, which is of American origin. New Turkish indigenous engine as a replacement is currently on trials. [7]
After the United States failed to deliver the AH-1Z and the problems with the Turkish T129, the Pakistan Army again is showing interests in Chinese all-weather, multirole CAIC Z-10ME which is the advanced and upgraded variant of the CAIC Z-10. [8]
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants. The Lynx went into operational usage in 1977 and was later adopted by the armed forces of over a dozen nations, primarily serving in the battlefield utility, anti-armour, search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare roles.
The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to be mass-produced. Its production has been continued by Agusta's successor companies, presently Leonardo.
The Agusta A129 Mangusta is an attack helicopter originally designed and produced by Italian company Agusta. It is the first attack helicopter to be designed and produced wholly in Europe. It has continued to be developed by AgustaWestland, the successor company to Agusta. It has been exclusively operated by the Italian Army, which introduced the type to service during 1990.
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they are sometimes called helicopter gunships.
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engined attack helicopter that was developed on behalf of, and primarily operated by, the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The twin Cobra family, itself part of the larger Huey family, includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra.
The LHTEC T800 is a turboshaft engine for rotary wing applications. It is produced by the LHTEC, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Honeywell. The commercial and export version is the CTS800. The engine was primarily developed for the United States Army's cancelled RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance helicopter, but has found use in other applications.
The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army Air Corps. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicopters at Yeovil, Somerset in England from Boeing-supplied kits. Changes from the AH-64D include Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines, a new electronic defensive aids suite and a folding blade mechanism allowing the British version to operate from ships. The helicopter was initially designated WAH-64 by Westland Helicopters and was later given the designation Apache AH Mk 1 by the Ministry of Defence.
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, it was not selected by the Army. Bell redesigned the airframe and successfully marketed the aircraft commercially as the five-place Bell 206A JetRanger. The new design was eventually selected by the Army as the OH-58 Kiowa.
The Changhe Z-10 is a Chinese medium-weight, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter built by the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Ground Force. Designed by 602nd Aircraft Design Institute of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Kamov Design Bureau, the aircraft is intended primarily for anti-tank warfare missions with secondary air-to-air combat capability.
The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. It is a twin-turbine helicopter that has been popular on the civilian and military markets, and major users include Canada, Italy, and Japan. Several hundred have been produced since its introduction in 1979, and several iterations of upgrades and variations have been produced, such as with upgraded cockpit electronics.
The Malaysian Army Aviation is the army aviation branch of the Malaysian Army. Currently equipped with helicopters in the liaison, transport and light attack roles. The Malaysian Army also plans to equip PUTD with dedicated attack helicopters in support of Malaysian Army units.
The Panha 2091 "Toufan" is an Iranian overhaul and upgrade of the Bell AH-1J International attack helicopter purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The overhaul and upgrade program is known as project number 2091 of the Iranian Helicopter Support and Renewal Company.
The EurocopterAS550 Fennec and AS555 Fennec 2 are lightweight, multipurpose military helicopters manufactured by Eurocopter Group. Based on the AS350 Ecureuil and AS355 Ecureuil 2 series, they are named after the fennec fox. The armed versions of the AS550 and AS555 can be fitted with coaxial weapons, rockets, torpedoes and various other munitions.
The AgustaWestland AW139, now known as the Leonardo AW139, is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, now part of Leonardo. It is marketed at several different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, military use, offshore transport, firefighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical service, disaster relief, and maritime patrol.
The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. It is one of the latest members of the prolific Bell Huey family. It is often called "Zulu Cobra", based on the military phonetic alphabet pronunciation of its variant letter.
The TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK is a twin-engine, tandem seat, multi-role, all-weather attack helicopter based on the Agusta A129 Mangusta platform. It was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in partnership with Leonardo S.p.A. The helicopter is designed for armed reconnaissance and attack missions in hot and high environments and rough geography in both day and night conditions.
The Harbin Z-19 is a Chinese light reconnaissance/attack helicopter developed by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (HAMC) for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Ground Force Army Aviation. It is a specialized combat variant of the Harbin Z-9, which is a license-built version of the Eurocopter Dauphin.
The IAIO Toufan or Toophan is series of combat helicopters by the Iran Aviation Industries Organization. Based on the US-built AH-1J SeaCobra, the Toufan has two variants, the Toufan I unveiled in May 2010 and the improved Toufan II unveiled in January 2013.
The Leonardo Helicopters AW249 Fenice is an attack helicopter project under development by the Italian firm Leonardo.