Australian Army Aviation
From Themarshallwiki
Australian Army Aviation (AAAvn) is a corps of the Australian Army, and was formed on 1 July 1968. It has a history dating back to 1911, when the Minister of Defence at the time, Senator George Pearce, decided there should be a flying school in the Defence Department. The motto of the Australian Army Aviation corps is Vigilance.
The Aviation Corps utilises soldiers from various other Army corps. The Royal Australian Corps of Transport trains and provides air dispatchers, while the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers trains aircraft structural fitters, who maintain aircraft life support equipment, and avionics technicians. Members of the Aviation Corps are entitled to wear a sky blue beret.
The cap badge of the Australian Army Aviation corps
Units
Army Aviation units across the world are descended from the Cavalry, and they fulfill similar roles, such as light reconnaissance. Therefore, unit designations in Aviation are similar to those used in the Cavalry.
- 16 (Aviation) Brigade
- 1st Aviation Regiment (attack helicopter regiment, 3 Tiger ARH SQN)
- 2nd Aviation Regiment (medium transport helicopter regiment, 1 CH-47D SQN, 3 S-70A-9 SQN)
- 4th Aviation Regiment (training regiment, 3 AS350B SQN [ADFHS], 1 composite SQN (CA-21, UH-1, PC-6))
- 5th Aviation Regiment (assault transport helicopter regiment, 1 S-70A-9 SQN, 2 MH-60 SQN)
- 6th Aviation Regiment (light aircraft regiment, 1 Beech King Air SQN, 3 Turbo Porter SQN)
- 7th Aviation Regiment (transport helicopter regiment, 3 UH-1H SQN)
- 8th Aviation Regiment (reconnaissance helicopter regiment, 3 CA-32 SQN)
Equipment
Eurocopter Tiger ARH
Boeing CH-47 Chinook
Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk
Hawker deHavilland Australia/Sikorsky S-70A-9 Blackhawk
Bell UH-1H Iroquois
Although the Bell UH-1 has been in Australian service for 47 years, the Army has only used the UH-1H for 21 years, since the transfer of battlefield helicopters from the Air Force to the Army. The Army uses the UH-1 for light transport, training, search and rescue, medevac, and fire support. The UH-1 has proven particularly useful as it is cheap and simple to operate and maintain, and can be deployed by a C-130. They are frequently used in minor conflicts and peacekeeping operations. A detachment operate in Bougainville in support of ADF operations there. UH-1s operate elsewhere in PNG as the ADF's primary logistics support asset in PNG. To save flight hours on Blackhawks, they are used to train regular and (more frequently) reserve troops in air assault tactics.
The Army is considering a replacement for the UH-1H Iroquois. The replacement will probably be the Bell 212 or Bell 412.
Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-32 Kiowa (Bell 206B)
Beechcraft King Air 350
Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter
The Pilatus Turbo Porter entered service in 1968.
Aerospatiale AS.350B Squirrel
The Aerospatiale AS.350B Squirrel is the Army's rotary wing trainer. They are operated by the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School at RAAF Fairbairn near Canberra, and train all Army, Navy, and Air Force helicopter pilots.
Proposed new aircraft
Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter
Due to their age, the Australian Army has decided to replace its 41 year old Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porters, however due to their unique performance, the only aircraft which met the requirement for a replacement ... was the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter. The Army will acquire 56 new-build PC-6 Turbo Porters to replace the current operational and training force.
Gippsland Aeronautics Nomad
A new version of the Government Aircraft Factory Nomad, the Gippsland Aeronautics Nomad first flew in 2005. The Nomad previously served with Australian Army aviation, 22 being operated between 1975 and 1993. The GAF Nomads were withdrawn after a series of crashes caused partially by poor construction.
