Part four. The Future

In 1986 the Chiefs of Staff Committee decided that all battlefield helicopters, with no size or weight limitations would be transferred to the Army. The following year on 20 November, 5 Aviation Regiment was raised from 9 Squadron and 35 Squadron RAAF and the Sikorsky S70A Black Hawk helicopter entered service. In January 1989 command of 5 Aviation Regiment was transferred to Army and A and B Squadrons were raised with Black Hawk helicopters for troop lift and Bell UH 1H Iroquois helicopters as gunships.

By this time the flying training of Army pilots had changed. Previously, in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s pilots were trained at the RAAF Basic Flying Training School at Point Cook in Victoria. On graduation they then moved to the School of Army Aviation for fixed or rotary wing type conversion and operational training.

In 1990 the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School (ADFHS) was raised at RAAF Fairbairn in Canberra, with an Army CO/CI and predominantly Army staff. In 1992, instead of the RAAF Basic Flying Training School, trainee army pilots did their basic fixed wing flying training with a civil contractor at Tamworth NSW before moving to the ADFHS and then on to the School of Army Aviation at Oakey. All pilots were now trained as helicopter pilots and the School of Army Aviation was carrying out operational training on Kiowa, Iroquois, Black Hawk and Nomad. Conversion to fixed wing aircraft was carried out at a later stage on an as required basis.

From July 1991 to January 1992, 1 Aviation Regiment deployed Iroquois helicopters to Espiritu Santo, the Solomon Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu for cyclone relief and searching for crashed aircraft and recovery of the dead. A troop of six Black Hawk helicopters deployed to Cambodia in 1993 on Operation Gemini in support of the United Nations and in 1994 five Blackhawk deployed to Bougainville on Operation Lagoon in support of the peace process.

In October 1992, after 25 years of service, the Pilatus Porters were retired leaving the Nomad as the only fixed wing aircraft in the Army inventory. In the early stages of its employment, the Nomad had given great service but a design problem caused more and more limitations on its operations until it was finally decided in 1995 to withdraw it from service. In order to allow for the tasks requiring a fixed wing aircraft to be carried out, a decision was made to lease light twin engined fixed wing aircraft. In 1995 it was the Embraer Bandeirantes and then in 1996, until the present time, Beechcraft Super King Airs and De Havilland Canada Twin Otters. In 1995, 161 Reconnaissance Squadron re-deployed from Holsworthy to Darwin in support of 1 Brigade. Four Boeing Chinook Medium Lift Helicopters were introduced into service with C Squadron 5 Aviation Regiment; and, in 1996, Headquarters Aviation Support Group was raised at Oakey to provide the resources and procedures necessary for the maintenance of Army Aviation.

Three Black Hawk and two Chinook helicopters from 5 Aviation Regiment were deployed to PNG from November 1997 to April 1998 on Operation Ples Drai, distributing food and supplies to starving villagers. From April to July of 1998 three Black Hawk provided similar support in Irian Jaya under Operation Aus Indo Jaya.

As part of the peace monitoring force on Bougainville, 1 Aviation Regiment deployed four Iroquois helicopters under Operation Bel Isi in May 1998. This operation lasted for over three ears until August 2001. 1 Aviation Regiment rotated approximately 300 personnel through this detachment. Most were 171 Sqn personnel however support was provided from other units including the School of Army Aviation and 5 Aviation Regiment.

Also in 1998 the Army Aviation Training Centre, to be commanded by a colonel, was formed to command the School of Army Aviation, the ADF Helicopter School [now the Army Helicopter School], and the RAEME Aircraft Maintenance School [now the Rotary Wing Aircraft Maintenance School]

Kiowas from 1 Aviation Regiment and Black Hawks from 5 Aviation Regiment were deployed to East Timor in 1999 as part of the United Nations Interfet Force. There has also been a number of small but important deployments in support of contingencies within the region - so many that few regimental Army Aviators, maintenance and support personnel do not now wear either the Australian Active Service Medal or the Australian Service Medal.

In 2000, a Commander Divisional Aviation at colonel level was created to command the two aviation regiments, and in 2001 an Aviation Capability Development Group, again at colonel level, was created to introduce new capabilities to Army. The first of their projects was the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (Tiger) which began delivery in 2004

Also in 2001, in December, the Army Helicopter School moved to Oakey from Canberra. All Army Aviation training, other than basic fixed wing flying training at Tamworth, was now located at the home of Army Aviation at Oakey. On 2 April 2002, 16 Brigade [Aviation] was formed from an amalgamation of Aviation Support Group and Divisional Aviation. Headquarters 16 Brigade [Aviation] provides a deployable aviation component headquarters element and is responsible to the Chief of Army for the technical control of Army Aviation and to the Land Commander for the command of Land Command Aviation.

The Australian Army Aviation Corps is now manned by 337 officers and 232 other ranks. It comprises the Army Aviation Training Centre with two schools - the Army Helicopter School and the School of Army Aviation, a Headquarters 16 Bde [Avn] with two regiments; 1 Aviation Regiment and 5 Aviation Regiment.

The Corps has a total aircraft inventory of 114 which includes: six Chinooks, 36 Black Hawks, 25 Iroquois, 42 Kiowa with three King Air and two Twin Otter on lease. It is deployed at Oakey, Townsville, and Darwin.

To the Future

Organisationally, Australian Army Aviation has never been better placed to command, manage and deliver a modern, potent Army aviation manoeuvre capability for Army and the Australian Defence Force. Over the next decade Army Aviation will absorb the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (the Euro-Tiger), an additional troop lift squadron and will be involved in the introduction of tactical unmanned aerial vehicles.