AAC

The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army, first formed in 1942. There are currently eight regiments (7 Regular Army and 1 Army Reserve) as well as a few Independent Flights and Squadrons, These can be deployed in support of British Army operations across the world although, apart from a flight in Canada and one in Brunei, the Corps is nowadays UK-based:

Regiments and their squadrons

• 1 Regiment (Lynx/Yeovilton): 652 and 661 Squadrons
• 2 Regiment (groundcrew training/Middle Wallop): 668 (Training) and 676 Squadrons
• 3 Regiment (Apache/Wattisham): 653, 662 and 663 Squadrons
• 4 Regiment (Apache/Wattisham): 656 and 664 Squadrons
• 5 Regiment (Northern Ireland): 651 and 665 Squadrons
• 6 Regiment (groundcrew reserves/England): 677, 675, 678 and 679 Squadrons
• 7 Regiment (aircrew training/Middle Wallop): 670, 671 and 673 Squadrons
• 9 Regiment (Lynx/Dishforth): 659, 669 and 672 Squadrons

Other units

• 7 Flight (Brunei)
• 25 Flight (Middle Wallop)
• 29 (BATUS) Flight (Alberta, Canada)
• 657 Squadron (RAF Odiham) part of Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing
• 658 Squadron (Credenhill Barracks) part of Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing
• 660 Squadron (Squirrel/Shawbury) part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School
• 677 Squadron (Development and Trials/Middle Wallop)
• 674 Squadron (Barkston Heath) part of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School

History

World War 1

The British Army first took to the sky during the 19th century with the use of observation balloons. In 1911 the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers was the first heavier-than-air British military aviation unit. The following year, the Battalion was expanded into the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps which saw action throughout most of the First World War until 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force. Between the wars, the Army used RAF co-operation squadrons, though a true army presence did not occur until the Second World War.

World War 2

Air Observation Post (AOP) Squadrons

The present Army Air Corps

In 1957 the Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps was renamed to The Parachute Regiment, while the Glider Pilot Regiment and the Air Observation Squadrons amalgamated into a new unit, the Army Air Corps. From 1970, nearly every army brigade had at least one Aviation Squadron that usually numbered twelve aircraft. The main rotor aircraft during the 1970s were the Westland Scout and Bell Sioux general purpose helicopters. The Sioux was replaced from 1973 by the Westland Gazelle used for Airborne recce, initially unarmed, they were converted to carry 68mm SNEB rocket pods in 1982, during the Falklands War. The Scout was replaced from 1978 by the Westland Lynx capable of the additional fire power when carrying the Elite Air Door Gunners. Basic rotary flying training was carried out on the Bell Sioux in the 1970s, the Westland Gazelle in the 1980s and 1990s and is currently conducted on the Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel. Fixed-wing types in AAC service have included the Auster AOP.6 and AOP.9 and DHC-2 Beaver AL.1 in the observation and liaison roles. Since 1989, the AAC have operated a number of Britten-Norman Islander and Defender aircraft for surveillance and light transport duties. The corps operated the DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 in the training role until its replacement by the Slingsby T67 Firefly in the 1990s. The Firefly was replaced by the Grob Tutor in 2010. A further boost in the Army Air Corps' capability came in the form of the Westland Apache AH.1 attack helicopter. These formidable gun ships have now made the Army Air Corps one of the most combat effective and most feared units in the world of military force along side The Paras, The Royal Marines and the 3 Special Forces Regiments of UKSF - SAS, SBS and SRR. In 2006, British Apaches deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force.

The AAC today: Personnel

(Army Air Corps personnel on parade, 2011.) The strength of the Army Air Corps is believed to be some 2,000 Regular personnel, of which 500 are officers. However, the AAC draws an additional 2,600 personnel from the Royal Logistic Corps and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Therefore total related Army Air Corps personnel is around 4,600.

Aircraft

The AAC operates fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The AAC uses the same designation system for aircraft as the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm. Two types of fixed-wing aircraft are operated by the AAC, primarily for reconnaissance purposes: the Britten-Norman Islander AL1 and the Britten-Norman Defender AL1/AL2/T3. Additionally, AAC pilots use the fixed-wing Grob Tutor for Elementary Flying Training (at Army Flying Grading & DEFTS). Today the larger section of the AAC is the rotary-wing part. Its aviators fly four types of helicopter, and within each type there are usually several marks/variants which carry out different roles. Pilots designated for rotary-wing service train at the Defence Helicopter Flying School, RAF Shawbury. The School is a tri-Service organisation consisting of civilian and military instructors that take the student from basic flying through to more advanced flying such as instrument flying, navigation, formation and captaincy. In service rotary-wing aircraft include: the Bell 212HP AH1, the Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin II, the Eurocopter Squirrel HT2, the Westland Gazelle AH1, the Westland Lynx AH7, the Westland Lynx AH9A and the AgustaWestland Apache AH1.

Regiments

1 Regiment Army Air Corps operates the Lynx

• 652 Squadron
• 661 Squadron)

2 (Training) Regiment, Army Air Corps

• 668 (Training) Squadron
• 676 Squadron

3 Regiment Army Air Corps operates the Apache as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade

• 653 Squadron is to be an Operational Training Squadron from 2015.
• 662 Squadron
• 663 Squadron

4 Regiment Army Air Corps operates the Apache as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade

• 656 Squadron
• 664 Squadron

5 Regiment Army Air Corps operates the Gazelle and the Defender

• 651 Squadron
• 665 Squadron

6 (Volunteer) Regiment, Army Air Corps

• 675 (The Rifles) Squadron
• 677 (Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry) Squadron
• 678 (The Rifles) Squadron
• 679 (The Duke of Connaught's) Squadron

7 (Training) Regiment, Army Air Corps

• 670 (Training) Squadron
• 671 (Training) Squadron
• 673 (AH Training) Squadron

9 Regiment Army Air Corps operates the Lynx

• 659 Squadron
• 669 Squadron
• 672 Squadron

Independent flights

• 7 Flight (Brunei)
• 25 Flight (AAC Middle Wallop)
• 29 (BATUS) Flight (Alberta, Canada)

Independent squadrons

• 657 Squadron (RAF Odiham) (Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW))
• 658 Squadron (Credenhill Barracks) (JSFAW)

Other units

• 660 Squadron (part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School)
• 667 Squadron (Development and Trials)
• 674 Squadron (Defence Elementary Flying Training School)
• The Band Of The Army Air Corps
• Army Flying Grading
• Army Historic Aircraft Flight
• The Army Air Corps Blue Eagles Display Team
• The Army Air Corps Parachute Display Team

Former units

• 2 Flight AAC (AAC Netheravon, United Kingdom) (assigned to ACE Mobile Force (Land))
• 6 Flight AAC
• 8 Flight AAC (Credenhill Barracks, UK)
• 12 Flight AAC (West Germany)
• 16 Flight AAC (Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus)
• 18 Flight AAC (BAOR)
• 20 Independent Reconnaissance Flight AAC (RAF Shatin) (Hong Kong)
• 27 Flight AAC United Nations Flight AAC (Nicosia Airport, Cyprus). The UNFICYP Flight Army Air Corps, originally known as the Force Aviation Flight, became, operational on 27 March 1964.The Flight was originally equipped with Alouette II helicopters. Duties ended 30 September 1994 when the Flight was replaced by a flight from the Argentine Air Force, ending thirty years, six months and four days of service under the UN flag.
• 654 Squadron disbanded during July 2014.

Future

In the future, the current operational regiments will be consolidated into the following structure:

• 1 Regiment AAC
• 3 Regiment AAC
• 4 Regiment AAC
• 5 Regiment AAC

1 and 9 Regt AAC will merge under one headquarters (1 Regt AAC) and re-locate to Yeovilton (RNAS Yeovilton) to form a large regiment equipped with the new Agusta-Westland Wildcat helicopter not before Oct 15. The Regular component of Army Air Corps capability will consist of: two regular aviation regiments equipped with Apache, one large regular aviation regiment equipped with Wildcat, and one regular manned aerial surveillance regiment. All five squadrons from 1 and 9 AAC. will remain. Four squadrons will be the front line Lynx Wildcat squadrons, one (652 Squadron) will become the Wildcat Operational Conversion Squadron There will be two squadrons of Apache helicopters in both 3 and 4 Regiment AAC, with one Regiment at high readiness at any one time. One of the squadrons will the attached to HMS Ocean and/or the new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Another will be attached to the lead armoured battlegroup.

Battle honours

The Army Air Corps is classed, in UK military parlance, as a "Combat Arm". It therefore carries its own guidon and is awarded battle honours. The honours awarded to the AAC are:

• Normandy Landings 1944
• Merville Battery 1944
• Rhine 1945
• North West Europe 1944 - 45
• Sicily 1943
• Pegasus Bridge
• Arnhem 1944
• Southern France
• Falkland Islands 1982
• Wadi al Batin 1991
• Gulf 1991
• Al-Basrah Iraq 2003

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Sources

Army Air Corps (United Kingdom) by Wikipedia