In Active Service

In 1960, both 16 AOP Flight and 1 Aviation Company were disbanded and Number 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron was formed with Bell 47G Sioux helicopters and Cessna 180 aircraft, modified to suit Army requirements. The unit was based at RAAF Amberley, Queensland. Reconnaissance Flights saw service supporting Australian operations in Borneo and Vietnam. 16 Squadron later became the 1st Division Army Aviation Regiment, which is today designated 1st Aviation Regiment. in 1968, the Australian Army Aviation Corps came into existence, and in the same year, the Pilatus Turbo-Porter was introduced as a Cessna replacement. Army Aviation then moved from Amberley to the specially acquired Oakey Army Airfield, thirty kilometres west of Toowoomba, Qld. A base was also established at Holsworthy in New South Wales.

In 1972, the first of 53 Bell 206B-1 Kiowa light observation helicopters entered service (replacing the Sioux), and in 1977 the GAF Nomad 22 was introduced. Eleven Nomads were eventually delivered, although 20 aircraft were on order at one stage.

Today, the Army Aviation Centre at Oakey is the primary base, and is the home for Army Aviation Headquarters. Oakey itself is an Army-run military and civil airfield, an air terminal providing facilities for civil aircraft servicing the Toowoomba and Darling Downs region.

The four main units all come under the command of the Headquarters Army Aviation Centre for local administration. Because of the Army’s functional command system, only the Base Squadron is under direct command.

The 1st Aviation Regiment is divided into four squadrons: 161 Reconnaissance Squadron, Holsworthy (with 9 Kiowa helicopters); 162 Reconnaissance Squadron, Townsville (with 8 Kiowa helicopters); 171 Command and Liaison Squadron, Oakey (with 9 Kiowa helicopters); and 173 General Support Squadron, Oakey (with 5 Nomad and 8 Porter aircraft). The School of Army Aviation operates all three types of aircraft.

The roles of Army Aviation are to provide command and control facilities for a commander during operations, artillery observation, liaison and communications duties, battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance, and limited aeromedical evacuation and transport. In short, the service provides operational and logistic support for the army in the field and supplements the ground commander’s resources. Prospective Army aircrew are chosen from the graduates of the Army’s two officer training establishments and therefore differ from Air Force trainees who are generally selected from civilian applicants. Army pilots receive initial pilot training at Number 1 Flying Training School, RAAF Point Cook. (Refer to In Active Service, Pt. 1, AADR June 1980. ) Further pilot and conversion training, is conducted at the School of Army Aviation before aircrew are posted to the operational squadrons of 1st Aviation Regiment. The School also trains personnel in organisation command and employment of aviation resources and in flying techniques and tactics.

The 5th Base Workshop Battalion, also based at Oakey, provides repair, maintenance, modification and other engineering support for Army aircraft, and associated technical and trade training. The 1st Aviation Regiment also has a maintenance facility, which is essential when operating away from the Oakey Centre.

The Aviation Centre Base Squadron provides base support and facilities for all units based at Oakey, including Air Traffic Control, fire services, security, accommodation and catering, medical and dental services, refuelling, area maintenance and normal administrative support.

Aircraft

Kiowa

The Bell 206B-1 Kiowa is a military version of the JetRanger II five-place helicopter. In 1969, the Commonwealth Government authorised the licence manufacture of the Bell 206 in Australia for both civil and military markets. Seventy-five aircraft were to be built as military Kiowas, and 116 as civil JetRanger cells, with the military order subsidising the civil to allow competitive market prices. In 1974, Government cutbacks reduced the military order to 56, and the civil production was cancelled. The first 12 Kiowas were actually made in America, but the remainder were manufactured in Australia by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Three of the 56 helicopters were allocated to the Royal Australian Navy. (The RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit currently operate one of the Army helicopters. ) The last helicopter was delivered to the Army in 1977. The Kiowa is powered by an Allison 250-C20 gas turbine engine of 400 hp. Quick-release doors and fittings enable conversion to medical evacuation configuration, with provision for two litters, within minutes. A rescue hoist is provided as optional equipment, as are floats and an external cargo hook. The helicopter has a maximum speed of over 150 mph (240 km/hr), and a range of 450 miles (725 km). An auxiliary fuel cell can be fitted in the rear cabin to extend the range for ferrying. If necessary, the helicopter can be fitted with two six-barrel mini-guns, mounted on the rear doors.

Pilatus Turbo-Porter

Affectionately known as the Pontius Pilot, the Porter is a 10-place STOL aircraft powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT-6A turboprop engine of 550 hp. Manufactured in Switzerland, the Porter can operate from incredibly rough fields and often lands on football fields and rough, unprepared paddocks without difficulty. The Porter has a maximum speed of 174 mph (280 km/hr), and a range of 800 nautical miles.

The STOL characteristics are derived from large double-slotted flaps and a high power-to-weight ratio; 35 ft 9 in (10. 9 m) in length, the Porter has a span of 49 ft 8 in (15. 13 m), and is in all respects a remarkable aeroplane.

Nomad

The GAF Nomad 22 operated by the Army differs from the civil version of this Australian-designed utility transport in a number of areas. In addition to the comprehensive radio fit (also installed in the Kiowa and Porter), a floor-mounted cargo hatch, cabin fold-down work tables, provision for three medical litters, and a nose-mounted weather radar are provided in the Army Nomad. The Nomad also has STOL and rough field characteristics and is capable of taking off in under 1000 feet to clear a 50ft obstacle. The Nomad is powered by two Allison 250-B17 turboprop engines (similar to the Kiowa’s Allison), giving it a maximum speed of 170 mph (270 km/hr). The Nomad can carry up to twelve passengers.

The Australian Army Aviation Corps provides a valuable capability to the Army in the field and maintains a high standard of flying and technical proficiency. Army crews will often operate into semi-prepared airstrips by night, with a set of headlights sufficing for airfield lighting, and their maintenance crews often work in trying and extreme conditions. The Army has cause to be proud of its Aviation Corps – a breed of skilled professionals.