6th Aviation Regiment (Australia)

The 6th Aviation Regiment is one of the Australian Army's three Army Aviation regiments and was raised on 1 March 2008 to provide air mobility for the Australian Army Special Operations Command.[1][2]

6th Aviation Regiment
A 1st Commando Regiment soldier jumping from a 171st Aviation Squadron Black Hawk helicopter in 2013
Active2008–current
CountryAustralia
BranchAustralian Army
TypeSpecial operations aviation
Part of16th Aviation Brigade
HeadquartersHolsworthy Barracks
Insignia
Unit colour patch
Aircraft flown
Multirole helicopterSikorsky S-70 Black Hawk

The 6th Aviation Regiment, equipped with S70A Black Hawk helicopters, forms part of the 16th Aviation Brigade and is headquartered at Luscombe Army Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney which was vacated by 161st Reconnaissance Squadron of the 1st Aviation Regiment in 1995.[3][1][4]

History

In November 2004, 'A' Squadron of the 5th Aviation Regiment based at RAAF Base Townsville swapped designations with the 171st Operational Support Squadron.[2] The Squadron separated from the 1st Aviation Regiment and was placed under the command of the 16th Aviation Brigade as an independent squadron and was re-designated as the "171st Aviation Squadron" to provide support to Special Operations Command.[5][2] From December 2006, the Squadron commenced relocating to Luscombe Airfield.[6]

In March 2008, the 6th Aviation Regiment was raised following the implementation of a recommendation from the Board of Inquiry into the Crash of Black Hawk 221 and incorporated the 171st Aviation Squadron.[1][3][2]

In November 2009, the Australian Army transferred all fixed wing surveillance aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force.[4] 173rd Surveillance Squadron subsequently re-equipped with the Kiowa Light Utility Helicopter and re-roled as an Advanced Training Squadron for future Tiger ARH and MRH 90 Taipan pilots and was re-designated as the "173rd Aviation Squadron" based at Luscombe Airfield.[4][7] In 2013, the Squadron converted to Black Hawk helicopters.[4]

Structure

The regiment comprises:[1]

Operations

Notable operations include:

  • Operation Queensland Flood Assist (2011 disaster assistance in South East Queensland)
  • 2012 support to PNG elections

Current Aircraft

The regiment was planned to transition to the MRH 90 Taipan, an Australian variant of the NHI NH90, with the Black Hawk to be withdrawn from service by December 2013.[8] However, the MRH 90 Program encountered significant problems, and in particular, the NH90 had not been operated in a dedicated special operations role, delaying the withdrawal with the Chief of Army extending the service of 20 Black Hawks to 2022.[8][9] The MRH 90 will be introduced to the regiment in February 2019 starting with two aircraft under Plan Palisade which will require the development of a fast roping, rappelling and extraction system (FFRES), gun mount capable of firing the FN MAG58 machine gun and M134D minigun, and new cargo hook.[10][11][12]

Aircraft Origin Type Versions In service
Sikorsky S-70 Blackhawk  United States Multi-role transport helicopter S-70A-9 20[13]

Future acquisitions

Light helicopters are planned to be acquired for the regiment to enable special forces to insert, extract and provide fire support for small teams of special forces undertaking tasks ranging from tactical observation through to counter-terrorism missions, or hostage recovery, that are optimised for operating in dense urban environments and can be deployed in the Boeing C-17 Globemaster.[14][15] Project Land 2097 Phase 4 announced in the Defence White Paper 2016 will see at least 16 light helicopters acquired with deliveries commencing in 2022.[16]

See also

References
  1. "6th Aviation Regiment". Australian Army. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  2. "Black Hawk 221 Board of Inquiry 2007–2008" (PDF). Australian Defence Force. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  3. Gubler, Abraham (2008). "Army Aviation's New Decade of Growth". Asia Pacific Defence Reporter. 34 (5): 16–19.
  4. "Army aviation in Australia 1970–2015 Factsheet" (PDF). Australian Army. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  5. "1st Aviation Regiment". Australian Army. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  6. "Aircrews fly high at new work site". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper (1160 ed.). Canberra: Department of Defence. 22 February 2007. ISSN 0729-5685. Archived from the original on 4 April 2011.
  7. Brooke, Michael (18 March 2010). "Team effort raises sqn" (PDF). Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper (1231 ed.). Canberra, Australia: Department of Defence. ISSN 0729-5685. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. Kerr, Julian (1 February 2016). "Air: MRH90 Taipan - reaching for 2016 milestones". Australian Defence Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  9. Perry, Dominic (9 December 2016). "Special forces NH90 helicopter still under consideration". Flight Global. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  10. Yeo, Mike (29 November 2017). "NH-90 Helicopters Doing Better in Australian Service". Aviation International News. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  11. Department of Defence (2018). Budget Related Paper No. 1.4A-Defence Portfolio. Portfolio Budget Statements 2018-19. Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 9780648097730.
  12. Australian National Audit Office (2018). "Multi-Role Helicopter Project Data Summary Sheet". 2016–17 Major Projects Report - Department of Defence (PDF). Canberra: The Auditor-General. ISBN 9781760333256. ANAO Report No.26 2017–18. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  13. Kerr, Julian (2 December 2015). "Australian Army to extend Black Hawk service lives for special forces use". Jane 's Defence Weekly (53.4). Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  14. 2016 Defence Whitepaper (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 978-0-9941680-5-4. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  15. 2016 Integrated Investment Program (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 978-0-9941680-6-1. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  16. Pittaway, Nigel (3 October 2018). "Australia releases RFI for at least 16 special operations helicopters". Defense News. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
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