The
Army Air Corps is a component of the
British Army, first formed in 1942. There are eight regiments (5 front line, 2 Territorial Army, 1 training) of the
AAC as well as five Independent Flights and two Independent Squadrons deployed in support of
British Army operations across the world. They are located in
Britain,
Belize,
Brunei,
Canada, and
Germany. The AAC provides the offensive air elements of
16th Air Assault Brigade.
History of the AAC
The first Army Air Corps
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.
At the beginning of the Second World War,
Royal Artillery officers, with the assistance of RAF technicians, flew
Auster observation aircraft under RAF-owned Air Observation Post (AOP) Squadrons. Twelve such squadrons were raised—three of which belonged to the
RCAF — and each performed vital duties in a wide array of missions in many theatres.
Early in the war,
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, announced the establishment of a new branch of army aviation, the Army Air Corps, formed in 1942. The corps initially comprised the
Glider Pilot Regiment and the Parachute Battalions (subsequently the
Parachute Regiment), and the Air Observation Post Squadrons. In 1944, the re-formed
SAS Regiment was added to the Corps.
One of their most successful exploits during the war was the attack on
Pegasus Bridge, which occurred on
6 June 1944, prior to the
landings on Normandy. Once the three gliders landed, some roughly which incurred casualties, the pilots joined the glider-borne troops (
Ox's & Bucks Light Infantry) to act as infantry. The Bridge was taken within ten minutes of the battle commencing and the men there withstood numerous attempts by the Germans to re-capture the location. They were soon reinforced and relieved by soldiers from
Lord Lovat's 1 Special Service Brigade, famously led by
piper Bill Millin. It was subsequently further reinforced by units of the
British 3rd Division.
The AAC was broken up in 1949, with the SAS returning to its independent status, while the Parachute Regiment and Glider Pilot Regiment came under the umbrella of the
Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps. The pilots who had once flown the gliders soon had to transfer to flying powered aircraft, becoming part of the Air Observation Post Squadrons.
The present Army Air Corps
In 1957 the Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps was renamed as
The Parachute Regiment, with the
Glider Pilot Regiment, as well as 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
Scout and
Sioux general purpose helicopters. Their power though was soon bolstered by the introduction of the
Westland Lynx helicopter in 1977 as well as the unarmed
Gazelle.
Basic rotary flying training was carried out on the
Sioux in the 1970s, the
Gazelle in the 1980s and 1990s and is currently conducted on the
Squirrel.
Fixed-wing types in AAC service have included the
Auster AOP.6 and
AOP.9 and
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
Chipmunk T.10 in the training role until its replacement by the
Slingsby Firefly T-67 in the 1990s.
A further boost in the Army Air Corps' capability came in the form of the
Apache AH1 attack helicopter. In 2006, British Apaches deployed to
Afghanistan as part of the
NATO International Security Assistance Force.
In July 2007 an order was placed for four
Beechcraft King Air 350ERs (service designation Shadow R1) for use in the surveillance role in Afghanistan, the type being much more capable than the Islanders currently used. These will be operated by the RAF not the AAC, this is due to issues of who operate pressurized and non-pressurized airframes.
Present Day Units
Regiments
- 7 (Volunteer) Regiment, Army Air Corps - to be disbanded by 1 April 2009
- 9 Regiment, Army Air Corps
Independent Squadrons and Flights
Independent Flights:
Independent Squadrons:
Other units
Former units
The flight's base at Dhekelia has been closed for sometime and the Flight are no longer listed on the AAC Website as an active flight.
Current Aircraft of the AAC
thumb|Army Air Corps Westland Lynx in Bosnia
Historic Aircraft Flight
An Army Air Corps
Auster AOP.5 Air Observation Post. One example is maintained by the Army Historic Aircraft Flight
Other information
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. Thus far, the honours awarded to the AAC are:
Order of Precedence
See also
