Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) is a tri-service organisation uniting battlefield military helicopters of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

for command and coordination purposes.

History

Background

Over the years, the grouping of all battlefield support helicopters operated by the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

, Army Air Corps and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

into one of the services had been discussed, however the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

(MOD) believed that any advantages would be outweighed by the damaging impact such a re-organisation would have on ethos, morale and operational effectiveness. The

Strategic Defence Review The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a British policy document produced in July 1998 by the Labour Government that had gained power a year previously. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of ...

(SDR), published by the MOD in July 1998, announced that a Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) would be formed, which would deliver training, standards,

doctrinal Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...

development and support for operations in order to maximise the availability of battlefield helicopters and reinforce their growing importance in military operations. JHC would be a tri-Service organisation, with personnel remaining part of their parent service. The formation of JHC was considered by the MOD as one of the most important initiatives to result from the SDR. The command was expected to draw on the equipment, personnel and expertise of the single services and be charged with providing the Joint Force Commander tailored packages of battlefield helicopters (from one or more service), support equipment and personnel, to meet operational requirements. The MOD's intention was to provide a single focus for the transfer of best practice from service to service and for removing, over time, differences in extant operating procedures. A Joint Helicopter Command Study Team was established to determine how JHC should operate. Four options for the location of JHC Headquarters were also examined, with

RNAS Yeovilton Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, (HMS ''Heron'') is an airfield of the Royal Navy and British Army, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases (the other being RNAS Culdrose) ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

AAC Netheravon Netheravon is a village and civil parish on the River Avon and A345 road, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, South West England. It is within Salisbury Plain. The village is on the right (west) bank of the Avon, opposite Fittl ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, HQ Land Command at Erskine Barracks in Wiltshire and

RAF Benson Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located at Benson, near Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line station and home to the RAF's fleet of Westland Puma HC2 support helicopters, us ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

, being considered for the role.

Establishment

Joint Helicopter Command was formed on 5 October 1999, bringing together the Navy's commando helicopters, the Army's attack and light utility helicopters, and the RAF's support helicopters. The Royal Navy's

anti-surface warfare Anti-surface warfare (ASuW or ASUW) is the branch of naval warfare concerned with the suppression of surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's ...

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typ ...

and

airborne early warning Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

helicopters, and RN and RAF search and rescue helicopters, were not included in JHC and remained under the control of the respective services. JHC Headquarters was established alongside HQ Land Command at Erskine Barracks, with Air-Vice Marshal

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

being the inaugural commander. In 2007, JHC had over 15,000 personnel under its command, some 8,000 of who were part of 16 Air Assault Brigade This included over 900 volunteer reserves from the Territorial Army and

Royal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

, and 380 MOD civilians. Joint Helicopter Command's largest operation to date has been

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

, the

invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

. Following the invasion, Joint Helicopter Command maintained units in Iraq, in support of British and coalition forces deployed there. Another detachment was also maintained in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

, as part of

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...

Role and operations

The majority of the United Kingdom's military helicopters come under JHC, although exceptions include the Royal Navy's anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and airborne early warning helicopters and the

Defence Helicopter Flying School The Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) was a military flying school based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, England. The school, established in 1997, was a tri-service organisation and trained helicopter aircrews for all three British armed ...

Command

Air-Vice Marshal

Nigel Colman Sir Nigel Claudian Dalziel Colman, 1st Baronet (4 May 1886 – 7 March 1966) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician. Early life The second son of Frederick Edward Colman and his wife, Helen, eldest daughter of Davison Octavi ...

became commander of Joint Helicopter Command in March 2020. JHC is part of Army Headquarters and has its headquarters at the British Army's Marlborough Lines,

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

Joint Helicopter Force (US)

Since 2009, the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

station

Naval Air Facility El Centro Naval Air Facility El Centro or NAF El Centro is a United States Navy Naval Air Facility located approximately six miles (10 km) northwest of El Centro, in Imperial County, California. NAF El Centro is under the jurisdiction of Navy Regi ...

(NAFEC) in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

has been home to Joint Helicopter Force (US), an element of JHC which provides pre-deployment and desert environmental qualification training. The deserts of Southern California have temperatures and terrain closely resembling those of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, where British helicopters have been on operational duty in recent years.

Former Deployments

Joint Helicopter Force (Northern Ireland)

The JHC operation in Northern Ireland in support of the

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ') is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...

and military units as part of

Operation Banner Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initial ...

and later Operation Helvetic was named the Joint Helicopter Force Northern Ireland (JHF(NI)). JHF(NI) consisted of the following units based at JHC Flying Station Aldergrove: * 5 Regiment ** No. 655 Squadron – Westland Lynx AH1 ** No. 665 Squadron – Gazelle AH1 ** Reconnaissance, Intelligence and Geographic Centre (Northern Ireland) * No. 230 Squadron –

Westland Puma Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila ...

HC1

Joint Helicopter Force (Iraq)

The JHC operation in Iraq as part of

was named Joint Helicopter Force Iraq (JHF(I)). The following aircraft types served with JHF(I): JHC Puma 2 from RAF Benson

* Boeing Chinook HC2s. *

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engi ...

HC4s. *

Westland Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led t ...

AH7/AH9s. * Westland Gazelle AH1s. *

HC1s. *

Westland Merlin The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirement ...

HC3s.

Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan)

The JHC operation in Afghanistan as part of

was named Joint Helicopter Force Afghanistan (JHF(A)) "Task Force Jaguar". The following aircraft types served with JHF(A): Apache firing rockets

AgustaWestland Apache The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army Air Corps. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicopt ...

AH1s. * Boeing Chinook HC2s. *

AH7, AH9 & AH9As. *

HC3s. *

HC1s. *

HC4+ from November 2007 & ASaC7s

Organisation

An overview of formations from each service under Joint Helicopter Command.

British Army

Army Air Corps *

Army Aviation Centre Army Aviation Centre (AAC) Middle Wallop is a British Army airfield located near the Hampshire village of Middle Wallop, used for Army Air Corps training. The base hosts 2 (Training) Regiment AAC and 7 (Training) Regiment AAC under the um ...

(AACen) ( Middle Wallop) ** 2 (Training) Regiment – Ground crew training *** No. 668 (Training) Squadron ***No. 676 Squadron ** 7 (Training) Regiment – Flight crew training *** No. 670 Squadron *** No. 671 Squadron – Gazelle AH1 and

Bell 212 The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Twin Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada ...

*** No. 673 Squadron – Apache AH1

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

47th Regiment Royal Artillery 47 Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It is equipped with the Thales Watchkeeper WK450. It is located at Horne Barracks, Larkhill in Wiltshire. It falls under command of 1st Aviation Brigade. His ...

( Horne Barracks, Larkhill) ** 10 (Assaye) Battery –

Watchkeeper WK450 The Thales Watchkeeper WK450 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for all weather, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) use by the British Army. It is provided under an £800 million contract with UAS Tactical ...

** 31 (Headquarters) Battery ** 43 Battery (Lloyd's Company) – Watchkeeper WK450 ** 74 Battery (The Battle Axe Company) – Watchkeeper WK450

1st Aviation Brigade

1st Aviation Brigade The 1st Aviation Brigade commands three distinctly different battalions—the 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment; the 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment; and the 2nd Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, the former Unmanned Aircraft Syst ...

** 1 Regiment (RNAS Yeovilton) *** No. 652 Squadron – Wildcat AH1 *** No. 659 Squadron – Wildcat AH1 *** No. 661 Squadron – Wildcat AH1 ** 3 Regiment (

Wattisham Airfield Wattisham Airfield is an operational Army Airfield located next to the village of Wattisham in Suffolk, England. It is home to 3 Regiment Army Air Corps and 4 Regiment Army Air Corps. They are part of the Attack Helicopter Force (AHF) wi ...

) *** No. 653 Squadron – Apache AH1 *** No. 662 Squadron – Apache AH1 *** No. 663 Squadron – Apache AH1 ** 4 Regiment (Wattisham Airfield) *** No. 656 Squadron – Apache AH1 *** No. 664 Squadron – Apache AH1 ** 5 Regiment (

JHFS Aldergrove Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove or more simply JHC FS Aldergrove is located south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Alder ...

) *** No. 665 Squadron – Gazelle AH1 ** 6 Regiment (Blenheim Camp, Bury St Edmunds) *** No. 675 (The Rifles) Squadron *** No. 677 (Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry) Squadron *** No. 678 (The Rifles) Squadron *** No. 679 (The Duke of Connaught's) Squadron ** 7 Aviation Support Battalion,

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

(REME) (Wattisham Airfield)

Royal Navy

Commando Helicopter Force Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) is a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and an element of the Joint Helicopter Command of the British Armed Forces. Its primary role is to provide Rotary-Wing support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and othe ...

(

) **

845 Naval Air Squadron 845 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Part of the Commando Helicopter Force, it is a specialist amphibious unit operating the AgustaWestland Commando Merlin HC4 helicopter and provides troop transport and load ...

– Merlin HC4/4A ** 846 Naval Air Squadron – Merlin HC4/4A **

847 Naval Air Squadron 847 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopters and provides armed reconnaissance and light transport support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. Along with 845 and 846 n ...

– Wildcat AH1

Royal Air Force

* Support Helicopter Force ** No. 7 Squadron (

RAF Odiham RAF Odiham is a Royal Air Force station situated a little to the south of the village of Odiham in Hampshire, England. It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift helicopter, the Chinook, and of the King’s Helicopter Flight (TKHF) . ...

) – Chinook ** No. 18 Squadron (

) – Chinook ** No. 22 Squadron (JHC

Operational Evaluation Unit An Operational Evaluation Unit is a type of "reserve" squadron of the Royal Air Force. OEU squadrons are tasked with evaluating an aircraft's weapons, systems and performance. This is to either assist in bringing the aircraft to an operational ca ...

) (

) ** No. 27 Squadron (

) – Chinook ** No. 28 Squadron ( Operational Conversion Unit) (RAF Benson) – Chinook HC4 and Puma HC2 ** No. 33 Squadron (

) – Puma HC2 ** No. 230 Squadron (

) – Puma HC2 ** Joint Helicopter Support Squadron (RAF Benson) ** Tactical Supply Wing (

MOD Stafford Ministry of Defence Stafford otherwise known as MOD Stafford or Beacon Barracks is a Ministry of Defence site in Stafford, in England. History Beacon Barracks was renamed from RAF Stafford in 2006, after the Royal Air Force moved out. In 2013, ...

)

Senior Commanders

JHC is commanded by a two-star officer from either the Royal Navy, British Army or Royal Air Force. Commander Joint Helicopter Command has been held by: *1999 – 2002

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

*2002 – 2005

Paul Luker *2005 – 2008

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Gary Coward *2008 – 2011

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

Tony Johnstone-Burt Vice Admiral Sir Charles Anthony Johnstone-Burt, (born 1 February 1958) is a retired Royal Navy officer who is currently serving as the Master of the Household. Education Johnstone-Burt was educated at Wellington College< ...

*2011 – 2014

Carl Dixon *2014 – 2017

Richard Felton Lieutenant General Richard Friedrich Patrick Felton, is a former British Army officer who served as Director-General of the Defence Safety Authority from 2017 to 2019. Military career Felton was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Transport o ...

*2017 – 2020

Jonathan Pentreath Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear Admiral Jonathan Patrick Pentreath, (born 2 March 1966) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Navy. He commanded 845 Naval Air Squadron from 2001 to 2003, including during the Battle of Al Faw (2003), Battle of ...

*2020 – present Air-Vice Marshal

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *{{OGL-attribution, version=3.0, {{cite report, author=Ministry of Defence, author-link=Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), title=Strategic Defence Review, publisher=Stationery Office, location=London, date=July 1998, oclc=606985144, url=http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/65F3D7AC-4340-4119-93A2-20825848E50E/0/sdr1998_complete.pdf, archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121018172816/http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/65F3D7AC-4340-4119-93A2-20825848E50E/0/sdr1998_complete.pdf, url-status=dead, archive-date=18 October 2012, access-date=21 April 2019

External links

Official website not updated since 2014Joint Helicopter Command – British ArmyJoint Helicopter Command – Royal Navy
British military aviation Helicopter units and formations Joint military units and formations of the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1999 Organisations based in Hampshire 1999 establishments in the United Kingdom