5th Aviation Regiment (Australia)
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The 5th Aviation Regiment (5 Avn Regt) is an
Australian Army aviation Australian Army Aviation (AAAvn) is a corps of the Australian Army. It was formed on 1 July 1968, although it has a history dating back to 1911, when the Minister of Defence at the time, Senator George Pearce, decided there should be a flying ...
unit. Formed in 1987 after the Army took over responsibility for operating helicopters from the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
, the regiment is based at
RAAF Base Townsville RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets and, along with L ...
, in
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
. It currently forms part of the 16th (Aviation) Brigade and it operates the majority of the Army's transport helicopters. Throughout its existence, the regiment has been deployed overseas numerous times, supporting both peacekeeping and warlike operations. Since its formation elements of the regiment have made operational deployments to
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
,
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
,
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.


History

The Regiment was formed in 1987 at RAAF Base
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
, in North Queensland.


Cambodia

In May 1993 six Black Hawks and 109 personnel from 'B' Squadron were deployed to
Battambang Battambang ( km, បាត់ដំបង, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia. Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is the leading rice-producing province of the coun ...
airport in north-west Cambodia, forming the Army Aviation Group deployed in support of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in that country. The aircraft were painted in UN white and fitted with armour plating and door mounted machine-guns for the operation due to the threat of ground fire. They were subsequently used to resupply UN positions along the Thai-Laos border, as well as the transportation of electoral officials and ballot boxes, and for aeromedical evacuation. The helicopters were fired on at least three times, with one receiving minor damage from small arms fire. They returned to Townsville in July 1993.


Black Hawk crash

On the evening of 12 June 1996 two Black Hawk helicopters from the regiment carrying soldiers from the
Special Air Service Regiment The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the British SAS sharing the motto, "Who Dares Wins". The re ...
(SASR) collided during an exercise at the High Range Training Area near Townsville. The activity took place sometime after 18:30, requiring the pilots to use
night vision goggles A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...
. Six aircraft had been approaching the target area when, 30 seconds from the
landing zone In military terminology a landing zone (LZ) is an area where aircraft can land. In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft, especially helicopters, land (equivalent to the commonwealth landing point.) In ...
, one of the helicopters veered to the right, clipping the
tail rotor The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate a propeller-like horizontal thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation. Th ...
of another helicopter. One Black Hawk crashed immediately, while the other was able to make a crash landing but burst into flames. Fifteen members of the SASR and three from the 5th Aviation Regiment lost their lives in the accident. Meanwhile, the Iroquois helicopters were transferred to the 1st Aviation Regiment in 1998.


International Force East Timor

In September 1999, the regiment deployed 12 Black Hawks as part of the Australian-led
International Force East Timor The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
(INTERFET), flying directly into Dili from Darwin on the second day of the operation to provide airlift and limited aerial fire support to the force on the ground. The detachment was initially based at the Dili Heliport, but was redeployed to
Balibo Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District. It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 per cent of the town was destroyed during t ...
in July 2000 following the transition to the UN mission. In April 2002 it moved again, this time to Moleana. By 2004 the regiment provided a 24-hour aeromedical evacuation capability in support of the Australian infantry battalion deployed along the East Timor-Indonesian border, as well as the insertion and extraction of reaction forces. Two years after being withdrawn, eight Black Hawks were deployed to East Timor in May 2006 as part of
Operation Astute Operation Astute was an Australian-led military deployment to East Timor to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis. It was headed by Brigadier Bill Sowry, and commenced on 25 May 2006 under the command of Brigadier Micha ...
as a result of the deteriorating situation in the country.


Global war on terror

Between March and May 2003, a detachment from 'C' Squadron of three CH-47 Chinooks supported the Special Forces Task Group provided airlift to other coalition forces as part of the Australian force deployed during the
2003 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 ...
. In late 2003, 'A' Squadron and the UH-1 equipped 171st Squadron swapped designations, with the former 'A' Squadron becoming an independent squadron supporting Special Operations Command. The 'new' (UH-1 equipped) 'A' Squadron was subsequently re-equipped with 12 MRH-90 medium helicopters, while it was planned that 'B' Squadron would also be equipped with these aircraft by 2015. Later, a detachment of two CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the regiment was deployed to
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 bordere ...
between late March 2006 and April 2007. In early 2008, two Chinooks were deployed with Rotary Wing Group 1 (RWG 1) and then again with Rotary Wing Group 2 (RWG 2) in June 2008 as part of
Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF invol ...
where they took part in combat operations. These operations continued in 2009 and 2010. On 30 May 2011, a Chinook from C Squadron crashed while operating in Afghanistan. The aircraft was conducting a re-supply mission in company with a
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
Chinook in
Zabul Province Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Za ...
when it crashed, injuring six personnel on board. The most seriously wounded, passenger Lieutenant Marcus Case, was evacuated by the accompanying US Army helicopter but later died of his injuries. He was an
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...
pilot deployed with No. 5 Flight RAAF at
Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
. The other five injured survived the crash and were evacuated to Kandahar. The helicopter, a CH-47D (ADF serial A15-102) attached to the US Army 159th Combat Aviation Brigade at Kandahar, was assessed as being unrecoverable and was subsequently destroyed at the site of the crash. There was no insurgent activity at the time of the crash, and enemy fire was ruled out as a contributing cause. The eleventh, and final, deployment of Chinooks to Afghanistan was completed on 14 September 2013. In June 2014, all six of the regiment's Chinooks flew together for the first time in 19 years.


Humanitarian assistance

Following the
2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu an ...
, a detachment of Black Hawks were sent to Pakistan to assist the ADF medical team deployed there and provide humanitarian assistance to remote villages. Three Black Hawks helped distribute aid to victims of flooding in
Oro Province Oro Province, formerly (and officially still) Northern Province, is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Popondetta. The province covers 22,800 km2, and has 176,206 inhabitants (2011 census). The province shares l ...
, Papua New Guinea in late 2007 as part of
Operation Papua New Guinea Assist Operation Papua New Guinea Assist was the Australian Defence Force's contribution to the Australian humanitarian effort in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea following heavy flooding caused by Cyclone Guba in November 2007. The humanitarian effort was b ...
. In 2016, NH90s from A Squadron deployed on HMAS Canberra to Fiji to provide disaster relief following Tropical Cyclone Winston. That year, the regiment reached a total of ten CH-47 F models to replace the old D models, the first seven having arrived the previous year to replace 6 D models. In 2018, A Squadron deployed on HMAS Adelaide to Papua New Guinea for the
APEC Papua New Guinea 2018 APEC Papua New Guinea 2018 was the year-long hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Papua New Guinea. It was the first time Papua New Guinea hosted the APEC meetings. Australia provided a quarter to a third of the cost ...
international conference to help with security for international delegates. In January 2019, 5th Aviation Regiment was activated to assist with the
2019 Townsville flood The 2019 Townsville flood was a major flood event that occurred in the city of Townsville and surrounding areas, on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. Townsville has endured around 20 major flooding events since colonial settlement in t ...
and also flooding in the wider North Queensland region. Then in March, B Squadron deployed in support of the
2019 Solomon Islands general election General elections were held in Solomon Islands on 3 April 2019. They were the first general elections since the RAMSI mission concluded in 2017. On 24 April 2019, Manasseh Sogavare was elected by the 11th National Parliament as Prime Minister ...
, providing security assistance to local police and election officials. In late 2019 and the beginning of 2020, 5th Aviation Regiment deployed throughout Eastern Australia to assist the civil authority in response to the
2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season (Black Summer), was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. The Australian National ...
. Both MRH90 and Chinook operated in support of civil organisations such as the
New South Wales Rural Fire Service The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales. The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the land area of New South ...
. One of the regiment's helicopters started what developed into a major bushfire near Canberra when its landing light ignited dry grass. The helicopter was damaged, and its crew did not report the location of the fire during their 45 minute flight to
Canberra Airport Canberra Airport is an international airport situated in the District of Majura, Australian Capital Territory serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, as well as the nearby city of Queanbeyan and regional areas of the Australian Capital Te ...
. In early 2021, A Squadron MRH90 returned to Fiji in the wake of Cyclone Yasa and 'flew more than 166 hours, delivering 71,475kg of aid through 62 vertical replenishments, as well as troops, to communities across Vanua Levu and outlying islands'.


Changes to equipment

From 1987, the Regiment operated the S-70A-9 Black Hawk and
UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility helicopter, utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Bell Huey family, Huey family, as we ...
helicopters which had previously been operated by the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) following the decision to transfer these assets to the Australian Army. In 1989,
No. 9 Squadron RAAF No. 9 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The squadron was formed in early 1939 and saw active service in World War II as a fleet co-operation unit providing aircrews for seaplanes operating off Royal Australian Navy c ...
(S-70A) became the regiment's 'A' Squadron and No. 35 Squadron RAAF (UH-1) became 'B' Squadron. 'B' Squadron was later re-equipped with Black Hawks. The regiment was subsequently expanded in 1995 when 'C' Squadron was formed to operate
CH-47 Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, C ...
and UH-1 Iroquois helicopters (the later in the aerial fire support role). In August 2014, the regiment transferred the last of its Black Hawk helicopters to the 6th Aviation Regiment based at Holsworthy in Sydney. First A Squadron, and then B Squadron re-equipped with the NHIndustries NH90. Throughout 2020, a solution was sought by 5th Aviation Regiment to address aircrew flying currency. An interim helicopter was sought to supplement the Regiment's fleet. The
AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...
was selected for this role, the first of which was delivered in May 2021. In July 2021, the first two Chinooks of an additional four that were purchased were air-delivered from the United States in a
C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...
'as part of a half-billion-dollar boost to its fleet of heavy-lift helicopters'. In December 2021 Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the ADF’s entire Taipan helicopter fleet of army and navy helicopters would be replaced with US alternatives in a $7 billion switch. The Morrison Government applied to the United States to buy up to 40 Black Hawks for the army and 12 Seahawks for the navy. Defence Minister Peter Dutton noted that the fleet of Taipan NH90 helicopters had not performed to contractual standards and were not performing as hoped. The helicopters have been riddled with performance issues, including several fleet wide groundings due to technical issues. Sikorsky Australia – a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin – stated during preliminary discussions that six Black Hawk helicopters could be available from the company’s 2022 global production line, with the remaining helicopters potentially delivered by 2026.


Current structure

The 5th Aviation Regiment currently consists of: * Headquarters Squadron * A Squadron ( NHIndustries NH90) * B Squadron (
AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including VI ...
) * C Squadron ( CH-47F Chinook) * Technical Support Squadron * Logistic Support Squadron Together with the 1st and 6th Aviation Regiments, the 5th Aviation Regiment forms part of the 16th (Aviation) Brigade and is currently based in
Townsville, Queensland Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 30 ...
.


See also

* Boeing CH-47 Chinook in Australian service


Notes


References

* * * * * * *


Further reading

*{{cite news, title=Army aviation in Australia 1970–2015 , url=http://www.army.gov.au/~/media/Files/Our%20work/Community%20engagement/2015_02_AHQ_ArmyAviation_Factsheet.pdf , access-date=31 July 2016 , work=Fact Sheet , publisher=Australian Army , date=24 February 2015 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008154311/http://www.army.gov.au/~/media/Files/Our%20work/Community%20engagement/2015_02_AHQ_ArmyAviation_Factsheet.pdf , archive-date=8 October 2016


External links


Australian Army Aviation Association website
5 5 Military units and formations established in 1987 Recipients of the Meritorious Unit Citation Cold War history of Australia Military units involved in UN peacekeeping missions Military units in Queensland