The 161 (Independent) Reconnaissance Flight was an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, 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 (Austral ...

aviation unit of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. In June 1965, the 161 Reconnaissance Flight was raised part of the

No. 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...

based at

RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), ...

for deployment to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. In September that year the flight deployed to South Vietnam with two

Cessna 180 The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal airc ...

planes and two

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...

light observation helicopters in order to support the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

based at

Bien Hoa Air Base Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Sân bay Biên Hòa'') is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about from Ho Chi Minh City, across the Dong Nai river in the northe ...

. The unit moved to

Vung Tau Air Base Vung Tau Air Base (also known as Cap St Jacques Airfield and Vung Tau Army Airfield) (1955–1975) was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility. It was located near the city of Vũng Tàu in southern Vietnam. The United States used it ...

on 13 May 1966. The Flight was re-designated the 161 (Independent) Reconnaissance Flight. when unit strength was increased, so making it an Independent unit (and able to draw its own rations and rations). Following the expansion of the Australian commitment, the Flight continued to serve in this role as part of the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north of Bà Rịa ...

, with an enlarged, established and expanded responsibilities, operating out of Vung Tau and

Nui Dat Nui Dat (Núi Đất) is a former 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) base now part of Ba Ria city in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, Vietnam. It is not the name of an official ward, it just means "dirt hill" ( núi đất). History 1966–1972 In ...

until the end of 1971 when it was withdrawn to Australia. In March 1967, the 16th Army Light Aircraft Squadron was renamed the 1st Aviation Regiment. On return from Vietnam, the Flight was located at

Oakey Oakey is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport. Geography The town is situated on the eastern side of the Darling Downs and the Toowoomba Region lo ...

, Queensland, from January 1971 until January 1974. On 31 January 1974, 1st Aviation Regiment was reorganised with 171 Air Cavalry Flight based at

Holsworthy Holsworthy is a market town and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon, England, some west of Exeter. The River Deer, a tributary of the River Tamar, forms the western boundary of the parish, which includes the village of Brandis Cor ...

re-designated as 161 Reconnaissance Squadron. 161 Reconnaissance Flight based at Oakey was re-designated as 171 Operational Support Squadron.

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External links

161 Possums (formerly 161 Recce Association)
{{DEFAULTSORT:161 Aviation units and formations of the Australian Army Military units and formations established in 1965 Military units and formations disestablished in 1971 Cold War history of Australia

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