German Army Aviators Corps

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German Army Aviators Corps Heeresflieger
Coat of Arms of the German Army Aviators Corps
Active	1955 – present
Country	Germany
Branch	German Army
Type	Army aviation branch
Role	Tactical Air Transport, Close Air Support, Reconnaissance, Liaison, Disaster Relief
Size	6 regiments, 1 independent squadrons, 1 school
Motto	Nach vorn To the front or Forward
Insignia
Cap Badge
APP-6A symbol
Aircraft flown
Attack	MBB Bo 105P, Eurocopter Tiger
Reconnaissance	MBB Bo 105M
Trainer	Eurocopter EC 135
Transport	Bell UH-1D, Sikorsky CH-53G/GS, NH90

The German Army Aviators Corps (Heeresfliegertruppe) is a special unit within the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). The German Army Aviators Corps is part of the German Army (Heer), containing all its helicopter units. The German Air Force and the German Navy both also have their own helicopter units.

Contents 1 Identification 2 Tasks 3 History 4 Units 4.1 Squadrons 4.2 Regiments 4.3 other units 5 Equipment 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Identification

The coat of arms of the German Army Aviators Corps depicts a white eagle, swooping down whilst carrying a sword in its claws. Members of the German Army Aviator Corps wear a burgundy-coloured beret. The badge on the beret is a wing, crossed vertically by a sword, surrounded by oak leaves. Their epaulettes are lined in silver-grey. The sleeves of their uniforms show the flying wings, emphasizing their main task.

[edit] Tasks

The main tasks of the German Army Aviators Corps are:

• support of own troops through anti-tank warfare.
• transport, both internally and externally, of personnel and material.
• reconnaissance in combination with other units.
• liaison between different units
• disaster relief, e.g. wildfire, floods etc.

Due to their manifold tasks, the German Army Aviators Corps cannot be classified as having any of the classic tasks of army units, namely leading and supporting the leadership, fighting and supporting the fighting force.

Most units of the German Army Aviators Corps are incorporated into the Airmobile Operations Division (Division Luftbewegliche Operationen). This division was founded on 1 July 2002 and became operational on 8 October 2002.

[edit] History

Main article: History of the German Army Aviators Corps

After the foundation of the Bundeswehr in 1955, the first head of the department of the German Army Aviators Corps, Colonel Horst Pape, was appointed on 7 November 1956. During the next ten years, a great number of bases all over the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany were founded.

In the first instance, all the equipment was acquired from allied nations. However, from the late 1960s onwards, more emphasis was put on developing new technology with other European partners. Until 1990, the German Army Aviators Corps was restricted to see active service only during aid mission within Germany and NATO countries.

Since the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany with the German Democratic Republic in 1990, there have been several rounds of re-organizations within the Bundeswehr, also affecting the German Army Aviators Corps. A number of bases were closed down, and their units either dissolved or merged with other units. In 2002, most remaining units of the German Army Aviators Corps were incorporated into the Airmobile Operations Division (Division Luftbewegliche Operationen) .

Furthermore, the role of the German Army Aviators Corps changed as well. Since the mid 1990s, it has been increasingly deployed in a support rôle in several countries for as varying bodies as the United Nations, NATO and the EU, first in Iraq after the 1st Gulf War, then on the Balkans with IFOR, KFOR, SFOR and EUFOR, and most recently in Afghanistan as part of ISAF and most recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the EU contingent within the UN mission MONUC to monitor the general elections in 2006. This mission began in June 2006 and ended with the last soldiers returning in December of the same year.

[edit] Units

[edit] Squadrons

• Helicopter Support Squadron 1 based at Holzdorf

(Heeresfliegerunterstützungsstaffel 1)

• Maintenance Squadron 1 based at Celle

(Heeresfliegerinstandsetzungsstaffel 1)

• Reconnaissance & Liason Squadron 100 based at Celle

(Heeresfliegeraufklärungs- und Verbindungsstaffel 100)

[edit] Regiments

• Light Transport Helicopter Regiment 10 Lüneburger Heide based at Faßberg

(Leichtes Transporthubschrauberregiment 10)

• HQ & HQ squadron
• Group 101
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ & Airfield)
  • 2nd Sqn.
  • 3rd Sqn.
  • Flight
• Group 102 (Maintenance)
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
• Logistic Squadron 105
• Helicopter Squadron 109 based at Celle

• Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15 Münsterland based at Rheine

(Mittleres Transporthubschrauberregiment 15)

• HQ & HQ squadron
• Group 151
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ & Airfield)
  • 2nd Sqn.
  • 3rd Sqn.
• Group 152 (Maintenance)
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
• Logistic Squadron 155
• Mission Support Squadron 159

• Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 25 Oberschwaben based at Laupheim

(Mittleres Transporthubschrauberregiment 25)

• HQ & HQ squadron
• Group 251
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ & Airfield)
  • 2nd Sqn.
  • 3rd Sqn.
• Group 252 (Maintenance)
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
• Logistic Squadron 253
• Logistic Squadron 254
• Logistic Squadron 255
• Reserve Squadron 256

• Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 Franken based at Roth next to Nürnberg

(Kampfhubschrauberregiment 26)

• HQ & HQ squadron
• Group 261
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ & Airfield)
  • 2nd Sqn.
  • 3rd Sqn.
  • Flight
• Group 262 (Maintenance)
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
• Logistic Squadron 265
• Helicopter Squadron 269

• Light Transport Helicopter Regiment 30 based at Niederstetten

(Leichtes Transporthubschrauberregiment 30)

• HQ & HQ squadron
• Group 301
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ & Airfield)
  • 2nd Sqn.
  • 3rd Sqn.
• Group 302 (Maintenance)
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
• Security Squadron 303
• Security Squadron 304
• Logistc Squadron 305
• Reserve Squadron 306

• Attack Helicopter Regiment 36 Kurhessen based at Fritzlar

(Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36)

• HQ & HQ squadron
• Group 361
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ & Airfield)
  • 2nd Sqn.
  • 3rd Sqn.
  • Flight
• Group 362 (Maintenance)
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
• Logistic Squadron 365
• Helicopter Squadron 369

[edit] other units

• Army Aviators School based at Bückeburg

(Heeresfliegerwaffenschule)

• HQ
• Group A
  • 1st Training Company
  • 2nd. Training Company
  • Airfield Fire Service 102
  • Geophysical Service 102
• Group B
  • 4th Training Company
  • 5th Training Company
  • 6th Training Company
• Maintenance Group
  • 1st Sqn. (HQ)
  • 2nd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 3rd Sqn. (Maintenance)
  • 4th Sqn. (Repair)
  • Civil Technical Education Workshop
• Training Center C based at Celle
• Army Aviators Test Squadron 910
• Research And Development Group
• Franco-German Traning Centre in Le Luc (France)

(The Training Companies are called Inspektionen.)

[edit] Equipment

The German Army Aviators Corps is equipped with:

• Bell UH-1D, light transport helicopter.
• Sikorsky CH-53G/GS, medium transport helicopter.
• MBB Bo 105P, anti-tank helicopter.
• MBB Bo 105M, reconnaissance and liaison helicopter.
• Eurocopter EC 135, training helicopter.
• NH90, multi-role helicopter

Procured but not yet delivered for active service has been:

• Eurocopter Tiger, attack helicopter

Bell UH-1D

NH90

Bölkow Bo 105

Eurocopter EC 135

Eurocopter Tiger

CH-53G

[edit] See also

• History of the German Army Aviators Corps
• Bundeswehr
• German Army
• Army aviation

[edit] References

• Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (1970), Heeresflieger, Bonn: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung 
• Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (1975), Das Heer: Heeresflieger, Bonn: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung 
• Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (2000). Armee der Einheit 1990-2000 (PDF). Bundesministerium der Verteidigung. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
• Bundeswehramt (1962), Unser Heer 3: Heeresflieger, Bad Godesberg: Bundeswehramt 
• Fred, Bünz (1999). "Modernisierung in der Bundeswehr: die Entwicklung des Konzeptes der Luftbeweglichkeit und der entsprechenden Einsatzgrundsätze; unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des von Carl von Clausewitz formulierten Wechselverhältnisses von Theorie und Praxis". Diss. . Universität der Bundeswehr München
• Dressel, Joachim & Griel, Manfred (1990), Flugzeuge und Hubschrauber der Bundeswehr, Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, ISBN 3-6130-1358-4 
• Garben, Fritz (2005), Deutsche Heeresflieger: nationale und internationale Rettungs-, Hilfs- und UN-Einsätze, Lemwerder: Stedinger-Verlag, ISBN 3-9276-9741-9 
• Garben, Fritz (2006), Fünf Jahrzehnte Heeresflieger: Typen, Taktik und Geschichte, Lemwerder: Stedinger-Verlag, ISBN 3-9276-9745-1 
• Kaufholz, Bernd (2003), Im Dienste des "alten Europa": Helfer in Kabul und andernorts, Halle: mdv, ISBN 3-8981-2202-6 
• Schütt, Kurt W. (1985), Heeresflieger: Truppengattung der dritten Dimension; die Geschichte der Heeresfliegertruppe der Bundeswehr, Koblenz: Bernard und Graefe, ISBN 3-7637-5451-2 
• Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ed. (1996), “Heeresflieger”, 1000 Stichworte zur Bundeswehr, Mittler, ISBN 3-8132-0536-3 
• Vetter, Bernd & Vetter, Frank (2001), Die deutschen Heeresflieger: Geschichte, Typen und Verbände, Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, ISBN 3-6130-2146-3 

[edit] External links

• Official site of the German Army
• Official site of the German Armed Forces
• Site of Army Aviators Liaison and Reconnaissance Helicopter Squadron 100
• Site of Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15 Münsterland in Rheine