| Army Air Corps | |
|---|---|
Cap Badge of the Army Air Corps |
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| Active | 1942–1949 1957 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Army aviation branch |
| Role | Battlefield support and reconnaissance |
| Size | 192 aircraft |
| Garrison/HQ | 1 Regiment: Gütersloh, Germany 2 Regiment: Middle Wallop 3 Regiment: Wattisham 4 Regiment: Wattisham 5 Regiment: RAF Aldergrove 6 Regiment: TA Reserve 7 Regiment: TA Reserve 9 Regiment: Dishforth |
| March | Quick: Recce Flight Slow: Thievish Magpie |
| Battle honours | Falkland Islands 1982, Wadi al Batin, Gulf 1991, Al-Basrah, Iraq 2003 |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HRH The Prince of Wales |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
General The Rt Hon. The Lord Dannatt KCB CBE MC |
| Insignia | |
| Roundels | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Apache AH1 |
| Patrol | Lynx |
| Reconnaissance | Gazelle AH1, Islander AL1 |
| Trainer | Eurocopter Squirrel AS350BB, Grob Tutor |
| Transport | Bell 212HP, Lynx, Agusta A109A, Islander AL1 |
The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army, first formed in 1942. There are eight regiments (5 Regular Army, 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.
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The British Army first took to the sky during the 19th century with the use of observation balloons.[1] In 1911 the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers was the first heavier-than-air British military aviation unit.[2] 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.[3]
Between the wars, the Army used RAF co-operation squadrons,[4] 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[5][6][7] —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 SAS Regiment was added to the Corps.
One of their most successful exploits during the war was Operation Deadstick 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 (AOP) Squadrons.
In 1957 the Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps was renamed to The Parachute Regiment, while the Glider Pilot Regiment and the Air Observation Squadrons amalgamated into a new unit, the Army Air Corps.[8]
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 Westland Scout and Bell 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 Westland Gazelle.
Basic rotary flying training was carried out on the Bell Sioux in the 1970s, the Westland Gazelle in the 1980s and 1990s and is currently conducted on the Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel.
Fixed-wing types in AAC service have included the Auster AOP.6 and AOP.9 and DHC-2 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 DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 in the training role until its replacement by the Slingsby T-67 Firefly in the 1990s. The Slingsby T-67 Firefly was replaced by the Grob Tutor in 2010.
A further boost in the Army Air Corps' capability came in the form of the Westland Apache AH.1 attack helicopter. In 2006, British Apaches deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force.
| British Army Arms and Services |
|---|
| Combat Arms |
| Royal Armoured Corps |
| Infantry |
| Army Air Corps |
| Combat Support Arms |
| Royal Artillery |
| Royal Engineers |
| Royal Corps of Signals |
| Intelligence Corps |
| Combat Services |
| Royal Army Chaplains Department |
| Royal Logistic Corps |
| Army Medical Services |
| Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| Adjutant General's Corps |
| Small Arms School Corps |
| Royal Army Physical Training Corps |
| General Service Corps |
| Corps of Army Music |
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.[17]
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:
| Preceded by Special Air Service |
British Army Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Royal Army Chaplains' Department |
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