| Army Aviation Corps Heeresflieger |
|
|---|---|
Coat of Arms of Aviation School |
|
| 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 |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier General Richard Bolz |
| 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 Aviation Corps[1] (Heeresfliegertruppe) is a special unit within the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). The German Army Aviation 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.
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The coat of arms of the German Army Aviation Corps depicts a white eagle, swooping down whilst carrying a sword in its claws. Members of the Army Aviation 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.
The main tasks of the Army Aviation Corps are:
Due to their manifold tasks, the German Army Aviation 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 Army Aviation 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.
After the foundation of the Bundeswehr in 1955, the first head of the department of the German Army Aviation 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 Aviation 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 Aviation 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 Aviation Corps were incorporated into the Airmobile Operations Division (Division Luftbewegliche Operationen) .
Furthermore, the role of the German Army Aviation 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 EUFOR RD Congo to support 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.
The German Army Aviation Corps is equipped with:
The following units are subordinate to Airmobile Operations Division, the division's headquarters being in Veitshöchheim:
| Name of unit | Flying | Based at | Insignia | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Aviators Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15 Münsterland | Sikorsky CH-53G/GS | Rheine | To be disbanded | |
| Army Aviators Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 25 Oberschwaben | Sikorsky CH-53G/GS | Laupheim | Transferred to German Air Force | |
| Army Aviators Transport Helicopter Regiment 30 | Bell UH-1D* | Niederstetten |
The following units are part of Airmobile Brigade 1 of Airmobile Operations Division. The division's headquarters is in Fritzlar:
| Name of unit | Flying | Based at | Insignia | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Aviators Light Transport Helicopter Regiment 10 Lüneburger Heide | Bell UH-1D* | Faßberg | ||
| Army Aviators Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 Franken | MBB Bo 105P** | Roth | To be disbanded | |
| Army Aviators Attack Helicopter Regiment 36 Kurhessen | MBB Bo 105P** | Fritzlar |
The following unit is not part of the Airmobile Operations Division but part of Air Transport Wing 62:
| Name of unit | Flying | Based at | Insignia | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Aviators Support Squadron 1 | Bell UH-1D | Holzdorf | To be disbanded |
The following units operate independently:
| Name of unit | Flying | Based at | Insignia | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Aviators Maintenance Squadron 100 | Celle | To be disbanded | ||
| Army Aviators Squadron 109 | Celle | To be disbanded | ||
| Army Aviators Liaison and Reconnaissance Squadron 109 | MBB Bo 105M | Celle | To be disbanded |
The following units are part of the Army Aviators School. The school's headquarters is in Bückeburg:
| Name of unit | Based at | Insignia |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction Group A (flying instruction) | Bückeburg | |
| Instruction Group B (non-flying instruction) | Bückeburg | |
| Training Centre C (flying instruction) | Celle | |
| Army Aviators Test Squadron 910 | Bückeburg | |
| Research And Development Group | Bückeburg | |
| Technical Maintenance Department | Bückeburg | |
| Franco-German Training Centre | Le Luc (France) |