1st Aviation Regiment (Australia)
| 1st Aviation Regiment | |
|---|---|
_Eurocopter_EC-655_Tiger_ARH_departing_Wagga_Wagga_Airport.jpg) An Australian Army Tiger ARH | |
| Active | 1966–Present |
| Country |  Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Aviation |
| Role | Attack Reconnaissance |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | 16th Aviation Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Robertson Barracks, Darwin |
| Motto(s) | Alert |
| Mascot(s) | CPL Penny Alert (Peregrine Falcon) |
| Equipment | Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter |
The 1st Aviation Regiment is an Australian Army aviation unit and is part of the 16th Aviation Brigade.[1]
The Regiment was formed on 26 April 1966 as the 1st Division Army Aviation Regiment and was re-designated the 1st Aviation Regiment in March 1967. While the Regiment has historically operated a mix of fixed-wing aircraft and in late 2004 the unit re-organised for its new role that will accompany its new aircraft, the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter.
As part of this restructure, 171st Operational Support Squadron and 173rd Surveillance Squadron were placed as direct command units of 16th Aviation Brigade.[2]
During 2005 and 2006, the Regiment consolidated all of the remaining squadrons into one location for the first time, at Gaza Lines, in Darwin’s Robertson Barracks.
In 2012 after three incidents with cockpit fumes that endangered aircrew, pilots voted to not fly until all safety concerns were addressed.[3]
The 1st Aviation Regiment reached its final operating capability with the Tigers on 18 April 2016. This process took much longer than expected, due in part to the complexity of the helicopters and shortages of spare parts. The 2016 Defence White Paper stated that the Tigers would be retired early, and be replaced with different aircraft during the mid-2020s.[4]
Current organisation
The regiment is currently organised as follows:[5]
- Regimental Headquarters
- 161st Attack Squadron
- 162nd Attack Squadron
- Logistic Support Squadron
- Technical Support Squadron
Civil Assistance and Operations
- INTERFET,
- Operations Stabilise/Warden,
- UNTAET & Operation Tanager,
- NSW Flood Assistance,
- Operation Gold (Sydney Olympics),
- UNMISET & Operation Citadel,
- Operation Anode,
- Operation Guardian II,
- Operation Astute.
Notes
- ^ Australian Army Aviation Association website
- ^ Australian Army Aviation Association website
- ^ Army pilots stage mutiny over chopper fears December 5, 2015 The Australian Retrieved November 16, 2016
- ^ "Army's Tiger ARH achieves FOC". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ "1st Aviation Regiment". Department of Defence. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
 | This military aviation article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |