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5 Regiment Army Air Corps

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5 Regiment Army Air Corps
Active1 October 1993 – present
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeAviation
SizeRegiment
291 personnel[1]
Part ofAviation Reconnaissance Force
Garrison/HQJHFS Aldergrove
Motto(s)Nothing is Impossible
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryThe Regimental emblem is the Army Air Corps Cap Badge with the Roman numerals V beneath.
Aircraft flown
Observation helicopterGazelle AH1
ReconnaissanceDefender AL2/3
Islander AL1

5 Regiment Army Air Corps is a regiment of the British Army and is part of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC).[2] The regiment is based in Northern Ireland at JHC Flying Station Aldergrove.[2]

History

5 Regiment traces its origin to the Northern Ireland Regiment formed on 1 November 1979 at RAF Aldergrove.[3][4] On 1 October 1993, the Northern Ireland Regiment was renamed 5 Regiment AAC.[3]

The regiment consisted of No. 655 (The Scottish Horse) Squadron AAC, No. 665 Squadron AAC and 1 Flight AAC.[5] 655 Squadron operated the Westland Lynx AH7 helicopter.[6] 665 Squadron operated the Westland Gazelle AH1 helicopter.[7] 1 Flight operated the fixed wing Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft which had entered service on 10 March 1989.[8]

The primary task of 1 Flight was photo reconnaissance under the direction of the Reconnaissance Intelligence and Centre (Northern Ireland) (RIC(NI).[9][10] In 2000, the (RIC(NI)) was renamed the Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre and Geographic Centre (Northern Ireland) (RIGC(NI)).[10]

In March 2007, 655 Squadron was disbanded as Operation Banner was drawing to a close and due to a need to reduce the Lynx fleet set to be retired in 2012.[11][12] The Lynx aircraft of 655 remained at RAF Aldergrove and was operated by 665 Squadron through to the end of Operation Banner on 31 July 2007.[12][11] On 1 August 2007, Operation Helvetic commenced with 665 Squadron operating the Gazelle and 1 Flight operating the Islander.[13]

In July 2008, No. 651 Squadron of 1 Regiment AAC moved to RAF Aldergrove and became part of 5 Regiment.[14] 651 Squadron had been re-raised in 2006 at RAF Odiham to operate the Britten-Norman Defender fixed wing aircraft which had entered service in March 2004.[15][16] 1 Flight was integrated into 651 Squadron.[15]

In 2009, RAF Aldergove was renamed Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove.[17] In 2010, the tri-service RIGC(NI) became part of 5 Regiment.[10]

On 2 April 2019, 651 Squadron's aircraft the Britten-Norman Defender and BN-2 Islander were transferred to the Royal Air Force.[18] 651 Squadron personnel will continue to operate the aircraft as part of No. 1 Group to be replaced by RAF personnel through attrition.[18][19]

Structure

The regiment consists of:

  • No. 665 Squadron AAC[20]

The regiment has administrative responsibility for No. 29 (BATUS) Flight AAC based at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in Canada which operates Gazelle helicopters.[21][14][22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Army – Question for Ministry of Defence". p. 1. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Joint Helicopter Commando". British Army. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b "5 Regiment - History". British Army. 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Army Air Corps - Major Units 5 to 9". British Army units from 1945 on. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Units of 5 Regiment Army Air Corps". British Army. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  6. ^ "History of 655 Squadron". British Army. 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  7. ^ "5 Regiment - 665 Squadron". British Army. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  8. ^ "5 Regiment - 1 Flight AAC". British Army. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  9. ^ "1 Flight AAC History". British Army. Archived from the original on 4 July 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Merritt, Flt Lt; Wright, Flt Lt. "A Brief History and Update for the Reconnaissance Intelligence and Geographic Centre (Northern Ireland)". The Institution of Royal Engineers. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  11. ^ a b Minister of State for the Armed Forces Adam Ingram (24 March 2006). "Written Ministerial Statements - 655 Squadron Army Air Corps". UK Parliament. House of Commons. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. ^ a b "5 Regt AAC NI" (PDF). LZDZ Newspaper of the Joint Helicopter Command. Summer 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2009.
  13. ^ "Operation HELVETIC - Joint Helicopter Force Northern Ireland (JHF(NI))". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007.
  14. ^ a b "5 Regiment Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  15. ^ a b "651 Squadron Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Defender". British Army. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018.
  17. ^ "JHC FS Aldergrove". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  18. ^ a b Jennings, Gareth (2 April 2019). "UK transfers Defender and Islander special mission aircraft from AAC to RAF". Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  19. ^ Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group [@@HarvSmyth] (2 April 2019). "Handover of Fixed Wing Manned Aerial Surveillance from Army to RAF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "665 Squadron Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  21. ^ "29 (BATUS) Flight Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  22. ^ The Army Air Corps [@ArmyAirCorps] (29 August 2019). "Great footage of 29 Flight AAC and their fleet of Gazelle helicopters" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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