| British Army |
By far the largest organisation of the British Defence Force is the British Army. Obviously the emphasis of the army is on ground forces like artillery, cavalry and infantry. However since mankind was able to take to the skies in aviation machines the British Army has been very interested and innovative. The RAF started out as Royal Flying Corps and as such part of the British Army. Currently all aviation assets, with the expection of some Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), of the British Army are gathered under the Army Air Corps.
| | Army Air Corps |
The actual establishment of the Army Air Corps (AAC) took place in February 1942. The corps was formed out of light air-landed infantry (Parachute Regiment), some independent parachute companies and the Glider Pilot Regiment (GPR). The gliders were operated by the AAC and flown by crews from the GPR. The RAF was responsbile for the aircraft which towed the gliders to their destination. The infantry from the Parachute Regiment and companies were transported to the battlefield aboard the RAF towing and transport planes and AAC gliders.
Another, now legendary, unit which fell under control of the AAC was the Special Air Service (SAS). The first major operation in which the gliders were used was the invasion in Normandy. As part of Operation Overlord many British, American and other allied paratroops landed behind the lines. The second well known battle was Operation Market Garden, better known as the Battle of Arnhem. The AAC however was involved in many more battles in Europe and Africa. After the war gliders became obsolete and the pilots were trained on light observation aircraft. The Glider Pilot Regiment remained part of the British Army until 1957 when it was joined together with the Air Observation Post Squadrons into the modern AAC.
First the AAC operated a number of squadrons and flights equipped with Auster light planes and Skeeter helicopters. Some additional flights were incorporated into the structure of army regiments. This evolved into every brigade operating at least one squadron with twelve helicopters in the 1970s. At that point the back bone was formed by the Sioux and Scout helicopters. This again changed into each division having its own aviation regiment which by the mid 1980s were equipped with 36 Lynx and Gazelle helicopters. After the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 the cold war rapidly came to an end. This resulted in a drastic decrease of British Army units based in Germany. The once famous British Army Of the Rhine (BOAR) shrunk to what since 1994 was called British Forces Germany. The AAC assests assigned to the BOAR were mostely returned to the United Kingdom with the exception of two units. The smaller one of these two is 12 Flight which operates from the former RAF Brüggen airbase (which is called Javelin Barracks, Elmpt Station since 2001) with three Gazelle AH1 helicopters. At another former RAF station (Gütersloh) a large unit remained. This is 1 Regiment which controls two squadrons, each equipped with six Lynx helicopters.
In October 1999 the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) was established and several AAC attack and observation helicopter squadrons were absorbed into this structure. This does not mean that these units are no longer part of the AAC. Personnel and equipment still report to the AAC command, but to save cost and streamline joint operations the units works under one command with elements of the FAA and RAF. These units are 657sq and four regiments (3, 4, 5 and 9 Regiment AAC). Another unit which is still part of the AAC but operates under a multi-service command is 660sq. This unit is part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS). More details on these units can be found further on under the header Multi Service Organisations.
The inventory of the AAC underwent two major changes during the first years of the 21st century. First this was the introduction of the Apache AH1 attack helicopter. This type replaced the Lynx as main attack helicopter. In 2007 the entire Apache fleet was centralized at Wattisham where both 3 Regiment and 4 Regiment each control three Apache squadrons. The second change was the retirement of a large portion of the Gazelle AH1 fleet. In some cases the Gazelles were replace by Lynx helicopters which became available after themselves being replaced by Apaches. In other cases there were no replacements taken on charge.
The current role of the AAC consists of Armed Action, Observation & Reconnaissance, Forward Air Control, Command & Control and Light transport of men and material. To better streamline operations the various units are linked to specific commands or divisions. Details about which AAC regiment is linked to which command or division can be found in the OrBat below.
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Photo: Frits Jongerman
Photo: Derek Bower
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Royal Air Force
RAF Order of Battle