Airforces

66 // FEBRUARY 2018 #359 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Force

Report

Hellfire and a laser guidance

system for the 70mm rockets, will

be acquired in the near future.

5th Aviation Regiment

Chronologically the second of

AA Avn’s helicopter regiments, 5

AVN REGT was formed at RAAF

Base Townsville in November

1987, ahead of the transfer of the

S-70A-9 and UH-1H battlefield

support helicopters from the Royal

Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1989.

The regiment uses alphabetic

rather than numeric unit

designations and A and B

Squadrons were formed, initially

flying the Black Hawk (A Squadron)

and Iroquois (B Squadron),

before settling on the former

helicopter. In 1995, C Squadron

was formed to operate four

CH-47D Chinooks, which had

been converted by Boeing from

ex-RAAF CH-47C helicopters.

The Black Hawks have since been

replaced by the MRH90, and the

CH-47F has now superseded the

CH-47D as the army’s medium-

lift capability. As with the 1st

Aviation Regiment, the flying

squadrons are supported by a

technical support squadron and

a logistics support squadron.

Two CH-47Ds were deployed

to Iraq by 5 AVN REGT for three

months from February 2003 and

the first of a regular seasonal

deployment to Afghanistan began

in March 2006. The Chinooks

operated as part of the Rotary

Wing Task Group, to support

Australian and coalition forces

during the northern ‘fighting

season’, and the 11th and final

deployment finally returned

to Townsville in late 2013.

MRH90 Taipan

A total of 47 MRH90 Taipan Multi-

Role Helicopters (MRH, A40-

001 to 047) are on order for the

Australian Defence Force (ADF), to

replace the Black Hawk and Royal

Australian Navy (RAN) Sea King

Mk50A/B helicopters. Although

maintained as a common pool, six

aircraft are allocated to the RAN’s

Canberra

Australia

Oakey, Qld

Nowra, NSW

Luscombe, NSW

Tamworth, NSW

Townsville

Intl, Qld

Robertson

Barracks

Indonesia Papua New Guinea

Tasmania

Australian Army Aviation

Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Air Force

Although it only achieved final operational capability in April 2016, Australia is now considering replacement of the Tiger ARH in the medium term. This example is
being prepared for flight at RAAF Base Curtin in northern Western Australia during Exercise Northern Shield 2016. ABIS Chris Beerens/Commonwealth of Australia

helicopter and supply chain, and
final operational capability (FOC)
was not declared until April 2016.
The Tiger ARH is based upon the
French Army’s Tigre Hélicoptère
d’Appui Protection (HAP), albeit with
several changes to reflect its armed
reconnaissance helicopter role.
The primary weapons are the
Lockheed Martin AGM-114M
Hellfire air-to-ground missile, with
associated digital M299 launcher

and a laser designator incorporated

into the Sagem Strix sighting

system; Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ)

70mm (2.75in) unguided rockets,

carried in either seven- or 19-shot

pods under the stub wings, and

a 30mm Nexter (formerly GIAT)

cannon in a turret under the chin

and slaved to the crew’s TopOwl

helmet-mounted sight and display

(HMSD). Other weapons, such

as the ‘Romeo’ version of the

Australian Army Aviation Corps