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
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

5 Regiment Army Air Corps is a regiment of the British Army and is part of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC).[1] The regiment is based in Northern Ireland at JHC Flying Station Aldergrove.[1]

History[]

5 Regiment traces its origin to the Northern Ireland Regiment formed on 1 November 1979 at RAF Aldergrove.[2][3] On 1 October 1993, the Northern Ireland Regiment was renamed 5 Regiment AAC.[2]

The regiment consisted of No. 655 (The Scottish Horse) Squadron AAC, No. 665 Squadron AAC and 1 Flight AAC.[4] 655 Squadron operated the Westland Lynx AH7 helicopter.[5] 665 Squadron operated the Westland Gazelle AH1 helicopter.[6] 1 Flight operated the fixed wing Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft which had entered service on 10 March 1989.[7]

The primary task of 1 Flight was photo reconnaissance under the direction of the Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (Northern Ireland) (RIC(NI).[8][9] In 2000, the (RIC(NI)) was renamed the Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre and Geographic Centre (Northern Ireland) (RIGC(NI)).[9]

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.[10][11] 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.[11][10] On 1 August 2007, Operation Helvetic commenced with 665 Squadron operating the Gazelle and 1 Flight operating the Islander.[12]

In July 2008, No. 651 Squadron of 1 Regiment AAC moved to RAF Aldergrove and became part of 5 Regiment.[13] 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.[14][15] 1 Flight was integrated into 651 Squadron following the squadron's move to Aldergrove.[14][16]

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.[9] In 2018, the RIGC(NI) was renamed No. 3 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Squadron and transferred to the Royal Air Force as part of No. 1 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing.[18][19]

On 1 April 2019, 651 Squadron and its aircraft, the Britten-Norman Defender and Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, were transferred to the Royal Air Force as part of ISTAR Force in No. 1 Group based at RAF Waddington.[20][21][22] 651 Squadron continued to operate the aircraft until they were retired from service on 30 June 2021.[20][23][24] On 1 August 2021, 651 Squadron transferred back to the Army as part of 1 Regiment AAC.[25]

Structure[]

The regiment consists of:

  • No. 665 Squadron AAC[26]

The regiment has administrative responsibility for No. 29 (BATUS) Flight AAC based at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in Canada which operates Gazelle helicopters.[27][13][28]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Joint Helicopter Commando". British Army. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b "5 Regiment - History". British Army. 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Army Air Corps - Major Units 5 to 9". British Army units from 1945 on. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Units of 5 Regiment Army Air Corps". British Army. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. ^ "History of 655 Squadron". British Army. 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  6. ^ "5 Regiment - 665 Squadron". British Army. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  7. ^ "5 Regiment - 1 Flight AAC". British Army. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  8. ^ "1 Flight AAC History". British Army. Archived from the original on 4 July 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Operation HELVETIC - Joint Helicopter Force Northern Ireland (JHF(NI))". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007.
  13. ^ a b "5 Regiment Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  14. ^ a b "651 Squadron Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
  15. ^ "Defender". British Army. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018.
  16. ^ Warner, Guy (2011). First in the Field : The Story of 651, the Army Air Corps' Premier Squadron. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 9781848842632.
  17. ^ "JHC FS Aldergrove". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  18. ^ Haley, Sqn Ldr Sam, ed. (Summer 2021). "1 ISR Wing Fifth Anniversay" (PDF). INSIGHT - The magazine of RAF Waddington. Kettering: Lance Print Ltd. p. 7. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. ^ "RAF Waddington". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Hay, Air Cdre Nick (2019). Michell, Simon (ed.). "ISTAR evolution". Air & Space Power 2019 Multi-Domain Operations for the Next Generation Air Force. Essex: Global Media Partners: 75. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  22. ^ Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group [@@HarvSmyth] (1 April 2019). "Handover of Fixed Wing Manned Aerial Surveillance from Army to RAF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Farewell Islander/Defender". Scramble. Dutch Aviation Society. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  24. ^ "British Army Retires Final Defender, Islander Aircraft". Key.Aero. Key Publishing. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  25. ^ 1 Regiment Army Air Corps [@@1_Regt_AAC] (1 August 2021). "651 Sqn AAC moves to 1 Regt AAC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "665 Squadron Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  27. ^ "29 (BATUS) Flight Army Air Corps". British Army. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  28. ^ 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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