16th Aviation Brigade (Australia)
| 16th Aviation Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 2002–present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Aviation |
| Size | 1,150 (active)[1] 150 (reserve) |
| Part of | Army Aviation Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Enoggera, Queensland |
| Insignia | |
| Unit colour patch |  |
The 16th Aviation Brigade (16 Avn Bde) commands all the Australian Army aviation units and has technical control of the Army Aviation Training Centre reporting to Army Aviation Command.[1][2] The Brigade was formed on 2 April 2002 by combining Headquarters Divisional Aviation (Operational Command) and Headquarters Aviation Support Group (Technical Command) and is headquartered in Enoggera Barracks, Queensland.[2][3][4] It was originally named Headquarters 16th Brigade (Aviation) and was renamed to the 16th Aviation Brigade.[3][5]
The Army Aviation Training Centre (AAvnTC) based at Oakey is responsible for training and maintains a training fleet reporting separately to Army Aviation Command.[1][6]
Organisation
[edit]As of 2023 the 16th Aviation Brigade consists of:[4]
- 16th Aviation Brigade headquarters (Enoggera Barracks, Brisbane, Queensland)
- 1st Aviation Regiment (armed reconnaissance helicopter, Robertson Barracks, Darwin, Northern Territory)
- 161st Reconnaissance Squadron
- 162nd Reconnaissance Squadron
- Logistic Support Squadron
- Technical Support Squadron
- 5th Aviation Regiment (transport helicopter, RAAF Base Townsville, Townsville, Queensland)
- A Squadron
- B Squadron
- C Squadron
- Logistic Support Squadron
- Technical Support Squadron
- 6th Aviation Regiment (special forces transport helicopter, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney)
- 20th Regiment (Unmanned Aerial Systems, Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera)
- 131st Battery
- 132nd Battery
- 133rd Battery (forming 2024)
- Operational Support Battery
- Combat Service Support Battery
- 1st Aviation Regiment (armed reconnaissance helicopter, Robertson Barracks, Darwin, Northern Territory)
Equipment
[edit]| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing CH-47 Chinook |  United States
|
Heavy-lift transport helicopter | CH-47F | 10 |
| Eurocopter Tiger |  Europe
|
Attack and Reconnaissance helicopter | Tiger ARH | 22[7] |
| Sikorsky S-70 Blackhawk | United States
|
Multi-role transport helicopter | S-70A-9 | 20[8] |
| NHIndustries NH90 | Europe
|
Multi-role transport helicopter | MRH-90 Taipan | 41 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c The Australian Army. Modernisation from Beersheba and Beyond (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. 26 August 2014. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b Black Hawk 221 Board of Inquiry (PDF). Australian Defence Force. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ a b Hastie, Lt-Col Andrew (11 September 2002). "New HQ for aviation brigade". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper (1059 ed.). Canberra, Australia: Department of Defence. ISSN 0729-5685.
- ^ a b "16th Aviation Brigade". Australian Army. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ^ "Army aviation in Australia 1970–2015" (PDF). Australian Army. Australian Army Flying Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Army Aviation Command established". Department of Defence (Press release). 2 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Army's Tiger ARH achieves FOC". Australian Aviation. 12 May 2016. ISSN 0813-0876.
- ^ Kerr, Julian (2 December 2015). "Australian Army to extend Black Hawk service lives for special forces use". Jane 's Defence Weekly. Vol. 53, no. 4. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
Further reading
[edit]- Dennis, Peter; et al. (2008). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (Second ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. ISBN 978-0-19-551784-2.
- Gubler, Abraham (2008). "Army Aviation's New Decade of Growth". Asia Pacific Defence Reporter. 34 (5): 16–19. ISSN 1037-1427.