List of Australian Army aircraft is a list of all aircraft operated by the Australian Army since its formation. The Army flies helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and also unmanned aerial vehicles of various types. The Army has a diverse portfolio of lift assets including fleet of latest Chinook helicopters, 22 Tiger attack helicopters, 15 EC135 (which it shares with Navy for training), and increasing numbers UH-60. A few other types, such as leased AW139 and Bell 412 are also used. The MRH-90 fleet which was a major asset for over a dozen years was fully retired in 2023 and are in storage, and the last of the S-70 were retired in 2021. Additional UH-60 and EC135 are being acquired in the 2020s.
.jpg)
The MRH-90 retirement is handled in several ways, prior to retirement additional Chinooks were acquired, and prior to and after additional AW139, Bell 412, UH-60, and EC135 were ordered or leased. The Navy and Air Force have their own aircraft, and the Navy uses SH-60 Sea Hawk and ordered more.
Current
edit| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Versions | Year introduced | No. in service[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing CH-47 Chinook |  United States
|
Transport helicopter | CH-47F | 10 | One CH-47D was destroyed during operations in Afghanistan on 30 May 2011.[2] Two additional CH-47Ds ordered in December 2011 as attrition replacement and to boost heavy lift capability.[3] The last of 7 new CH-47Fs was delivered in September 2015 and the D models subsequently retired.[4] | |
| Eurocopter Tiger |  Europe
|
Attack helicopter | Tiger ARH | 2004 | 22 | |
| Sikorski UH-60M Blackhawk | United States
|
Utility helicopter | UH-60M Blackhawk | 2023 | 3 (40 ordered) | After reliability issues with the MRH90, in 2021 the ADF announced they would replace the MRH90 fleet with 40 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters, announced the same year as the previous S-70A-9 Blackhawks were retired from service. The first 3 were delivered in 2023 after the grounding and subsequent retirement of the MRH90 fleet. The US announced an accelerated delivery timeline on the remaining 37 Blackhawks to help Australia replace the MRH90 fleet.[5] |
- 2 Bell 412 under lease at Army Aviation Training Center.[7]
- EC135 are shared with the Navy for training, but also intended for disaster relief in emergency.
- Leaving service
| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Versions | Year introduced | No. in service[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHIndustries NH90 | Europe
|
Utility helicopter | MRH90 – TTH: Tactical Transport Helicopter | 2007
(retired 2023) |
39 (40 original. 1 destroyed in crash) | The MRH-90 Taipan fleet was prematurely retired in September 2023, after a fatal crash of an MRH90 in Northern Queensland Pacific Ocean killing 4 servicemembers.[8][9] Previously in March 2023 an engine failure lead to an MRH90 ditching in the ocean off Jervis Bay.[10][11] Currently being dismantled for parts (Circa 2024) |
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
edit| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Versions | Year introduced | No. In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroVironment Wasp AE | United States
|
SUAS – Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | Wasp EA | 2018 | undisclosed | Wasp entered service in 2014 for test and evaluation. the Wasp AE entered service with the Australian Army in 2018.[12] |
| Black Hornet Nano |  Norway
|
MicroUAS Squad Level Reconnaissance and surveillance | PD-1000 Black Hornet | 2014 | undisclosed | The Black Hornet entered service in 2014 for test and evaluation. |
| AAI RQ-7 Shadow | United States
|
Tactical UAS Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | RQ-7B Shadow 2000 UAV | 2012 | 18 | 18 aircraft. The Shadow 200 entered service in 2012 replacing the ScanEagle. Operated by the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery |
Historic & Current
editUnmanned Aerial Vehicles
edit| Aircraft type | Origin | Variant | Role | Years In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A50 AAI Aerosonde | Australia | Aerosonde Mk 2 | Surveillance | 2003 | Four aircraft. Deployed to the Solomon Islands during Operation Anode in 2003. Operated by the 131st surveillance and Target Acquisition Battery. |
| Boeing Insitu ScanEagle | United States | Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | – 2012 | Obsolete, No longer operated by the Australian Army. Operated by the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery | |
| Elbit Systems Skylark | Israel | Skylark I | Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | Obsolete, no longer in service with the Australian Army. Replaced by the Wasp EA. | |
| Phantom (unmanned aerial vehicle series) | China | Phantom 4 | Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | 2017– | 350 aircraft |
Fixed Wing Aircraft
edit| Aircraft type | Origin | Variant | Role | Service period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A11 Auster Mark III | United Kingdom | Mk III MK V AOP.6 |
Two-seat air observation post aircraft | 1944–1959 | 58 aircraft. Operated by the RAAF in support of the Australian Army. |
| A98 Cessna 180 | United States | Model 180A Model 180D Model 180E |
Two to four seat liaison, observation aircraft | 1959–1975 | 19 aircraft |
| A14 Pilatus PC-6B Turbo-Porter | Switzerland | PC-6B Turbo Porter | Eight-seat reconnaissance, light transport aircraft | 1968–1992 | 19 aircraft |
| Cessna L-19 Bird Dog | United States | O-1 Bird Dog | One or two-seat liaison, observation aircraft | 1967–1968 | Three aircraft on loan from the US Army. Operated by the 161st Independent Reconnaissance Flight (Australia) |
| Beechcraft Queen Air | United States | A65 Queen Air B70 Queen Air |
1971–19?? | Four aircraft. Operated by the Australian Army Survey corps | |
| A18 GAF Nomad | Australia | Nomad N22B Nomad N24A |
Two-crew twin-engine utility transport, reconnaissance aircraft, capable of carrying 11 passengers | 1975–1995 | 22 aircraft |
| A32 Beechcraft Super King Air | United States | King Air B350 | Twin-engine utility transport aircraft | 1997-2009[13] | 24 aircraft. Including leased civilian aircraft. 4 owned aircraft given to the RAAF in 2009. |
| Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante | Brazil | EMB 100P1 Bandeirante | 1995 only | Four aircraft were leased from Flight West Airlines. Operated by the 173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia) | |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | DHC-6-320 Twin Otter | 1996–2004 | Three aircraft were leased from Hawker Pacific 1996. Operated by the 173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia) | |
| CASA C-212 Aviocar | Spain | C-212-400 | 2007-current | Two aircraft leased from Skytraders since 2013 with two 212-200 formerly leased from Military Support Services.[14][15] Operated by the Australian Defence Force Parachuting School.[14] |
Helicopters
edit
Historic and also current for context
| Aircraft type | Origin | Variant | Role | Service period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A22 Aerospatiale AS.350B Squirrel | France | AS.350B Squirrel | Two-crew light utility, training helicopter | 1990–1998 | 18 helicopters. Operated by the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School |
| A1 Bell 47 Sioux | United States | Model 47G-2 Sioux Model 47G-2A Sioux Model 47G-3B1 Sioux |
Three-seat light utility, training helicopter | 1960–1977 | 47 helicopters |
| A17 Bell / CAC CA-32, OH-58A Kiowa | United States Australia |
CAC CA-32, OH-58A Kiowa Model 206B-1 Kiowa |
Light observation, reconnaissance helicopter | 1971–2018 | 64 helicopters. Including eight US built helicopters, which were leased to the Australian Army. |
| A2 Bell UH-1 Iroquois | United States | UH-1H Iroquois | Multi-role utility transport helicopter | 1990–2007 | 25 helicopters. Transferred from the RAAF to the Australian Army in 1990 |
| A17 Boeing CH-47 Chinook | United States | CH-47D Chinook CH-47F Chinook |
Twin-rotor medium-lift transport helicopter | 1995-current | 18 helicopters |
| A25 Sikorsky S-70 Blackhawk | United States | S-70A-9 Black Hawk | Four-crew multi-role battlefield support helicopter, capable of carrying 10 troops | 1990-2021 | 39 helicopters. Transferred from the RAAF to the Australian Army. |
| A38 Eurocopter Tiger | Europe | Tiger ARH | Armed reconnaissance, attack helicopter | 2004-current | 22 helicopters |
| A40 NHIndustries NH90 | Europe | TTH: Tactical Transport Helicopter | Utility transport helicopter | 2007-2023 | 40 helicopters |
| Bell 412 | United States Canada |
Bell 412 |
2007-current | Two helicopters. Operated by the Army Aviation Training Centre[16] |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Australian Chinook crashes in Afghanistan". Australian Aviation. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ "Defence to buy two more Chinook choppers". ninemsn. 12 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ "Australian Army receives final CH-47F Chinook". Australian Aviation. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ^ "Black Hawks delivery to Australian shores accelerated". ABC News. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ Editorial, Defense Brief (1 March 2023). "Private company buys 2 more AW139 helos for lease to Australian Army". Defense Brief. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Toll Helicopters pitches WOG-RW solution - Australian Defence Magazine". www.australiandefence.com.au. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Four missing crew members identified as search continues for military helicopter". SBS News. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Australia grounds MRH-90 helicopter fleet after crash". BBC News. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "'Big explosion', burst of fire before ADF chopper 'sunk down' in NSW, fisherman says". ABC News. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Australia's MRH-90 Taipan helicopter fleet is back flying after 'risk mitigation' following Jervis Bay ditching". ABC News. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ Hartigan, Brian (1 June 2017). "ADF buys Wasp UAS". CONTACT magazine. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Army seeks to lease fixed-wing aircraft - Australian Defence Magazine". www.australiandefence.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Defence". Skytraders. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Army Constructiones Aeronauticas S A CASA 212 Aviocar". ADF-Serials. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Toll Helicopters pitches WOG-RW solution - Australian Defence Magazine". www.australiandefence.com.au. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
References
edit- Leoni, Ray D. (2007). Black Hawk, The Story of a World Class Helicopter. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 978-1-56347-918-2.