COLLECTION - The Army Air Corps
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On 1st September 1957 Air Observation Post Squadrons and Light Liaison Flights (manned by the Glider Pilot Regiment) were amalgamated to form the modern Army Air Corps. The original purpose of the Corps was to command and control light, unarmed aircraft for reconnaissance, liaison and the direction of artillery fire. It was equipped with Auster Air O.P. Mk. 9 aeroplanes and Skeeter Air O.P. Mk. 12 helicopters.
Photograph: Auster Air O.P. Mk. 9. This type of aircraft was in service with the Army between 1956 and 1966.
Photograph: SARO Skeeter Air O.P. Mk. 12. In 1958 the Skeeter became the first light helicopter to enter service with the British Army.
Military trials with helicopters had been undertaken as far back as the mid 1940s but their use at that time was hampered by the difficulty in obtaining spares for the American made aircraft. In 1955, the Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit was established at Middle Wallop and equipped with six Bristol Sycamores and six Westland Whirlwinds. These helicopters were procured using War Office funds and so were the first aircraft to be owned by the Army since 1918. The establishment carried out a number of experiments covering instrument flying, navigation, cargo carrying, underslung loads, camouflage, evasion techniques and refuelling in the field. Their work was soon put to use operationally when, in July 1956, Egyptian forces seized control of the Suez Canal Company. Both Britain and France were major shareholders in the company and launched a military response, codenamed Operation Musketeer.
On the 6th November elements of 45 Commando, Royal Marines, were landed at Port Said in Egypt by helicopters of the Joint Helicopter Unit operating from HMS Ocean. This was the first time Britain had used helicopters in an airborne assault and it was a great success. Within 89 minutes a total 22 helicopters delivered 425 men and 23 tons of stores from the carriers located nine miles offshore. The operation convinced the War Office that the excellent mobility provided by helicopters justified their high initial costs and complex maintenance requirements.
Photograph: Bristol Sycamore Mk. 14 XG 502. This was one of the Joint Helicopter Unit aircraft which flew in the landings at Port Said during the Suez Crisis of 1956.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Army Air Corps became involved in a series of “brush fire” operations as Britain relinquished control of her Empire and Colonies. In 1961, British forces in the Aden Protectorate were reinforced after an increase in anti-government insurgence. 653 Squadron AAC provided aviation support for these reinforcements. The Squadron was also called upon to provide assistance to the Kuwaiti government. In 1963, dissident tribesmen in the Radfan, a mountainous region 56km north of Aden, rebelled against the Federal Government and 24 Brigade Group was sent into the region with 653 Squadron AAC in support. The Squadron was initially equipped with nine fixed-wing aircraft and two Scout helicopters and provided air reconnaissance, re-supply, liaison and artillery fire direction. Many important lessons were learnt during this campaign including how to land and take off in areas of enemy activity, the vulnerability of helicopters to small arms fire and the morale boosting effect of using helicopters to evacuate casualties from locations which would be inaccessible by any other means.
During the Confrontation in Borneo, helicopters again proved their worth – supporting troops on the ground and providing an efficient means of transporting supplies and men in dense jungle with few roads.
Photograph: Scout AH1 fitted with SS11 missiles.
The Army Air Corps played a significant role in support of the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War. During the 1970s and 1980s there were four Regiments of Army helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with Independent Squadrons and Flights in Germany. In 1970 the first anti-tank unit became operational with the introduction of Nord SS11 wire-guided missiles for the Scout helicopter. Thereafter, the main aim of Army aviation in Germany was to provide armed helicopters to counter the threat presented by Soviet armoured vehicles (HELARM). The Corps also provided communications flying and intelligence gathering as well as maintaining an air presence along the border.
Photograph: The Lynx AH1 entered service with the Army Air Corps in 1978. This particular aircraft, XX153, is a prototype which broke the world speed record in June 1972 and became the first helicopter ever to complete a barrel roll. Visitors to the Museum can climb on board.
During the Falklands War of 1982 (Operation Corporate), 656 Squadron AAC and 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron supported by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, the Royal Signals and the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, provided a light helicopter force. 656 Squadron was equipped with Gazelle helicopters, some of which were fitted with SNEB rockets, and a number of Scout helicopters capable of carrying SS11 missiles. The role of these helicopters proved crucial to the successful outcome of the war. The rough, boggy terrain made the use of wheeled vehicles for the movement of men and supplies impractical and the Army Air Corps was called upon to provide re-supply, casualty evacuation, observation and communications flights, often in appalling weather conditions and under fire. The SS11 missiles were used against enemy positions.
Photograph: Argentine Bell UH1H (Huey) captured during the Falklands War.
In 2007, Operation Banner was concluded, ending the Corps’ involvement with anti-terrorist duties in Northern Ireland which began in 1969.
In recent years, the Army Air Corps has seen service in Kuwait, the Balkans, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. It continues to fulfil the traditional roles of Army aviators including reconnaissance, the movement of troops and supplies, command and control and casualty evacuation. Now equipped with the Apache AH1, the Corps can also add combat aviation to its list of primary tasks.