Military Wiki
5 Regiment Army Air Corps
Active 1 October 1993 – present
Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army British Army
Type Aviation
Size Regiment
Part of Aviation Reconnaissance Force
Garrison/HQ JHFS Aldergrove
Motto(s) Nothing is Impossible
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry The Regimental emblem is the Army Air Corps Cap Badge with the Roman numerals V beneath.
Aircraft flown
Reconnaissance Gazelle 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. 1.0 1.1 "Joint Helicopter Commando". https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/joint-helicopter-command/. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "5 Regiment - History". 12 April 2006. http://www.army.mod.uk/aac/units/5_regiment_aac/5_regiment_history.htm. 
  3. "Army Air Corps - Major Units 5 to 9". http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/army-air-corps/major-units-5-to-9.html. 
  4. "Units of 5 Regiment Army Air Corps". 22 November 2006. http://www.army.mod.uk/aac/units/5_regiment_aac/5regtunits.htm. 
  5. "History of 655 Squadron". 12 April 2006. http://www.army.mod.uk/aac/units/5_regiment_aac/655_sqn_history.htm. 
  6. "5 Regiment - 665 Squadron". 31 October 2006. http://www.army.mod.uk/aac/units/5_regiment_aac/665_squadron.htm. 
  7. "5 Regiment - 1 Flight AAC". 31 October 2006. http://www.army.mod.uk/aac/units/5_regiment_aac/1_flight_aac.htm. 
  8. "1 Flight AAC History". https://webarchive.nationhttp://www.army.mod.uk/aac/units/5_regiment_aac/1_flight_aac/1_flight_aac_history.htm. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Merritt, Flt Lt; Wright, Flt Lt. "A Brief History and Update for the Reconnaissance Intelligence and Geographic Centre (Northern Ireland)". https://www.instre.org/pages/notice-board/rigcni-40th-anniversary.php. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Written Ministerial Statements - 655 Squadron Army Air Corps". House of Commons. 24 March 2006. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060327/wmstext/60327m01.htm#60327m01.html_spmin2. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 "5 Regt AAC NI". Summer 2007. http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0A6B09EC-4B44-4195-81A8-770AE35611AF/0/lzdz_summer07.pdf. 
  12. "Operation HELVETIC - Joint Helicopter Force Northern Ireland (JHF(NI))". http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Templates/RoleHubContentPage.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b7EE3C4FE-EC2F-408A-9901-27B0A174F5C5%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fDefenceInternet%2fAboutDefence%2fWhatWeDo%2fAirSafetyandAviation%2fJHC%2fNorthernIreland%2ehtm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest. 
  13. 13.0 13.1 "5 Regiment Army Air Corps". https://www.army.mod.uk/aviation/27834.aspx. 
  14. 14.0 14.1 "651 Squadron Army Air Corps". http://www.army.mod.uk/aviation/30331.aspx. 
  15. "Defender". http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23292.aspx. 
  16. Warner, Guy (2011). First in the Field : The Story of 651, the Army Air Corps' Premier Squadron. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 9781848842632. https://books.google.com/books?id=hgbMDwAAQBAJ. 
  17. "JHC FS Aldergrove". https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/jhfs-aldergrove/. 
  18. Haley, Sqn Ldr Sam, ed (Summer 2021). "1 ISR Wing Fifth Anniversary". INSIGHT - The magazine of RAF Waddington. Kettering: Lance Print Ltd. http://www.theinsightonline.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Insight2021SummerWeb.pdf. 
  19. "RAF Waddington". https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-waddington/. 
  20. 20.0 20.1 Jennings, Gareth (2 April 2019). "UK transfers Defender and Islander special mission aircraft from AAC to RAF". Jane's Defence Weekly. https://www.janes.com/article/87600/uk-transfers-defender-and-islander-special-mission-aircraft-from-aac-to-raf. 
  21. Hay, Air Cdre Nick (2019). "ISTAR evolution". In Michell, Simon. Essex: Global Media Partners. p. 75. https://issuu.com/globalmediapartners/docs/rafairandspacepower2019. 
  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.". https://twitter.com/@HarvSmyth/status/1112730019372195842. 
  23. "Farewell Islander/Defender". Scramble. Dutch Aviation Society. 11 July 2021. https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/farewell-islander-defender. 
  24. "British Army Retires Final Defender, Islander Aircraft". Key.Aero. Key Publishing. 12 July 2021. https://www.key.aero/article/british-army-retires-final-defender-islander-aircraft. 
  25. 1 Regiment Army Air Corps [@1_Regt_AAC] (1 August 2021). "651 Sqn AAC moves to 1 Regt AAC.". https://twitter.com/@1_Regt_AAC/status/1421870891508633600. 
  26. "665 Squadron Army Air Corps". http://www.army.mod.uk/aviation/30330.aspx. 
  27. "29 (BATUS) Flight Army Air Corps". http://www.army.mod.uk/aviation/30332.aspx. 
  28. The Army Air Corps [ArmyAirCorps] (29 August 2019). "Great footage of 29 Flight AAC and their fleet of Gazelle helicopters.". https://twitter.com/ArmyAirCorps/status/1166995946963709953. 


All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 5 Regiment Army Air Corps and the edit history here.