Army Air Corps
The Army Air Corps (AAC) operates alongside the other Combat Arms of the Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps. Combat Arms are those forces that use fire and manoeuvre to engage with the enemy with direct fire systems. The forces providing fire support and operational assistance to the Combat Arms are called Combat Support Forces.
Army Aviation is an amalgam of military capability drawn from the following Regiments and Corps:
- Army Air Corps
- Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Royal Logistic Corps
- Adjutant General’s Corps
The Army Air Corps (AAC) operates alongside the other Combat Arms of the Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps. Combat Arms are those forces that use fire and manoeuvre to engage with the enemy with direct fire systems. The forces providing fire support and operational assistance to the Combat Arms are called Combat Support Forces.
The Five Roles of Army Aviation:
Offensive Action – the application of firepower and manoeuvre in order to defeat the enemy.
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) – the use of Army Aviation to gather information using optical and electronic devices.
Control and Direction of Firepower – the use of Army Aviation to observe enemy forces and engage with other weapon systems such as fighter ground attack, main battle tanks, artillery and mortars, land based rocket systems and naval fire support platforms.
Command Support – providing the capability for commanders to move around the battle quickly.
Movement of Personnel and Materiel – support to specialist operations, helicopter evacuation and delivery of vital equipment.
Attack Helicopter Display Team
The Army Air Corps Attack Helicopter Display Team 2014 Apache completed its display season at the end of August 2014. The pilots and co-pilots for the season were: Warrant Officer Class 2 Bruce Allen AAC, Captain Paul Whatnell AAC and Captain Sam Blackmore AAC.
The 2014 Apache Display demonstrated the capability of the British Army’s Attack Helicopter. The audience observed how the aircraft integrated into the ground battle, with the exceptional agility and manoeuvrability of the aircraft being demonstrated by the display pilot Warrant Officer Class 2 Bruce Allen. The pyrotechnics used during the display revealed the aircraft’s potency and firepower; the three weapons systems utilised were the 30mm cannon, the CRV7 rockets and the Hellfire missile system. The Apache’s Fire Control Radar were used to hunt for enemy targets, as were the Forward Looking Infra Red cameras. Apache aircrew, who are all soldiers, understand the land environment therefore they are able to work quickly toward the ground commander’s intent.
Corps Engagement Team
Army Air Corps personnel in the Corps Engagement Team for 2014 were: Captain James Lowrey, Warrant Officer Class 2 Daz White, Corporal Kevin Richardson, Lance Corporal Antony Picknell , Lance Corporal ‘Ash’ Saunders and Airtrooper David Maslen.
