Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, are pictured disembarking from a CH-47F Chinook attached to the 5th Aviation Regiment. On 2 December the Australian Army established a new Aviation Command Unit. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian Army launched on 2 December a command unit to optimise its aviation assets and support improved co-ordination across the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, said at a ceremony in Canberra that the new Army Aviation Command will enhance the service's resilience and adaptability, and ensure its training systems are “agile and contemporary”.
He added, “The alignment of army's aviation capability, under its own command, optimises army aviation to better support land, amphibious, and special operations.”
The new unit will be supported by the 16th Aviation Brigade and Army Aviation Training Centre, which join the unit from the Army Forces Command. The new command also includes the assets of the Australian Army Aviation Corps.
The unit will be commanded by Major General Stephen Jobson. He said changes to the army's aviation command-and-control structure will “simplify the management of [its] helicopters”.
The establishment of the Army Aviation Command is aligned with Australia's Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan, which were both published in 2020 and outline a requirement for the ADF to enhance interoperability.
The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) had not responded to Janes questions about the establishment of the new Army Aviation Command unit at the time of publication.
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