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The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army . There are eight regiments of the '''AAC''' as well as five Independent Flights and two Independent Squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations across the world. They are located in Britain , Belize , Brunei , Canada , and Germany . The AAC provides the organic offensive air elements of 16th Air Assault Brigade . HISTORY OF THE AAC The first Army Air Corps The Army first took to the sky when the requirement for observation aircraft was realised during the First World War , with the creation of the Royal Flying Corps . Between the wars, the Army used RAF co-operation squadrons, though a true army presence did not occur until WWII . At the beginning of WWII , Royal Artillery officers, with the assistance of RAF technicians, flew Auster observation aircraft under RAF -owned Air Observation Post Squadrons. Twelve such squadrons were raised—three of which belonged to the RCAF —and each performed vital duties in a wide array of missions in many theatres. In early WWII , Winston Churchill , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , announced the establishment of a new branch of army aviation, the Army Air Corps, formed in 1942. The corps initially comprised the Glider Pilot Regiment and the Parachute Battalions (subsequently the Parachute Regiment ), and the Air Observation Post Squadrons. In 1944, the re-formed SAS Regiment was added to the Corps. One of their most successful exploits during the war was the attack on Pegasus Bridge , which occurred on 6 June , prior to the landings at Normandy . Once the three gliders landed, some roughly which incurred casualties, the pilots joined the Glider-borne troops ( Ox's & Bucks Light Infantry ) to act as infantry. The Bridge was taken within ten minutes of the battle commencing and the men there withheld numerous attempts by the Germans to re-capture the location. They were soon reinforced and relieved by soldiers from Lord Lovat's 1 Special Service Brigade , famously led by Piper Bill Millin . It was subsequently further reinforced by units of the British 3rd Division . The AAC was broken up in 1949, with the SAS returning to its independent status, while the Parachute Regiment and Glider Pilot Regiment came under the umbrella of the '''Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps'''. The pilots who had once flown Glider s in WWII soon had to re-role into flying powered aircraft, becoming part of the Air Observation Post Squadrons. The present Army Air Corps In 1957 the Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps was renamed as The Parachute Corps , with the Glider Pilot Regiment , as well as the Air Observation Squadrons amalgamated into a new unit, the '''Army Air Corps'''. From 1970, nearly every army Brigade had at least one Aviation Squadron that usually numbered twelve aircraft. The main rotor aircraft during the 1970s were the Scout and Sioux general purpose helicopters. Their power though was soon bolstered by the introduction of the Westland Lynx helicopter in 1977 as well as the unarmed Gazelle . A further boost in the Army Air Corp’s capability came in the form of the Apache Mk 1 attack helicopter. In 2006, British Apaches deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force mission there. In July 2007 an order was placed for 4 Beechcraft King Air 200's for use in the surveillance role in Afghanistan, the type being much more capable than the islanders currently used. PRESENT DAY UNITS Regiments
Independent Squadrons and Flights Independent Flights:
Independent Squadrons:
Air Observation Post. One example is maintained by the Army Historic Aircraft Flight]] Other units
CURRENT AIRCRAFT OF THE AAC
:See also List Of Aircraft Of The Army Air Corps OTHER INFORMATION
ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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