Relocations as Apaches and Black Hawks on way

Plans to replace the Army’s European-designed battlefield helicopters with US Black Hawk and Apache programs will go ahead as planned.

The Australian Army is acquiring Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. Picture: US Air Force

The Australian Army’s plans to replace its European-designed battlefield helicopters with US products received a ringing endorsement from the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) in April, with confirmation that its Black Hawk and Apache programs will go ahead as planned.

The army is replacing its Airbus Helicopters Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters (ARH) and NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan multi-role helicopters (MRH) with Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters and Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk battlefield mobility rotorcraft through the US Foreign Military Sales mechanism. ­

The DSR, the defence blueprint for the future structure of the Australian Defence Force, also applauds the army’s plans to relocate the 1st Aviation Regiment – currently flying the Tiger ARH in Darwin – to Townsville.

It also plans to move two squadrons of the 5th Aviation Regiment from Townsville to Oakey, near Toowoomba, and to Holsworthy in NSW.

A third squadron of the 5th Aviation Regiment will remain in Townsville with its Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.

“The acquisition of the UH-60M Black Hawk and AH-64E Apache provides the opportunity to posture the majority of Defence’s battlefield aviation in Townsville to enable a robust air mobility capability,” the DSR states. “This includes basing the Apache capability in Townsville.

“The battlefield aviation capability will be supported by two industry nodes centred on Townsville (Boeing Australia servicing the Apache and Chinook) and Sydney/Nowra/South East Queensland (Sikorsky Australia servicing UH-60M Black Hawk and Navy’s MH-60R Seahawk).”

The report notes that this reorganisation has been a recommendation of previous reviews into the employment and management of Defence’s battlefield aviation capability, but the news will not be welcomed by the Northern Territory government, which is set to lose a skilled workforce to northern Queensland.

It’s been no secret that the army (and the wider Defence organisation) has been trying to divest itself of the Tiger and Taipan, and after almost two decades it has finally succeeded.

The army will acquire 29 Apache attack helicopters, with the plan to replace the existing Tiger ARH fleet by the end of the decade.

While a firm contract is yet to be signed, the $5.5bn Land 4503 Phase 1 deal was first announced by then-Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in January 2021.

The Black Hawk acquisition would seem more urgent to the army. A $2.8bn contract for 40 UH-60Ms – to be acquired under Land 4057 Phase 1 – was announced in January 2023, with deliveries to begin in June.

These first Black Hawks will go to a newly created Special Operations Aviation Task Unit at Holsworthy, replacing the MRH-90s at the Special Forces-aligned 6th Aviation Regiment.

As a result of the Black Hawk assuming the Special Operations support role, the Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group has quietly cancelled the army’s Land 2097 Phase 4 program, which would have overseen acquisition of at least 16 armed lightweight helicopters.

The $3bn light Special Forces support program had been in limbo for some time pending review – despite a winning bidder being selected – and was cancelled before the release of the DSR.