Annual Report 2004-05

Outcome Three: Army Capabilities

Capability Performance Information

Output 3.4 Capability for Army Aviation Operations

The Army aviation operations capability contributes to the strategic tasks of defending Australia, securing our immediate neighbourhood, supporting wider interests and supporting peacetime national tasks. The capability for Army aviation operations is achieved by providing aircraft and personnel at high readiness levels for tactical troop lift, counter-terrorist support, command and liaison and reconnaissance operations. The capability is drawn from aviation units based in the north of Australia.

The capability is based on two aviation regiments and two independent aviation squadrons consisting of Kiowa, Iroquois, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, and until December 2004, fixed-wing King Air and Twin Otter aircraft. The Kiowa helicopters in 1^st Aviation Regiment are being progressively replaced by two squadrons of Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters. It is intended to replace the Iroquois helicopters with MRH-90 additional troop lift helicopters commencing in 2007. New King Air fixed-wing aircraft will be introduced in late 2005.

	Performance Targets	Performance
	Achieve levels of preparedness directed by the Chief of the Defence Force for military response options with a warning time of less than 12 months.	Achieved. The Army aviation operations capability met all levels of preparedness for military response options. The capability also provided significant staff effort to the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and the Troop Lift Helicopter Projects.
	Achieve a level of training that maintains core skills and professional standards across all warfare areas.	Substantially Achieved. The achievement of the level of training was slightly reduced in the first half of the reporting period due to the restoration of the experience level of aircrew within the Army aviation capability.
	36 S-70A9 Black Hawk – 7,500 flying hours.	Black Hawk – 85 per cent (6,378 hours achieved). The reduced level of achievement resulted from the impact of the maintenance system upgrade, a modification program to rectify aircraft cracking, and the requirement for aircrews to clear leave accumulated as a result of sustaining the five year commitment to Timor-Leste.
	42 B-206 Kiowa – 11,415 flying hours.	Kiowa – 85 per cent (9,691 hours achieved). The reduced level of achievement is a result of higher than expected failure rates on the basic helicopter courses, reduced student numbers on instructor courses, and a slippage of the lateral recruiting program. These shortfalls were partly overcome by a number of personnel initiatives in the second half of the reporting period.
	6 CH-47D Chinook – 1,270 flying hours.	Chinook – 92 per cent (1,170 hours achieved). This slightly reduced level of achievement reflects the inability to conduct a planned flight test trial due to the test pilots being required for Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tiger testing program development.
	25 UH-1H Iroquois – 4,090 flying hours.	Iroquois – 99 per cent (4,079 hours achieved).
	2 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tiger – 300 flying hours.	Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tiger – 23 per cent (72 hours achieved). The underachievement reflects delays in the acceptance testing regime and training program.
	3 B-200 King Air – 1,333 flying hours.	King Air – 84 per cent (1,050 hours achieved). The reduced level of achievement of is a result of aircrew training on the simulator and replacement aircraft (to be introduced in 2005).
	2 DHC-6 Twin Otter – 414 flying hours.	Twin Otter – 100 per cent (414 hours achieved). The fleet was withdrawn from service in December 2004.
	4 Future Fixed Wing Aircraft – 0 flying Hours.