The first of the Australian Army’s newest attack helicopters have taken to the sky in the country’s north.<\/p>\n
Two new AH-64E Apache helicopters, acquired as part of a $4.5-billion dollar deal with United States government defence contractors, have arrived in the North Queensland garrison city of Townsville.<\/p>\n
Major-General David Hafner of the Australian Army’s Aviation Command said the new aircraft would enhance joint fighting ability with a key ally.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Major-generals Jeremy King (left) and David Hafner in Townsville. (ABC North Qld: Meghan Dansie)<\/p>\n
“It carries a range of sensors, communication, networking, which really sees an evolution in the capability that we’ve currently got within the army,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s also an aircraft that’s operated by a number of our regional partners, so great for interoperability and predominantly with our partner in the United States Army.”<\/p>\n
The federal government finalised the deal with the US for twenty-nine new Apache helicopters in 2022.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A test flight of an Australian Apache helicopter in Arizona. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)<\/p>\n
Change to northern forces<\/p>\n
The arrival of the Apaches mark a shift for the ADF’s presence in northern Australia.<\/p>\n
Townsville is set to become the hub of army aviation and the Darwin-based 1st Aviation Regiment is to relocate to the Queensland city by 2028, when the 22 ARH Tiger attack helicopters will be mothballed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lieutenant-Colonel Jason Perrins says the Apaches offer significantly more capability. (ABC North Qld: Baz Ruddick)<\/p>\n
Lieutenant-Colonel Jason Perrins is among the first army pilots qualified to fly the Apaches.<\/p>\n
“It’s not really the flying part that differs too much, it’s the level of information that the crew is getting presented to them and that they can then present to other platforms,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s allowing the crews to do so much more in support of the soldier.”<\/p>\n
A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster delivered the first two Australian Apaches. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)<\/p>\n
Independent capabilities in focus<\/p>\n
The 2023 Defence Strategic Review recognised the need to improve the defence force’s ability to operate from Australia’s northern bases.<\/p>\n
Australian National University National Security College senior policy advisor David Andrews said the Apache acquisition would bolster Australia’s independent capability in the Pacific region.<\/p>\n
“It’s a platform that’s compatible with our principal ally, the United States, but it also improves our ability to operate independently in pursuit of interests that are unique to Australia,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s just the most recent example of a comprehensive and broad approach to expanding Australia’s defence capabilities.”<\/p>\n
Richard Marles says the helicopters are the most advanced of their kind. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said the new helicopters were an investment in Australia’s northern bases.<\/p>\n
“The AH-64E Apache provides a critical step change in attack aviation capability for the Australian Army,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The acquisitions will result in pilots relocating from Darwin to Townsville. (ABC North Qld: Baz Ruddick)<\/p>\n
Included in the $4.5b Apache deal is a $306-million initial support contract with Boeing Defence Australia, which promises to bring 240 support jobs in Queensland in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
A new aviation training academy operated by Aviation Australia and Boeing Defence Australia will be based in Townsville from January.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More Apaches will be delivered soon. (ABC North Qld: Baz Ruddick)<\/p>\n
Mr Marles said the helicopters, all due to arrive in the country by 2029, would make Townsville Australia’s largest defence helicopter industry hub.<\/p>\n
“The Apache is the most advanced attack helicopter operating today and the Albanese government is pleased to welcome the first two helicopters to Townsville,” he said.<\/p>\n
More Apaches are set to arrive before the end of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first of the Australian Army’s newest attack helicopters have taken to the sky in the country’s north.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[118106,118110,118107,118103,118105,118111,118109,43,118104,44,118108,41,39,42,40,6649],"class_list":["post-184682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-16th-aviation-regiment","tag-1st-aviation-regiment","tag-5th-aviation-regiment","tag-ah-64e-apache","tag-apache-choppers-townsville","tag-aviation-darwin-moving","tag-foreign-sales-case-apache-helicopters","tag-headlines","tag-new-australian-apache-helicopters","tag-news","tag-pat-conroy-apache-helicopters","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-townsville"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}