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3Regiment Army Air Corps (3 AAC) prepares and generates Attack Aviation and are held at Very High
Readiness (VHR), to support Defence- wide activities. They are optimised for warfighting, but scaled for demand, it also delivers deployed C2 at VHR for Aviation Task Force 1 on behalf of the Joint Helicopter Command.
3 AAC has had an extremely active year as it prepared to assume readiness. During this year the unit welcomed the new Commanding Officer, Lt Col R Simcock and the new RSM, WO1 R Davison.
Attack aviation is a vital component within the British Army and the regiment has seen multiple deployments spanning multiple countries. 669 and 663 squadron deployed on Ex PINION TITAN during Sep-Oct 23. This was the Aviation Battlegroup validation exercise for 1 Aviation Brigade Combat Team (BCT). The exercise was conducted to test the warfighting capability of Attack Helicopter (AH) and Reconnaissance Helicopter (RH) platforms. It saw the continued involvement of the newly introduced Apache AH-64E alongside the Wildcat AW159.
Concurrently, 662 Squadron, deployed on Ex PINION OMAN during Aug-Dec 23. This was a major deployment. Service Personnel (SP) deployed were still able to
3 REGIMENT ARMY AIR CORPS
SSgt (SSI) M Dalton RAPTC
conduct PT due to the use of a deployable gym mounted forward at Al’ J’Aluni Airfield.
Back in camp, the 3 units within Wattisham Flying Station competed in Ex BIG PUSH. This was a 24-hour charity land rover push organised by 4 AAC. This was to support the Children’s Appeal
Ipswich Hospital. The unit also took part in a series of OC’s Cups, these are internal squadron competitions to help improve team cohesion within the Regiment. Some of the events conducted were Tactical themed competition and British Army Warrior Fitness (BAWF).
3 AAC also conducted a series of Adventurous Training exercises, one of which was Ex EAGLE SKI 24 - the Army Air Corps Ski Camp which was held at Les Arcs, France. The aim of the Exercise was to deliver Adventurous Training Ski Foundation progression training (SF1-3) through distributed training and to identify ski talent for the AAC Alpine Race squad. Concurrently, it aims to enhance Corps ethos by bringing the Corps together in a demanding alpine environment.
Although a busy year for the Regiment, SP still managed to find time to take part in sport. Cpl Ashes Gurung, 3AAC IC Badminton led service personnel through a series of competitions. The team were runners up during the UK Midland Badminton Championship 2023, qualifying the Regiment for the Badminton Army Cup 2023. Concurrently, 3 members of 3AAC made up the Female BAWF team for Wattisham Flying Station. They attended Midlands Event 3 and managed to secure third place.
3 AAC are now looking forward to what 2024 brings, they will operate on readiness, adapting to any modern challenges the future brings.
Members of 3AAC taking Part in sport – BAWF Midlands
Members of 3AAC taking part in sport – Badminton