Page 30 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

30 DEFENCE BUSINESS PLAN CORELLA
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
VALUE ADDING – ARMY’S PLAN CORELLA
Army’s $37 million program of leasing civilian helicopters to mitigate aircrew currency issues caused by the lower than planned availability of its operational helicopter fleet is paying dividends.
NIGEL PITTAWAY | MELBOURNE
TWO Leonardo AW139 medium helicopters have been leased from Toll Helicopters, with full engineering sup- port, and are not only performing well in their desig- nated role but have recently also provided welcome help to flood-affected people in south east Queensland and northern NSW.
The helicopters were acquired under the Army Inter- im Commercial Helicopter (AICH) contract, also known as Plan Corella, following a limited Request For Tender (RFT) released to industry in October 2020. The RFT called for up to three modern, twin-engine, glass cockpit helicopters to serve within B Squadron, 5th Aviation Regi- ment at Townsville.
While the option of the third helicopter has yet to be taken up, Toll signed the AICH contract in February 2021 and the two AW139s became fully operational in October last year, following the training of initial crews at the com- pany’s ACE Training Centre at Bankstown.
AICH CONTRACT
The AICH contract will run to June 2023 with the option of two one-year extensions and will assist Army in manag- ing its currency and workforce in preparation for its transi- tion to the proposed new helicopter types.
“The idea behind it was primarily to provide a fast-track solution for Army crews to continue their professional fly- ing development and professional mastery,” explained Toll Helicopters’ Manager of Defence Aviation Programs John Walker. “The AW139 was chosen because it was the air- craft that most closely resembled a twin-engine medium helicopter, with a glass cockpit and advanced autopilot, together with a cabin size and utility and capability that value adds to allow aircrewman training as well.”
BELOW: An AW139 flown by pilots from the 5th Aviation Regiment at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville in September 2021
DEFENCE