List of Australian Army aircraft is a list of all aircraft operated by the Australian Army since its formation. The Army flies helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and also unmanned aerial vehicles of various types. The Army has a diverse portfolio of lift assets including fleet of latest Chinook helicopters, 22 Tiger attack helicopters, 15 EC135 (which it shares with Navy for training), and increasing numbers UH-60. A few other types, such as leased AW139 and Bell 412 are also used. The MRH-90 fleet which was a major asset for over a dozen years was fully retired in 2023 and are in storage, and the last of the S-70 were retired in 2021. Additional UH-60 and EC135 are being acquired in the 2020s.
The MRH-90 retirement is handled in several ways, prior to retirement additional Chinooks were acquired, and prior to and after additional AW139, Bell 412, UH-60, and EC135 were ordered or leased. The Navy and Air Force have their own aircraft, and the Navy uses SH-60 Sea Hawk and ordered more.
| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Versions | Year introduced | No. in service[1] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing CH-47 Chinook | Transport helicopter | CH-47F | 10 | See main article: Boeing CH-47 Chinook in Australian service. | |||
| Eurocopter Tiger | Attack helicopter | Tiger ARH | 2004 | 22 | |||
| Sikorski UH-60M Blackhawk | Utility Helicopter | UH-60M Blackhawk | 2023 | 3 (40 ordered) | After reliability issues with the MRH90, in 2021 the ADF announced they would replace the MRH90 fleet with 40 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters, announced the same year as the previous S-70A-9 Blackhawks were retired from service. The first 3 were delivered in 2023 after the grounding and subsequent retirement of the MRH90 fleet. The US announced an accelerated delivery timeline on the remaining 37 Blackhawks to help Australia replace the MRH90 fleet.[5] |
| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Versions | Year introduced | No. In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroVironment Wasp AE | SUAS – Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | Wasp EA | 2018 | undisclosed | Wasp entered service in 2014 for test and evaluation. the Wasp AE entered service with the Australian Army in 2018.[13] | ||
| Black Hornet Nano | MicroUAS Squad Level Reconnaissance and surveillance | PD-1000 Black Hornet | 2014 | undisclosed | The Black Hornet entered service in 2014 for test and evaluation. | ||
| AAI RQ-7 Shadow | Tactical UAS Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | RQ-7B Shadow 2000 UAV | 2012 | 18 | 18 aircraft. The Shadow 200 entered service in 2012 replacing the ScanEagle. Operated by the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery |
| Aircraft type | Origin | Variant | Role | Years In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Aerosonde Mk 2 | Surveillance | 2003 | Four aircraft. Deployed to the Solomon Islands during Operation Anode in 2003. Operated by the 131st surveillance and Target Acquisition Battery. | ||
| United States | Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | – 2012 | Obsolete, No longer operated by the Australian Army. Operated by the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery | |||
| Israel | Skylark I | Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | Obsolete, no longer in service with the Australian Army. Replaced by the Wasp EA. | |||
| China | Phantom 4 | Reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance | 2017– | 350 aircraft |
| Aircraft type | Origin | Variant | Role | Service period | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Two-seat air observation post aircraft | 1944–1959 | 58 aircraft. Operated by the RAAF in support of the Australian Army. | |||
| United States | Model 180AModel 180DModel 180E | Two to four seat liaison, observation aircraft | 1959–1975 | 19 aircraft | ||
| Switzerland | PC-6B Turbo Porter | Eight-seat reconnaissance, light transport aircraft | 1968–1992 | 19 aircraft | ||
| United States | O-1 Bird Dog | One or two-seat liaison, observation aircraft | 1967–1968 | Three aircraft on loan from the US Army. Operated by the 161st Independent Reconnaissance Flight (Australia) | ||
| United States | A65 Queen AirB70 Queen Air | 1971–19?? | Four aircraft. Operated by the Australian Army Survey corps | |||
| Australia | Nomad N22BNomad N24A | Two-crew twin-engine utility transport, reconnaissance aircraft, capable of carrying 11 passengers | 1975–1995 | 22 aircraft | ||
| United States | King Air B350 | Twin-engine utility transport aircraft | 1997-2009[14] | 24 aircraft. Including leased civilian aircraft. 4 owned aircraft given to the RAAF in 2009. | ||
| Brazil | EMB 100P1 Bandeirante | 1995 only | Four aircraft were leased from Flight West Airlines. Operated by the 173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia) | |||
| Canada | DHC-6-320 Twin Otter | 1996–2004 | Three aircraft were leased from Hawker Pacific 1996. Operated by the 173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia) | |||
| Spain | C-212-400 | 2007-current | Two aircraft leased from Skytraders since 2013 with two 212-200 formerly leased from Military Support Services.[15] [16] Operated by the Australian Defence Force Parachuting School. |
Historic and also current for context
| Aircraft type | Origin | Variant | Role | Service period | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | AS.350B Squirrel | Two-crew light utility, training helicopter | 1990–1998 | 18 helicopters. Operated by the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School | ||
| United States | Model 47G-2 SiouxModel 47G-2A SiouxModel 47G-3B1 Sioux | Three-seat light utility, training helicopter | 1960–1977 | 47 helicopters | ||
| United StatesAustralia | Light observation, reconnaissance helicopter | 1971–2018 | 64 helicopters. Including eight US built helicopters, which were leased to the Australian Army. | |||
| United States | UH-1H Iroquois | Multi-role utility transport helicopter | 1990–2007 | 25 helicopters. Transferred from the RAAF to the Australian Army in 1990 | ||
| United States | CH-47D ChinookCH-47F Chinook | Twin-rotor medium-lift transport helicopter | 1995-current | 18 helicopters | ||
| United States | S-70A-9 Black Hawk | Four-crew multi-role battlefield support helicopter, capable of carrying 10 troops | 1990-2021 | 39 helicopters. Transferred from the RAAF to the Australian Army. | ||
| Europe | Tiger ARH | Armed reconnaissance, attack helicopter | 2004-current | 22 helicopters | ||
| Europe | TTH: Tactical Transport Helicopter | Utility transport helicopter | 2007-2023 | 40 helicopters | ||
| United StatesCanada | Bell 412 | 2007-current | Two helicopters. Operated by the Army Aviation Training Centre[17] |