1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team (United Kingdom)

The 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team is an aviation formation of the British Army.^[3] Most of its units are from the Army Air Corps (AAC). It was stood up on 1 April 2020 by combining the Wattisham Flying Station Headquarters (WFS HQ), formerly the Attack Helicopter Force (AHF) at Wattisham and the Aviation Reconnaissance Force at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton.^[3][4][5] It reached initial operating capability on 1 April 2021 and full operating capability on 1 January 2023.^[6]

1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team
Active	1 April 2020–present [1]
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Army aviation
Role	Attack Reconnaissance
Part of	Joint Aviation Command
Garrison/HQ	Middle Wallop Flying Station
Motto(s)	Fly, Fight, Lead[2]
Aircraft flown
Attack helicopter	Boeing AH-64E Apache
Observation helicopter	Wildcat AH1

Structure

The units of the brigade are as follows:^[7]

• Headquarters, 1st Aviation Brigade Combat Team, at Middle Wallop Flying Station
  • 1 Regiment Army Air Corps, at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (Aviation Reconnaissance, equipped with AgustaWestland Wildcat AH1)
  • 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, at Wattisham Flying Station (Aviation Attack, equipped with Boeing AH-64E Apache)
  • 4 Regiment Army Air Corps, at Wattisham Flying Station (Aviation Attack, equipped with Boeing AH-64E Apache)
  • 5 Regiment Army Air Corps, at Middle Wallop Flying Station
  • 6 Regiment Army Air Corps (Army Reserve), at Middle Wallop Flying Station (Ground Crew Reserve)
  • 47th Regiment Royal Artillery, at Larkhill operating Thales Watchkeeper WK450 Unmanned Air Systems,^[8] since April 2021.^[9]
  • No. 653 Squadron, Army Air Corps, at Wattisham Flying Station (Conversion Training Unit)
  • 7 Aviation Support Battalion REME, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,^[8] at Wattisham Flying Station^[10]
    • 132 Aviation Support Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps^[11]

See also

• List of Army Air Corps aircraft units (United Kingdom)