Pictured Above: Australian Army aircraft and avionics technicians from 5th Aviation Regiment prepare the MRH-90 Taipan helicopters for an early morning flight at Swartz Barracks in Oakey, Queensland.

The beginning of 2022 saw 5 Avn Regt C Squadron deploy to Operation Tonga Assist 2022 in response to a volcanic eruption. While the rest of the regiment was settling in to a new year, the weather situation deteriorated in the southern parts of Queensland (Qld) and the northern regions of New South Wales (NSW). With some regions receiving 670 mm of rain in three days; the remaining aircraft and personnel at 5 Avn Regt prepared for a busy High Risk Weather Season (HRWS).

In late February, Task Unit (TU) Guardian was formed and consisted of B Sqn’s Leonardo AW139 aircraft. The aircraft joined the MRH-90 Taipans from the Oakey based, School of Army Aviation (SAA) which formed part of Joint Task Force (JTF) 629.3. Operation Flood Assist 2022 was the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) contribution to a Whole of Government response to rescue and recovery efforts in weather affected parts of Qld and NSW.

TU Destrier with four MRH-90 aircraft joined the other aircraft at Oakey following a successful air move from Townsville. Four days after the aircraft arrived, strategic lift delivered additional tooling, spares, equipment and the remaining personnel. The Technical Support Troop (TST) was composed of three Forward Repair Teams that worked shifts to provide 24-hour coverage to keep the aircraft serviceable for the duration of the deployment.

TU Destrier, along with SAA, rescued over 110 civilians from flood ravaged and isolated homes during the first two weeks before moving into the recovery support phase of the operation. The aviation Task Group also supported the local emergency services through provision of food and aid supply drops, ADF and emergency services personnel movement, patient transfers and reconnaissance. The support that the ADF offered the local government agencies provided invaluable aid to assist in the identification and prioritisation of isolated communities. Army Aviation rotary wing support allowed for local agencies to gain access to these affected communities.

The TST faced the usual serviceability challenges of maintaining aircraft operating at a high-tempo. However, it was advantageous that the Airbus Maintenance Organisation was collocated and its warehouse was only a two hour drive away in Brisbane. This provided the ideal “deployed” infrastructure to support intermediate-level scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. This drastically shortened delivery times of critical repair parts.

MAJ Carl Fester

OC TSS/RM MRH-90/RM CH-47F

Part 2 of this story continues next week...

Images and Article Courtesy of Defence