Every war the Army Air Corps has fought
The air observation post pilots of the Second World War and Korea were Army pilots flying in RAF-numbered squadrons and flights, and the glider pilots belonged to the first Army Air Corps of 1941–1949; both are recorded as the corps’ lineage. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From air observation posts over North Africa in 1942 to Apaches off Libya in 2011.
| Conflict | Years | Against | Main aircraft | Sorties | Aircraft lost | |
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| Air observation post squadrons in the Second World WarAusters over North Africa, Italy and north-west EuropeRoyal Artillery pilots in RAF Air OP squadrons (No. 651 Squadron and others) | 1942–1945 | Germany and Italy | Auster AOP | |||
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Spotted and directed artillery fire from light aircraft. No. 651 Squadron formed at Old Sarum on 1 August 1941 with a mixed crew: the pilots, drivers and signallers came from the Royal Artillery, the adjutants and technicians from the RAF. It went into action in November 1942 during Operation Torch in North Africa, then moved to Sicily and Italy in July 1943 and reached Austria by May 1945, according to Wikipedia’s squadron history. These were RAF squadrons, not Army Air Corps units, but they are the corps’ second parent: in 1957 651 Squadron simply changed its prefix from RAF to AAC. Outcome The Air OP principle, soldiers flying for the guns, became the core of the post-war Army Air Corps. The number of Air OP squadrons and their losses were not confirmed from a primary source.
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| Glider Pilot Regiment airborne operationsSicily, Normandy, Arnhem and the RhineGlider Pilot Regiment, Army Air Corps | 1943–1945 | Germany and Italy | Airspeed Horsa and other gliders | |||
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Flew assault gliders carrying airborne troops and equipment, then fought on the ground. The glider pilots were soldiers trained to fly and then to fight as infantry once on the ground. Wikipedia lists their operations as Sicily (Operation Ladbroke, 1943), Normandy (including Pegasus Bridge and the Merville Battery), southern France (Operation Dragoon, 1944), Arnhem (Operation Market Garden, September 1944) and the Rhine crossing (Operation Varsity, March 1945). The National Army Museum names Sicily, Normandy, Arnhem and the Rhine crossings as the corps’ main wartime operations. Outcome The regiment’s best-known feat was the capture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridges on 6 June 1944. Figures for gliders flown and pilots lost differ between published histories and were not independently confirmed here.
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| Korean War1903 Air OP Flight and 1913 Light Liaison FlightArmy pilots in RAF-numbered flights (Royal Artillery and Glider Pilot Regiment) | 1951–1955 | North Korea and China | Auster 6, Auster 7, Cessna L-19A Bird Dog | 12,000 | ||
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Artillery observation, photographic reconnaissance, liaison and transport. 1903 Independent Air OP Flight sailed to Korea in HMS Unicorn in July 1951 with five Auster 6s, six Royal Artillery pilots and about 40 RAF technicians, flying from AE111 and then Fort George on the Imjin. 1913 Light Liaison Flight, formed in mid-1951, had six Austers flown by Glider Pilot Regiment pilots, later adding an American L-19A and an Auster 7. The Air OP sorties lasted one to three hours at a few thousand feet, directing artillery. Outcome Both flights won gallantry awards including a DSO and several DFCs; operations ended in January 1955. These were RAF-numbered flights, before the 1957 corps existed.
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| Malayan EmergencyAir OP squadrons and, from 1957, the Army Air Corps | 1948–1960 | Malayan National Liberation Army | Auster AOP | |||
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Light aircraft observation and liaison. The National Army Museum includes Malaya (1948–60) in the campaigns of the Army Air Corps and its forebears. No detail on aircraft numbers or missions was confirmed from a primary source, so none is given here. Outcome Listed by the National Army Museum among the corps’ campaigns. Thinly sourced; included for completeness.
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| Borneo confrontationIndonesia–Malaysia confrontationArmy Air Corps | 1962–1967 | Indonesia | Westland Scout AH1 | |||
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Reconnaissance, liaison, casualty evacuation and resupply in jungle. The British Army’s page for the corps lists Borneo and Aden (1962–67) as its first deployments, and Wikipedia’s Scout article says the new turbine helicopter served in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. British Forces Brunei is still on the corps’ list of locations. Outcome The corps’ first campaign after re-formation; the Army still lists it first on its own page.
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| Aden Emergency and the RadfanArmy Air Corps | 1964–1967 | National Liberation Front and FLOSY | Westland Scout AH1 | 3 | ||
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Reconnaissance, troop lift and casualty evacuation under fire. The Radfan campaign tested the Scout in heat and altitude. Wikipedia says multiple Scouts were shot down and recovered, and three were written off between 1964 and 1967. The Army lists Aden with Borneo among the corps’ operations of 1962–67. Outcome Britain withdrew from Aden in 1967. Loss figure from Wikipedia only.
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| Northern Ireland (Operation Banner)Army Air Corps | 1969–2007 | Provisional IRA and other paramilitary groups | Westland Scout AH1, Gazelle AH1, Lynx | |||
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Surveillance, patrol insertion, resupply of border bases and command flying. The Army dates Operation Banner from 1969 to 2007, and army helicopters flew throughout. Wikipedia’s Scout article credits the type with pioneering the Heli-Tele airborne surveillance camera and Eagle patrols from 1971. In South Armagh, where road movement was dangerous, bases were supplied largely by air. Outcome The Army’s longest campaign; the Gazelle’s last farewell flypast in 2023 was from Aldergrove. Losses are from Wikipedia and are incomplete.
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| Falklands War (Operation Corporate)656 Squadron in the South Atlantic656 Squadron AAC (with the Royal Marines’ 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron) | 1982 | Argentina | Westland Scout AH1, Gazelle AH1 | 2 | ||
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Casualty evacuation, resupply, reconnaissance, liaison and missile strikes. 656 Squadron sailed with three Scouts in Europic Ferry on 22 April and more Scouts and six Gazelles in the ferries Baltic and Nordic; the air and groundcrew went south in Queen Elizabeth 2 on 12 May, according to the Army Flying Museum. At first a Scout flight worked as 5 Flight of 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron. On 28 May Scouts flew casualties out for 2 PARA at Goose Green, and on 14 June Scouts fired SS.11 missiles at Argentine positions (Wikipedia). The museum credits the squadron with 195 casualties evacuated, at least 20 of them Argentine, and 90 per cent aircraft availability. Outcome Argentine forces on the islands surrendered on 14 June 1982. Wikipedia says three Scouts of 656 Squadron took part; the Army Flying Museum lists three in Europic Ferry and three more in Baltic. The friendly-fire loss of XX377 is described as such by the Army Flying Museum.
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| Gulf War (Operation Granby)Army Air Corps (4 Regiment and others) | 1990–1991 | Iraq | Lynx AH7 (TOW), Gazelle AH1 | |||
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Anti-tank and reconnaissance helicopters. Wikipedia says 24 TOW-armed Lynx deployed, and that on 26 February 1991 one destroyed two MT-LB armoured personnel carriers and four T-55 tanks; the 4 Regiment AAC article says the regiment went with Lynx and Gazelle. The Army lists the liberation of Kuwait among the corps’ operations. Outcome Kuwait was liberated in February 1991; the AAC’s battle honour is recorded by Wikipedia as Wadi al-Batin. The 26 February claim is from Wikipedia and was not confirmed from an official source.
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| Bosnia and KosovoBalkans peace supportArmy Air Corps | 1995–2002 | Lynx AH7, Gazelle AH1 | 1 | |||
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Reconnaissance, liaison and utility flying for UN and NATO forces. The Army’s page lists the Balkans and Kosovo among the corps’ operations between 1979 and 2007 (with Rhodesia and Sierra Leone). Wikipedia records 3 Regiment squadron tours in Bosnia in 1997 and 1999, and Gazelles supporting UN missions. Outcome The Army lists the Balkans and Kosovo among the corps’ operations. Start and end years are approximate; the Army gives only a combined span.
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| Iraq (Operation Telic)Army Air Corps | 2003–2009 | Iraq (2003) and insurgent groups | Lynx AH7/AH9, Gazelle AH1, Defender | |||
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Reconnaissance, fire support and utility flying in the invasion and the occupation of Basra province. Wikipedia says 3 Regiment AAC deployed for Telic 1 from January to July 2003 with 12 Lynx and 10 Gazelle. The Ministry of Defence’s casualty notice of 6 May 2006 shows how mixed crews had become: the Lynx lost over Basra belonged to the Royal Navy, but its dead included RAF, Navy, Royal Marines and Army Air Corps personnel. Outcome British combat operations in Iraq ended in 2009; the Army gives the corps’ span as 2003–11. End date follows the end of UK combat operations; the Army’s page gives 2003–11.
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| Afghanistan (Operation Herrick)Apaches over HelmandArmy Air Corps | 2006–2014 | Taliban | Apache AH1, Lynx AH9A, Defender | 1 | ||
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Attack helicopter escort and close support, reconnaissance and utility flying. The Apache AH1 deployed in May 2006 with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and in April 2014 664 Squadron of 4 Regiment flew the 50,000th hour. On 15 January 2007, in Operation Glacier in Helmand, Apache ZJ224 took part in a rescue mission, according to the Army Flying Museum. Upgraded Lynx Mk9As reached Afghanistan from 25 May 2010 to fly in the heat that had limited older Lynx to part of the year. Outcome UK combat operations ended in October 2014; the Army dates its Afghan commitment to 2002–14. A full AAC casualty list for Herrick was not compiled from official sources.
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| Libya (Operation Ellamy)Apaches from HMS Ocean656 Squadron, 4 Regiment AAC | 2011 | Gaddafi government forces | Apache AH1 | 49 | 0 | |
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Strikes from a Royal Navy ship against regime forces, enforcing a UN Security Council resolution. HMS Ocean took Apaches to the Libyan coast from late May 2011: four according to Wikipedia’s Operation Ellamy article, three rising to four and then five according to its HMS Ocean article. The first strikes, on 4 June 2011, hit a radar installation and a military checkpoint near Brega. The Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, called it “the first operational mission flown by British Army Apaches at sea.” The Ministry of Defence said the Apaches hit military vehicles, installations and communications equipment. Outcome HMS Ocean operated off Libya for four months; no Apache was lost. The number of Apaches embarked differs between sources.
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Nothing matches that search.
Every figure, checked
- British Army: Army Air CorpsCombat aviation arm of the British Army; established 1 September 1957; operations list from Borneo and Aden to Herrick, Telic and Ellamy; locations Middle Wallop (HQ), Shawbury, Yeovilton, Wattisham, Brunei; 1, 3, 4, 5 Regiments and training regiments 2, 7, 9; Apache AH-64E and Wildcat Mk1.
- National Army Museum: Army Air CorpsFirst formed 21 December 1941 as the corps for the Parachute Regiment and Glider Pilot Regiment; disbanded August 1949; re-formed 1957; direct-fire combat arm in 1972; campaign list.
- Army Flying Museum (Middle Wallop)Collections cover the Royal Engineers, Royal Flying Corps, Glider Pilot Regiment, Air OP squadrons and the Army Air Corps from 1878; over 35 aircraft.
- Army Flying Museum: The Falklands War (online exhibition)656 Squadron AAC in 1982: Scouts and Gazelles, 588 operational flying hours, 195 casualties evacuated, Gazelle XX377 shot down by HMS Cardiff with four killed, Scout XR628 lost 8 June.
- Army Flying Museum: The Korean War (online exhibition)1903 Independent Air OP Flight and 1913 Light Liaison Flight, 1951–1955; nearly 3,000 and about 9,000 sorties; losses.
- Army Flying Museum: Apache AH Mk.1 (ZJ224)Came into service with the AAC in 2001; 67 ordered, first eight Boeing-built; ZJ224 with 656 Squadron from 18 August 2003, Operation Glacier 15 January 2007; unveiled at the museum 13 May 2024.
- GOV.UK: Apache flies 50,000 hours on operations in Afghanistan (14 April 2014)50,000 hours in Afghanistan since 2006, one third of all UK Apache flying; 664 Squadron, 4 Regiment AAC.
- GOV.UK: Apaches conduct operations over Libya (4 June 2011)First Apache strikes on 4 June 2011 against a radar installation and a military checkpoint near Brega; Liam Fox: first operational mission flown by British Army Apaches at sea.
- GOV.UK: CDS visits HMS Ocean to praise Libya role (8 November 2011)656 Squadron AAC Apaches allocated 49 missions in four months off Libya.
- GOV.UK: Upgraded Army Lynx helicopter fleet complete (16 December 2011)22 Lynx Mk9A delivered by 15 December 2011; first in Afghanistan 25 May 2010.
- GOV.UK: Five UK service personnel killed in Afghanistan (Lynx, 26 April 2014)Lynx Mk9A lost in Kandahar province on 26 April 2014; five killed, three of them Army Air Corps.
- GOV.UK: Five personnel in Basra helicopter crash named (6 May 2006)847 Naval Air Squadron Lynx lost over Basra; Captain David Dobson AAC among the five killed.
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Back to the Army Air Corps (United Kingdom).