No. 652 Squadron AAC
No. 652 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps (AAC).
| No. 652 (Wildcat Fielding) Squadron AAC | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 September 1957 - present |
| Country |  |
| Branch |  |
| Part of | 1 Regiment Army Air Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | RNAS Yeovilton |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 |
History
The squadron was transferred to the Army on 1 September 1957 while the unit was in Germany. Between 1966 and October 1969 the unit was employed as 1 Division Army Aviation HQ.[1]
During the Cold War, the squadron was part of No. 2 Regiment AAC (along with 662 Sqn), the two squadrons were at different locations, 662 Sqn was at Münster, and 652 was at Bünde. About 1984, as a result of changing the structure of AAC Regiments, 2 Regiment was disbanded and 652 Sqn became part of 1 Regiment AAC at Hildesheim, Germany - each regiment now consisting of three squadrons and a HQ Troop. Sometime after 1990, 1 Regiment moved to Gutersloh, Germany.
Deployments
- Between September 1984 and February 1985, the unit deployed to the Falkland Islands being split between Goose Green and Port Stanley.
- Between September 2004 and October 2007, the unit deployed two times to Iraq (Operation Telic) with Westland Lynx's.[2]
- Between September 2011 and January 2012, 652 Sqn deployed to Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) with Lynx AH.9's.[2]
Present day
The unit converted to the AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 and moved to RNAS Yeovilton becoming the Wildcat Fielding Squadron, training aircrews.[3]
References
Citations
- Farrar-Hockley 1991, p. 237.
- Ripley, Tim (January 2011). British Army Aviation in Action. p. 219. ISBN 9781848846708.
- http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/9925f8bd#/9925f8bd/36
Bibliography
- Farrar-Hockley, A (1994). The Army In The Air. UK: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-0617-0.