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16th Brigade (Aviation)
Active	1917 1939–1946 2002–present
Country	Australia
Allegiance	Commonwealth of Australia
Branch	Army
Type	Aviation
Part of	Australian Defence Force

The 16th Brigade (Aviation) currently commands most of the Australian Army's aviation units. As a formation of the Australian Army, the 16th Brigade has been raised and disbanded a number of times since it was first raised during World War I, when it existed only briefly in 1917 and did not participate in any fighting. It was raised again in 1939 for service during World War II, during which it saw action in Libya, Greece and New Guinea before being disbanded in 1946 after the conflict had ended. On 2 April 2002 the Brigade was raised once again, this time as an aviation unit, through the amalgamation of the Aviation Support Group and the 1st Division's Aviation unit.

16th Brigade (Aviation)

Current Subunits

From left to right, a Chinook, Blackhawk and Tiger helicopter

The 16th Brigade (Aviation) currently consists of: ^[1]

• 16th Brigade (Aviation) headquarters (Enoggera Barracks, Brisbane, Queensland)
  • 1st Aviation Regiment (armed reconnaissance helicopter, Robertson Barracks, Darwin, Northern Territory)
    • 161st Squadron
    • 162nd Squadron
    • Logistic Support Squadron
    • Technical Support Squadron
  • 5th Aviation Regiment (transport helicopter, RAAF Base Townsville, Townsville, Queensland)
    • A Squadron
    • B Squadron
    • C Squadron
    • Logistic Support Squadron
    • Technical Support Squadron
  • 6th Aviation Regiment (transport helicopter and intelligence collecting aircraft, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney, New South Wales)
    • 171st Aviation Squadron (Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney, New South Wales)
    • 173rd Surveillance Squadron (Oakey Army Aviation Centre, Oakey, Queensland)
    • Technical Administration Support Squadron (Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney, New South Wales)

Equipment

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service
Boeing CH-47 Chinook	United States	Transport helicopter	CH-47D	6
Eurocopter Tiger	European Union	Attack helicopter	Tiger ARH	15 + 7
Sikorsky S-70 Blackhawk	United States	Utility helicopter	S-70A-9	35

History

World War I

The 16th Infantry Brigade was formed in England, on the Salisbury Plain, as part of the 6th Division on 17 March 1917. The unit it did not see any action and was disbanded on 19 October 1917 due to manpower shortages in the AIF.

Subunits

• 61st Battalion (19 March 1917 – 19 October 1917)
• 65th Battalion (19 March 1917 – 16 May 1917)
• 69th Battalion (19 March 1917 – 19 October 1917)
• 70th Battalion (19 March 1917 – 16 May 1917)
• 62nd Battalion (17 May 1917 – 16 September 1917)
• 63rd Battalion (17 May 1917 – 19 October 1917)
• 16th Machine Gun Company (7 June 1917 – 16 August 1917)
• 16th Light Trench Mortar Battery (5 June 1917 – 26 September 1917)

Commanders

• Brigadier General John M. Antill (20 March 1917 – 20 September 1917)
• Lieutenant Colonel William Mackenzie (20 September 1917 – 19 October 1918)

World War II

The 16th Infantry Brigade was reformed on 13 October 1939, again as part of the 6th Division. The 16th Brigade fought in the Western Desert Campaign in Libya, the Battle of Greece, the Kokoda Track campaign and the Battle of Buna–Gona in Papua, and in the Aitape–Wewak campaign in New Guinea.^[2]

Subunits

• 2/1st Battalion (16 October 1939 – December 1945)
• 2/2nd Battalion (24 October 1939 – 15 February 1946)
• 2/3rd Battalion (24 October 1939 – 8 February 1946)
• 2/4th Battalion (3 November 1939 – 30 April 1940) to 19th Brigade^[2]

Commanders

• Brigadier Arthur Allen (1939 – 1940)
• Brigadier John Lloyd (1940 – 1943)

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Notes

References

• Australian War Memorial. Unit Information – 16th Brigade, World War II. Available at: http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_13065.asp. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
• Gubler, Abraham (2008). "Army Aviation's New Decade of Growth". Asia Pacific Defence Reporter 34 (5): 16–19.  

External links

• A Brief History of Australian Army Aviation