Boeing Defence Australia is responsible for supporting the training of helicopter and UAV pilots of both the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Australian Army. It does so under the auspices of the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS). Training takes place...
To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:
Boeing Defence Australia is responsible for supporting the training of helicopter and UAV pilots of both the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Australian Army. It does so under the auspices of the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS).
Training takes place at the Joint Helicopter School, which operates under 723 Squadron at HMAS Albatross in Nowra, New South Wales. The facility achieved an initial operating capability in early 2019.
Commander Sam Dale, Commanding Officer of 723 Squadron, succinctly described the Joint Helicopter School’s function: ‘To develop helicopter aircrew for combat.’ The squadron’s leader deliberately alternates between army and navy officers, given that both services utilise the school.
Dale explained: ‘723 Squadron, the Joint Helicopter School, is responsible for training Defence’s helicopter aircrew, and we do that in collaboration with Boeing and other industry partners. It’s essential to our outputs, working together with a common objective, and really joined up and synchronised with an integrated approach for our helicopter training system.’
HATS has the potential to train up to 153 pilots, aviation warfare officers, aircrew, mission sensor operators, remote pilot warfare officers and instructors annually. The first training course was delivered in October 2018, and a total of 241 students had graduated as at late 2022.
Approximately 70-80 students attend the school at any one time, and a trainee helicopter pilot would typically spend nine months at the school. After graduation, pilots and aircrews are assigned to operational squadrons where they learn to fly specific helicopter platforms (MH-60R for the navy, and MRH90, Tiger or CH-47F for the army).
Dale stated that the school boasts 193 staff, of which 61% are from Boeing, 11% from Thales, 16% from the RAN, 7% from the army and 5% from elsewhere. Its 13 pilot instructors have cumulatively achieved more than 60,000 flight hours.
Ian Gibney, Boeing’s HATS Programme Manager, described it as ‘one of the most sophisticated helicopter training schools worldwide’. He said pass rates are very strong, as the system is designed to maximise pass rates. It trains UAV pilots as well.
Other industry partners are Airbus, Safran and Thales. Indeed, HATS employs 15 Airbus H135 T2+ twin-engine helicopters. Classroom instruction is furthered by three Level B full-motion flight simulators from Thales; two tactical part task trainers from Camber Technologies in the USA; one aircraft replica trainer from EDM in the UK; two VR trainers from Virtalis; one marshalling VR trainer from SEA; and ten desktop trainers from Camber.
Thales is responsible for the virtual reality component of the course. Its 6.5 staff teach mission systems and tactical operations on ITAR-free training tools, including ab initio training for radar and sensor operators.
HATS was acquired under Project Air 9000 Phase 7, and Boeing Defence Australia, who had teamed up with Thales Australia, was awarded this contract in October 2014.
Ship operations are practised too thanks to the existence of MV Sycamore, a multirole aviation training vessel based at HMAS Waterhen in Sydney. The 94m-long Damen-built vessel, which arrived in Australia in June 2017, is an important training tool for HATS. This is because RAN warships are usually occupied with other tasks, so are not available for training iterations.
Given that the RAN will receive twelve extra MH-60R helicopters and the army 29 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, demand for helicopter crews will only grow in Australia. Thus, Amy List, Boeing Defence Australia’s Director of Sustainment Operations, commented: ‘We’ve got a really great challenge ahead of us to make sure that we’re growing the capability to meet that future need, and it’s our partnerships with army and navy that are critical for us to be able to do that.
French water treatment company BIO-UV Group has dispatched a second BIO-SEA ballast water treatment system to the United States for…
Neutral Air Partner (NAP) has introduced NAPAY, a payment solution designed for its network members. The system was developed in…
DHL Group is expanding its electric vehicle (EV) logistics and supply chain solutions in the Asia Pacific region with the…
Air Astana will introduce a direct flight between Almaty and Da Nang, Vietnam, starting on 4th June 2025. The service…
Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has handed over 700 Maung MV3 special vehicles, produced by PT Pindad, to the Indonesian…
Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has handed over 700 Maung MV3 special vehicles, produced by PT Pindad, to the Indonesian…
AARONIA AG presented its latest advancements in drone detection and electronic warfare at Enforce Tac 2025, held in Nuremberg from…
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines and Firefly, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with…
The Business Aviation Asia Forum & Expo (BAAFEx) is set to hold its inaugural edition from 4–6 March at Singapore’s…
PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) and Dassault Aviation have inaugurated the Dassault Aviation-PTDI Design Office on the fourth floor of PTDI’s…
L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI will collaborate on a demonstration to enable an electronic warfare (EW) operation with AI-enabled unmanned…
The Spanish Air and Space Force has said that it sees, the 'Hürjet' training aircraft as well positioned to replace…
Total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 10.0% in January this year compared to the same…
Pratt & Whitney's GTF Advantage engine has achieved U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification for the Airbus A320neo family.…
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) will receive the two first Boeing KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft in 2026 . The other…
Israel Shipyards has begun the construction of the first of five Reshef class warships for the Israeli Navy. The 2.8…
Russia has accelerated efforts to incorportate laser technology to some of its operational air defence systems. As part of continuous…
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems on Thursday announced an approximate 50/50 partnership for the establishment…
Defence trade fair Euro Defence Expo (EUDEX) and the annual conference of the NATO Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC)…
Ramco Systems, a global aviation software provider has announced the successful implementation of its Aviation Software at Philippine Airlines for…
Singapore’s Ministry of Defence has announced that Brigadier-General (BG) Cai Dexian, currently Commander, 3rd Singapore Division will take over from…
Lockheed Martin has showcased a new counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) solution in a recent field demonstration, highlighting its ability to…
The Indonesian Navy (TNI Angkatan Laut / TNI AL) has launched the service's second Bung Karno-class corvette, KRI Bung Hatta…
ASELSAN recorded revenues of 120 billion TL (over 3.2 billion USD) in 2024, marking a 13% increase from the previous…
ITA Airways and Lufthansa Group have initiated a codeshare agreement, linking their route networks for the first time. This arrangement…
Chemring has provided a trading update ahead of its annual general meeting, reporting a record order book of £1.35 billion…
TransNusa is set to become the first Indonesian airline to operate scheduled flights between Bali and Guangzhou. The airline will…
ANA Holdings and CFM International have announced an order for more than 75 LEAP engines, including both installed and spares.…
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) recently demonstrated the first-ever Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability on an MQ-9B SeaGuardian. In a…
The French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) has awarded the third phase of the Naval Force IP Network (RIFAN 3) contract…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.