No. 673 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps. It was formerly No. 674 Squadron RAF, a glider squadron of the Royal Air Force, active during the Second World War within British India.
| No. 673 Squadron AAC No. 673 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 January 1945 – 25 October 1945 (RAF) April 1996 - December 2020 June 2022 - present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Size | 35 permanent staff, 12 Students |
| Part of | 7 (Training) Regiment Army Air Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Middle Wallop Flying Station |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the Regiment | The Prince of Wales |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | _Crest.png) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack helicopter | Boeing AH64E Apache |
History
edit
No. 673 Squadron was formed at Bikram, Patna in (then) British India on 1 January 1945[1] as a glider squadron, with the intention of being used for airborne operations by South East Asia Command. It continued to train, as part of No. 344 Wing RAF, until the surrender of Japan, when it became surplus to requirements; the squadron was disbanded on 25 October 1945 at Kargi Road.[1]
Army Air Corps
editNo. 673 Squadron AAC was formed at Middle Wallop, on 1 April 2009 the squadron joined 7 Regiment AAC (Flying).[2] It was disbanded on 11 December 2020, and was reformed on 8 June 2022 with the arrival of 2 new AH-64E Apache Guardians arrived.[3]
Aircraft operated
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| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1945 | September 1945 | Waco Hadrian | |
| January 1945 | September 1945 | de Havilland Tiger Moth | Mk.II |
| April 1996 | 2024 | AgustaWestland Apache | AH1 |
| 2024 | present | Boeing AH-64 Apache | AH64E |
Squadron bases
edit.jpg)
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 27 January 1945 | 19 February 1945 | Bikram, Bihar, British India |
| 19 February 1945 | 10 April 1945 | Belgaum, Karnataka, British India |
| 10 April 1945 | 26 August 1945 | Bikram, Bihar, British India |
| 26 August 1945 | 16 September 1945 | Tilda, Chhattisgarh, British India |
| 16 September 1945 | 25 October 1945 | Kargi Road, Chhattisgarh, British India |
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b c d Halley 1988, p. 452.
- ^ "673 (AH Training) Squadron AAC". British Army units from 1945 on. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "673sq is back!". Scramble.nl. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Jefford 2001, pp. 266–271.
Bibliography
edit- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.