Army gears up for AH-64E Apache operations in new exercise

“The reason for Ex Possum Walk is to be sure that our crews are ready to do what they do every day, which is load and employ an attack helicopter,” said Commanding Officer, 1st Aviation Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Jason Perrins.

“They have all done their basic Apache training and so now we are taking that next step where they are using live aircraft, rotors turning, in real-world and real-time environments, where we’re getting them to load inert ordnance.

“They are loading by day and night, so they’re doing it on night vision goggles at night, which is just another level of risk that they haven’t experienced yet.”

The Australian Army is currently in the process of acquiring 29 Apache helicopters as a part of Project LAND 4503, replacing the Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters.

These highly advanced helicopters are used in global militaries and are designed to thrive in complex environments through sensors, software and weapons advancements.

Crew members of the exercise said this has been a highly useful training experience as it allows ground crews to gather a thorough understanding of the working operations of the aircraft.

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“For aviation ground crew that involves our marshalling of the aircraft, we’ll conduct hot refuels at the end and also loading on and unloading of our inert explosive ordinance,” Trooper Tyson Higgins said.

“We’re getting better with our communication, hand signals, and just more confidence about each other and as a team, we’re picking up each other’s little quirks and encouraging each other.”

Later this year, live-fire activity exercises with the AH-64E Apaches are expected to take place in Townsville, which will be a “significant step” in achieving operational readiness.