OPERATION SIERRA

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

ARMY AIRCRAFT

The CH-47D Chinook C Squadron 5th Aviation Regiment Australian Army "The Brahmans"

A Chinook from 5th Aviation Regiment at Kiunga, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

The Brahmans of the Australian Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment, the CH47 Chinook, have demonstrated an insatiable appetite for lifting big loads of food relief supplies into some of the most remote villages on earth found in the jungles of western Papua New Guinea. The twin rotor, twin engine medium lift helicopters have a crew of four comprising two pilots, a loadmaster and a technician. They have a carrying capacity – depending on operating altitude – of between 5 and 8 tonnes.

The S70 Black Hawk A and B Squadrons 5th Aviation Regiment Australian Army

A Black Hawk from the 5th Aviation Regiment in action.

The S70 Black Hawk helicopter is proving to be a valuable contributor to the Australian Defence Force’s relief operations in Papua New Guinea. Carrying loads of around one to two tonnes of food aid, the Black Hawks can deliver to areas in the remote highlands where the larger fixed wing aircraft can’t land. The Black Hawks have a crew of two pilots and two loadmasters. It is a single rotor, twin engine aircraft.