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#1395 Gazelle AH1

Gazelle AH1
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£10.00 €11.99 $12.67
43.8 cm x 29.2 cm
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Print
Gazelle AH1
ZB665
5 Regiment AAC; 665 Sqn, AAC
RAF Aldergrove
UK - Army
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Description

Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1395 - ZB665, Gazelle AH1, 665 Squadron, 5 Regiment, Army Air Corps. 665 Air Observation Post (AOP) Squadron was formed at RAF Andover on 22nd January 1945 to support the 1st Canadian Army. By the end of March 1945, the squadron was operating 16 Auster Mk V and 1 Auster Mk 1 Aircraft. On 25th April 1945, the Squadron started its first operational deployment to Gilze in the Netherlands and soon found itself being tested on active service. Due to the widespread military reorganisation following VE day, 665 AOP Squadron was disbanded on the 10th July 1945, barely six months after its formation. The Squadron title remained unused until the 1st October 1969 when the 19th Brigade Flight, 1 Royal Horse Artillery AOP troop, and the 1st Prince of Wales Own Air Platoon were amalgamated to form 665 Aviation Squadron. The new Squadron was based at Colchester and formed part of the 3 Division Aviation Regiment equipped with Sioux and Scout helicopters. On 1st January 1973, the Squadron was re-named 665 Squadron Army Air Corps. The 665 Squadron name was once again given up on 15th April 1978 when the unit was re-titled 657 Squadron Army Air Corps. 665 Squadron Army Air Corps was resurrected on 12th March 1986 at RAF Aldergrove, equipped with Lynx and Gazelle helicopters flying in support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. However in 1991, due to a reorganisation of the Northern Ireland Regiment which became 5 Regiment Army Air Corps on the 1st October 1993, 665 Squadron took on its present guise, operating only the Gazelle. 665 Squadron AAC supported counter terrorism operations in Northern Ireland under OPERATION BANNER, the provision of Armed Forces assistance to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In 2003 following the invasion of Iraq, 665 Squadron deployed 3 Gazelle helicopters in desert paint scheme and fitted for the Internal Security role on OPERATION TELIC. OP BANNER finished in July 2007 and 665 Squadron re-organised into 2 flights. F Flight continued to provide overwatch capability to the Explosive Ordnance Device and Search teams across the province and solo pilot qualified G Flight aircrew, denoted by wearing the “eight ball badge,” also continued to provide specialist capability. The print shows Gazelle AH1, tail number ZB665, in the airborne surveillance role. It has a thermal imaging camera fitted to the starboard side stores boom and is equipped with an integral specialist avionics and communication suite. To aide the pilot in night landings, a bright star infra red light is fitted to the starboard skid. In the past, 665 Squadron AAC Gazelle helicopters have been intimately involved in providing aviation support to counter-terrorist operations. The Gazelle helicopter continues to offer dependable service, ensuring 665 Squadron AAC is well positioned to deliver capability into the future and looks forward to many more years of flying with Providence.
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