DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
MSPA 364/09
Friday, 23 October 2009
ARMY HELICOPTERS RETURN TO AUSTRALIA AFTER A
SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT TO AFGHANISTAN
Following an eight month operational tour to Afghanistan, the Australian Army’s fourth
Rotary Wing Group (RWG – 4) deployment, consisting of two CH-47 Chinook helicopters,
crew and support personnel, has started to head home.
RWG – 4 Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Karl Hamlyn, says the tasks that have
confronted the approximately 60 members of the group have been a real test of character and
endurance.
During its tour, the aircraft and crew completed more than 780 flying hours, and lifted over
seven thousand passengers and more than a million pounds (453592.4 kgs) of cargo.
RWG – 4 has worked for the past eight months in some of the most challenging of conditions.
Throughout their deployment they faced the ongoing threat of attack by Taliban insurgents,
such as when one of the Chinooks was hit by small arms fire on 3 August 2009.
The personnel of the RWG were also confronted with extreme heat and dust, however the
aircraft and crew were able to remain serviceable and operate at peak performance.
“There’s a pretty big effort all round to move a million pounds of cargo around Afghanistan,”
Lieutenant Colonel Hamlyn said.
Lieutenant Colonel Hamlyn says the benefit of having a high level of flight readiness can be
best seen in the amount of passengers, many of whom are Coalition forces, safely across
Afghanistan.
“When put into context, that means more than seven thousand people haven’t been exposed to
travelling by road and the associated dangers of Improvised Explosive Devices,” Lieutenant
Colonel Hamlyn said.
Both aircraft have been partially dismantled for the journey back to Australia, with the first
helicopter already leaving on a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 this week.
The two medium-lift helicopters will return to Afghanistan following the winter break to
commence operations in March next year.
Media note:
Imagery is available at:
Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
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