page_title: No. 660 Squadron AAC
section_title: Current role
hierarchical_section_title: No. 660 Squadron AAC / Current role
caption_attribution_description: H135 Juno - RIAT 2018
context_page_description: No. 660 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps. The squadron traces its lineage to a Royal Air Force squadron that existed during the Second World War. In the late 1950s the squadron's numerical was transferred to the AAC and since its formation in 1969, it has operated as a British Army unit flying various types of battlefield helicopters. The squadron has been re-formed and disbanded on a number of occasions. The squadron is currently based at RAF Shawbury where it forms part of No. 1 Flying Training School, but it has been deployed operationally to Northern Ireland, Hong Kong and Brunei throughout its existence.
context_section_description: The Defence Helicopter Flying School concept was born during the Defence Cost Study of 1994, leading to the selection of a single site for basic helicopter training using contractor-owned aircraft and a proportion of civilian (ex-military) flying instructors. The squadron was reformed again in April 1997, as one of two single-engine rotary-wing squadrons of the tri-service Defence Helicopter Flying School, based at RAF Shawbury. 660 Sqn AAC is commanded by an Army major and equipped with civilian-owned Airbus Helicopters H135 (known as Juno).
  In October 1996, a contract had been placed with FBS, a company formed between Flight Refuelling Aviation, Bristows Helicopters Ltd and SERCo. This 15-year contract not only covered the engineering and supply aspects already in place, but also included the provision of the 35 Squirrel and Griffin helicopters for the Defence Helicopter Flying School at Shawbury. In practice, FBS now sub-contracts the  support of the DHFS and RAF Shawbury to FB Heli Services (formerly FR Aviation Services) thus maintaining the partnership between the company and RAF Shawbury forged over the 5 years previous to that contract. Also included in the contract was the provision of 40% of the helicopter instructors, operations-support staff and flight-systems operators in the Central Air Traffic Control School.
  Cobham was awarded a £193m four-year contract in 2012 to provide helicopter flying training at RAF Shawbury, RAF Valley and AAC Middle Wallop, together with support services at RAF Shawbury and AAC Middle Wallop. The contract extended the previously existing Defence Helicopter Flying School and support services contract, which had been undertaken by FBS Ltd and FB Heliservices Ltd for the previous 15 years.
  This contract was replaced by the new Rotary Wing Training Programme (part of the UK Military Flying Training System) is currently carried out by Ascent Flight Training and delivers training on the H135 ‘Juno’ and H145 ‘Jupiter’ to both pilots and rear crew. Training is overseen and govern by No. 1 Flying Training School (1 FTS) as of February 2020.
caption: One of 1 FTS’s Airbus H135 Juno’s.
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