Army Air Corps ( United Kingdom ) The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army , first formed in 1942 . There are eight regiments ( 7 Regular Army and 1 Territorial Army ) of the AAC as well as four Independent Flights and two Independent Squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations across the world . They are located in Britain , Brunei , Canada , and Germany . The AAC provides the offensive air elements of 16th Air Assault Brigade . History of the AAC . The first Army Air Corps . The British People first took to the sky during the 17th century with the use of observation balloons . In 1911 the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers was the first heavier - than - air British military aviation unit . The following year , the Battalion was expanded into the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps which saw action throughout most of the First World War until 1 April 1918 , when it was merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force . Between the wars , the Army used RAF co - operation squadrons , though a true army presence did not occur until the Second World War . At the beginning of the Second World War , Royal Artillery officers , with the assistance of RAF technicians , flew Auster observation aircraft under RAF - owned Air Observation Post ( AOP ) Squadrons . Twelve such squadrons were raised — three of which belonged to the RCAF — and each performed vital duties in a wide array of missions in many theatres . Early in the war , Winston Churchill , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , announced the establishment of a new branch of army aviation , the Army Air Corps , formed in 1942 . The corps initially comprised the Glider Pilot Regiment and the Parachute Battalions ( subsequently the Parachute Regiment ) , and the Air Observation Post Squadrons . In 1944 , the SAS Regiment was added to the Corps . One of their most successful exploits during the war was Operation Deadstick the attack on Pegasus Bridge , which occurred on 6 June 1944 , prior to the landings on Normandy . Once the three gliders landed , some roughly which incurred casualties , the pilots joined the glider - borne troops ( Ox & Bucks Light Infantry ) to act as infantry . The Bridge was taken within ten minutes of the battle commencing and the men there withstood numerous attempts by the Germans to re - capture the location . They were soon reinforced and relieved by soldiers from Lord Lovat ' s 1 Special Service Brigade , famously led by piper Bill Millin . It was subsequently further reinforced by units of the British 3rd Division . The AAC was broken up in 1949 , with the SAS returning to its independent status , while the Parachute Regiment and Glider Pilot Regiment came under the umbrella of the Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps . The pilots who had once flown the gliders soon had to transfer to flying powered aircraft , becoming part of the RAF Air Observation Post ( AOP ) Squadrons , several of which were manned by reserve personnel . The present Army Air Corps . In 1957 the Glider Pilot and Parachute Corps was renamed to The Parachute Regiment , while the Glider Pilot Regiment and the Air Observation Squadrons amalgamated into a new unit , the Army Air Corps . From 1970 , nearly every army brigade had at least one Aviation Squadron that usually numbered twelve aircraft . The main rotor aircraft during the 1970s were the Westland Scout and Bell Sioux general purpose helicopters . Their power though was soon bolstered by the introduction of the Westland Lynx helicopter in 1977 as well as the unarmed Westland Gazelle . Basic rotary flying training was carried out on the Bell Sioux in the 1970s , the Westland Gazelle in the 1980s and 1990s and is currently conducted on the Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel . Fixed - wing types in AAC service have included the Auster AOP . 6 and AOP . 9 and DHC - 2 Beaver AL . 1 in the observation and liaison roles . Since 1989 , the AAC have operated a number of Britten - Norman Islander and Defender aircraft for surveillance and light transport duties . The corps operated the DHC - 1 Chipmunk T . 10 in the training role until its replacement by the Slingsby T - 67 Firefly in the 1990s . The Slingsby T - 67 Firefly was replaced by the Grob Tutor in 2010 . A further boost in the Army Air Corps ' capability came in the form of the Westland Apache AH . 1 attack helicopter . In 2006 , British Apaches deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force . Former units . The flight ' s base at Dhekelia has been closed for sometime and the Flight are no longer listed on the AAC Website as an active flight . The UNFICYP Flight Army Air Corps , originally known as the Force Aviation Flight , became , operational on 27 March 1964 . The Flight was originally equipped with Alouette II helicopters . Duties ended 30 September 1994 when the Flight was replaced by a flight from the Argentine Air Force , ending thirty years , six months and four days of service under the UN flag . Future . In the future , the current regiments will be consolidated into the following structure : 1 and 9 Regt AAC will merge under one headquarters ( 1 Regt AAC ) and re - locate to Yeovilton ( RNAS Yeovilton ) to form a large regiment equipped with the new AgustaWestland AW159 ' Wildcat ' helicopter not before Oct 15 . The Regular component of Army Air Corps capability will consist of : two regular aviation regiments equipped with Apache , one large regular aviation regiment equipped with Wildcat , and one regular manned aerial surveillance regiment . Battle honours . The Army Air Corps is classed , in UK military parlance , as a " Combat Arm " . It therefore carries its own guidon and is awarded battle honours . The honours awarded to the AAC are :