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The Fleet Air Arm (FAA), known formally as the Australian Navy Aviation Group, is the division of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) responsible for the operation of aircraft. The FAA was founded in 1947 following the purchase of two aircraft carriers from the Royal Navy. FAA personnel fought in the Korean War (operating from the carrier ) and the Vietnam War (attached to a Royal Australian Air Force squadron and a United States Army Aviation company), and participated in later conflicts and operations from host warships. Initially operating only fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters were first acquired by the FAA in 1952, forming Australia's first helicopter squadron. Helicopter usage increased over time, particularly after 1982, when the carrier was decommissioned and not replaced. In 2000, following the removal from service of the land-based Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft, the FAA became an all-helicopter force, operating in the anti-submarine warfare and maritime support roles. As of 2011, the FAA consists of three active squadrons, operating four helicopter types.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Aviation Group )〕 ==History== (詳細はRoyal Naval Air Service and its Royal Air Force-controlled successor, the Fleet Air Arm.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 15–6〕 This was approved as part of improvements to Australia's military, but opposition by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) prompted the Cabinet to disband the organisation in January 1928, shortly after its establishment.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 16–7〕 The RAAF assumed responsibility for naval aviation, which consisted primarily of amphibious aircraft flown by No. 101 Flight RAAF (and its successors, No. 5 Squadron, then No. 9 Squadron) from the RAN's cruisers and the seaplane tender .〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 16–21〕 The successes of naval aviation during World War II reignited the idea of a RAN-controlled aviation force, with suggestions that Australia provide the personnel to operate a British aircraft carrier and the attached squadrons voiced during 1944, although the offer was withdrawn in mid 1945 because of manpower shortages.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 29–35〕 A review by the Australian Government's Defence Committee held after World War II recommended that the post-war forces of the RAN be structured around a Task Force incorporating multiple aircraft carriers.〔Donohue, ''From Empire Defence to the Long Haul'', p. 33〕 Initial plans were for three carriers, with two active and a third in reserve, although funding cuts led to the purchase of the ''Majestic'' class light fleet carriers, ''Majestic'' and ''Terrible'' from the Royal Navy in June 1947.〔Donohue, ''From Empire Defence to the Long Haul'', pgs. 38, 45–47〕 A Fleet Air Arm was established on 3 July 1947 by the Commonwealth Defence Council to operate aircraft from these two carriers, and also maintain two former Royal Australian Air Force bases as support facilities: these became at Nowra, New South Wales, and at Schofields, New South Wales.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 43–4〕 As ''Terrible'' was the closer of the two ships to completion, construction was finished without major modification.〔Wright, ''Australian Carrier Decisions'', p. 151〕 The ship was commissioned into the RAN as on 16 December 1948.〔Hobbs, in ''The Navy and the Nation'', p. 211〕 ''Sydney''s maiden voyage saw the delivery of the first two squadrons operated by the Fleet Air Arm: 805 Squadron with Hawker Sea Furies, and 816 Squadron with Fairey Fireflies.〔McCaffrie, in ''Sea power ashore and in the air'', p. 173〕 The two squadrons operated as the 20th Carrier Air Group (CAG).〔 ''Sydney'' returned to England in 1950 to collect the 21st CAG: 808 and 817 Squadrons, with Sea Furies and Fireflies, respectively.〔McCaffrie, in ''Sea power ashore and in the air'', pp. 173–4〕 During the Korean War, ''Sydney'' was deployed to Korean waters in late 1951, with a wartime CAG of 805, 808, and 817 Squadrons embarked.〔McCaffrie, in ''Sea power ashore and in the air'', pgs. 174, 177〕 The Fleet Air Arm operated in a strike, ground support, and escort role during the deployment, which saw three RAN pilots killed and a fourth seriously wounded, while thirteen aircraft were lost.〔Cooper, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 177〕 Nine of these were shot down by North Korean flak artillery, with aircraft damaged by flak on at least ninety other occasions.〔McCaffrie, in ''Sea power ashore and in the air'', p. 178〕 The other four were lost in deck accidents, or crashed because of foul weather.〔 Meanwhile, ''Majestic'' was undergoing major upgrades during construction to operate jet aircraft, including the installation of an angled flight deck, steam catapult, and a mirror landing aid.〔Hobbs, ''HMAS Melbourne – 25 Years On'', p. 6〕 To allow the RAN to operate as a two-carrier force while ''Majestic'' was completed, the Royal Navy loaned the Colossus class light carrier to the RAN in late 1952.〔Donohue, ''From Empire Defence to the Long Haul'', p. 94〕 ''Vengeance'' arrived in Australia with three Bristol Sycamore helicopters for the Fleet Air Arm.〔Australian Naval Aviation Museum, ''Flying Stations'', p. 111〕 Although not the first helicopters to see military service in Australia (that title belonging to a Sikorsky S-51 of the Royal Australian Air Force), the Sycamores formed the first Australian military helicopter squadron, and prompted the establishment of Australia's first helicopter pilot school.〔 ''Vengeance'' was returned to the United Kingdom in 1955, with the crew transferred to ''Majestic'', which was commissioned into the RAN as on 28 October 1955.〔Wright, ''Australian Carrier Decisions'', p. 160〕 The new carrier delivered new aircraft to the Fleet Air Arm: the de Havilland Sea Venom jet fighter-bomber for 805 and 808 Squadrons, and the turboprop-driven Fairey Gannet anti-submarine aircraft for 816 and 817 Squadrons.〔 These aircraft were due to become obsolete in the late 1950s, and the RAN considered purchasing modern aircraft of French or Italian design, which were smaller than British developments and better suited to light carrier operations.〔Cooper, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 187.〕 By the end of the 1950s, with ''Sydney'' decommissioned from service and refitted as a troop transport, it was decided that fixed-wing naval aviation would be replaced by a force of 27 Westland Wessex anti-submarine helicopters, to operate from ''Melbourne''.〔Cooper, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 193.〕 This decision was rescinded in 1963, with Grumman S-2E Tracker anti-submarine aircraft and McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk fighter aircraft ordered for the Fleet Air Arm.〔Cooper, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', pp. 193–194.〕 Although ''Melbourne'' and her air group played no role in the Vietnam War, Australian naval aviators saw action as part of Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam (a component of the joint Australian-American Experimental Military Unit) and the RAN Detachment, 9 Squadron Vietnam (attached to No. 9 Squadron RAAF).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Naval Operations in Vietnam )〕 In 1972, the Fleet Air Arm's Wessex helicopters were replaced with Westland Sea King anti-submarine helicopters, although a small number of Wessexes continued to serve in utility and search-and-rescue roles.〔Bishop & Chant, ''Aircraft carriers'', p. 62〕 ''Melbourne'' remained in service until mid-1982, when she was placed in reserve.〔Jones, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 227〕 The Australian government initially planned to purchase from the Royal Navy and operate Harriers and helicopters from her, but the British withdrew the offer after the ship's performance in the Falklands War, and the 1983 election of the Australian Labor Party saw the cancellation of plans to replace ''Melbourne''.〔Wright, ''Australian Carrier Decisions'', p. 167.〕〔Hobbs, ''HMAS Melbourne – 25 Years On'', p. 9〕 With no aircraft carrier, carrier-borne fixed-wing aviation in the RAN ended on 30 June 1983 with the decommissioning of several squadrons, and many RAN pilots joined the Army and RAAF, or transferred to the aviation branches of other nations' navies.〔Jones, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', pp. 227–8〕 The RAN Skyhawks were sold to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the Trackers were removed from service and sold to a private company for disposal.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', p. 256〕 Before being sold off, the RAN Trackers were flown from land bases as patrol and surveillance aircraft, and HS 748 aircraft continued on in the electronic warfare training and transport roles after all other fixed-wing assets were disposed of.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pgs. 241-3, 256, 258〕 The shift from full, carrier-embarked squadrons to single- or two-helicopter flights operating from frigates forced overhauls of the management and organisational style of the FAA, with squadrons made to act with increasing independence and less experienced junior officers taking greater responsibility for the aviation activities of their assigned ship.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pgs. 259, 272〕 During the 1980s, the Eurocopter Ecureuil (Squirrel) and Sikorsky S-70 Seahawk were acquired to operate from the ''Adelaide'' class frigates.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 259–60〕 During the early 1990s, these helicopters operated aboard Australian ships deployed to support the international coalition during the Gulf War; they were used for anti-air surveillance and surface search, to deliver boarding parties to interdicted ships, and provide search-and-rescue capabilities.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 266–71〕 During 1992, FAA Sea Kings were embarked aboard for Operation Solace, part of the famine-relief operation in Somalia.〔ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', p. 272〕 During the 1990s, the FAA ordered several refurbished Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters to operate from the ''Anzac'' class frigates in the anti-submarine and anti-surface roles. Although due to enter service in the early 2000s, the helicopters were not operational until 2006, and were grounded shortly after with concerns over their airworthiness, flight control system, crash survivability, and inability to operate in poor weather.〔 The delays and problems with the acquisition led to the cancellation of the project in March 2008, and the completed helicopters were returned to Kaman.〔 These airframes were subsequently purchased by the RNZAF to replace their existing SH-2 fleet. Since 2000, when the last pair of HS 748s were retired, the Fleet Air Arm has been an entirely rotary-winged force.〔Dennis, et al., ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History'', p. 210〕 The Fleet Air Arm became responsible for the operation and maintenance of the RAN's helicopter force from the frigates of the ''Adelaide'' and ''Anzac'' classes and from the RAN's amphibious and support ships. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fleet Air Arm (RAN)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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