The Australian Defence Force will establish a new joint helicopter school at HMAS Albatross at Nowra, New South Wales early next decade, under the A$500-700 million ($450-630 million) Helicopter Aircrew Training System project, defence minister Brendan Nelson has announced.
Outlined in February, the new system will replace aircrew training on army Bell OH-58 Kiowa and navy Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel (pictured below) helicopters as part of a broader integrated training strategy intended to better prepare aircrew to operate frontline types including the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Eurocopter Tiger, Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite, NH Industries MRH90, and Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk and UH-60 Seahawk.
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Construction of new hangars and facilities at Nowra will start in 2012, and undergraduate aircrew training will follow from 2013. The school will train up to 60 pilots, 40 aircrewmen/loadmasters and 12 observers per year.