Hundreds of jobs up for grabs to maintain defence's new Apache helicopter fleet

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

A major recruitment and training drive is underway for hundreds of jobs, ahead of the imminent arrival of a $5 billion Apache helicopter fleet in northern Australia.
A new aviation training academy, operated by Aviation Australia and Boeing Defence Australia, will be based in the north Queensland city of Townsville from January.
The government said Townsville would now be Australia's main defence aviation hub.
A total of 240 aviation support jobs are set to be created across Queensland, including 170 in Townsville, as part of a $306 million support contract, the government said.
Aviation Australia chief executive Glenn Ryan said the new academy would train aircraft engineers for the Australian Army's rotary wing fleet, including the AH-64E Apache helicopters.
He said there had already been strong interest.
"For the 36 [apprenticeships] there's been 240 applications, the vast majority of them are local," he said.
The push to train aircraft engineers comes ahead of the arrival, expected within months, of the first of 29 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Australia.
It marks a major change in direction of the country's defence aviation fleet.
The current ARH Tiger helicopter fleet operates from Darwin and is due to be phased out by 2028.
Federal Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said Townsville would now be the centre of the country's defence aviation industry.
He said the Apaches would operate alongside the existing Chinook fleet.
The Australian Army's 1st Aviation Regiment will be moved from Darwin to the RAAF base in Townsville by 2028.
The acquisition of 29 new Apache helicopters and 12 new Romeo maritime helicopters was announced by then-prime minister Scott Morrison in 2022.
John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said Australia was increasing its military capability in response to global uncertainty.
The 2023 Defence Strategic Review spelt out a need for greater preparedness, he said.
"If there is going to be a major conflict, we won't have as much time to prepare for it," he said.
Dr Coyne said the Apache fleet was one of several significant military purchases made to achieve that end.
He said while there would be local economic benefit from basing the Apache fleet in Townsville, it was hard to quantify.
"Trying to weigh up the cost of national security and defence is always hard because you're investing in something you hope you will never have to use," he said.