During the Falklands conflict, the Scout was engaged in CASEVAC, re-supply and Special Forces insertion roles. When 5 Infantry Brigade landed, these three Scouts reverted to under command of 656 Squadron on 1 June and joined up with three additional Scouts from the squadron. With the exception of 2 flights, the squadron was disbanded in 1977 and finally returned to the UK to be reformed in Farnborough, from where it participated in Operation Agila (Rhodesia) and Operation Corporate (The Falklands War) in 1982.įollowing the landings at San Carlos on May 21 and prior to the arrival of 5th Infantry Brigade a week later, three Scouts from 656 Squadron were under the operational command of 3 Cdo Bde RM alongside the six Scouts of B Flight, 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron RM. 656 Light Aircraft Squadron's time in the Far East continued with tours in Singapore, Borneo and Hong Kong. The squadron then reformed as an AAC Squadron on 1 September 1957. During this time, 656 provided support to both the AOP and Air liaison role this it continued to do throughout the emergency. The squadron was then reduced in size and reformed into 1914 Flight in Malaya during the internal conflict there. During the War, the squadron was to fly more operational hours than their counterparts in Europe.

656 Squadron operated from 1943 to 1946 in India, Burma, and the Dutch East Indies. History Formation and the Second World War Īfter their formation as 656 (AOP) Squadron on 31 December 1942 at RAF Westley, the squadron deployed to the Far East in support of the 14th Army. The squadron was the first operational Apache squadron in the Army Air Corps and was awarded fully operational status along with the remainder of 9 Regiment AAC in June 2005. The first phase of this completed in October 2004. It was chosen as one of the AAC new Apache squadrons and in April 2004 started its conversion to role. 656 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps.

Apache by ed macy