Porter A14-704 arrived at Amberley in May 1971. As with all Porters, it arrived in Swiss markings so as to avoid undue attention due to Australia’s involvement in Vietnam. On arrival it was registered as HB-FFU.With the Swiss marking removed, the aircraft was initially allocated ADF tail number A14-730. However, as the tail number clashed with an existing Sioux 47G3B1 A1-730, it was reallocated to A14-704. This aircraft saw overseas service in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

All the Porter aircraft were delivered to Amberley and were operated from there until the move to Oakey in 1973. RAAF personnel were posted to 16 ALA and 1 Aviation Regiment and were initially involved in servicing the aircraft and training Army personnel. The Australian Army ordered a total of 19 Porters between 1967 and 1969. The first four arrived at RAAF Amberley in February 1968 with the last four arriving in April 1970. In October 1992 the Porter was retired from Army service.

The following units operated the aircraft

  • 1 Aviation Regiment
  • 161 (Indep) Recce Flight
  • 163 (Indep) Recce Flight
  • 171 Operational Support Squadron
  • 173 General Support Squadron
  • 183 (Indep) Recce Flight

Australian Army Pilatus Porters provided overseas service in Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. Aircraft roles were:

  • Battlefield Surveillance
  • Command and Control
  • Air Logistics Support
  • Troops movement and Resupply
  • Night Illumination
  • Voice Missions
  • Electronic Monitoring
  • Casualty Evacuation
  • Aerial Survey
  • Training

During service in Vietnam, the deployed fleet flew 8,053 hours and completed 6987 sorties.

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