Aussie pilot lands UK Helo after attack
An Australian Army pilot serving on exchange with the British Army in Iraq has safely landed a helicopter in which he was the co-pilot after it was hit by small arms fire south of Baghdad on Wednesday morning (10 November).
Captain Scott Watkins took control of the British Army Lynx helicopter after the British pilot was injured in the attack.
The aircraft was hit by three rounds of small arms fire while flying in support of the British Black Watch Battle Group south of Baghdad.
After taking control of the helicopter, Captain Watkins was able to land it safely at a Coalition base, Camp Dogwood south of Baghdad. The injured British pilot was then immediately evacuated to a Coalition military hospital in Baghdad where he is receiving treatment.
Captain Watkins was unhurt in the attack.
Captain Watkins is serving with the United Kingdom Joint Helo Force, Multi-National Division – South East which is based in Basra in southern Iraq.
He is more than a year into a two-year exchange posting with the British Army Aviation Corps. Before going to the United Kingdom, Captain Watkins served with the Australian Army’s 161 Reconnaissance Squadron based in Darwin, Northern Territory.
He has been in Iraq for just over two months. Captain Watkins said his tasks in Iraq were varied.
"Tasks range from flying people to different locations around the area of operations, to doing a bit of overhead protection for convoy moves and trying to provide an eye in the sky on operations in Basra and other places," Captain Watkins said.
The Commander of Australian Forces in Iraq and the Middle East Area of Operations, Brigadier Peter Hutchinson, said the best wishes of all Australians were with the British pilot injured in the incident.
Brigadier Hutchinson said that Captain Watkins was one of two Australian Army members serving on exchange with British units in southern Iraq. Neither of these two is serving directly with the Black Watch Battle Group deployed south of Baghdad.
A further seven Australian Army officers are serving in various staff positions with the Headquarters of the Multi-National Division – South East which based in Basra.
There are approximately 920 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed throughout the Middle East Area of Operations as part of the Australia’s commitment to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq. Of these, about 250 are based inside Iraq.