Squirrel helicopter arrives at the Memorial

It was known as a “battle budgie” and had a picture of The Simpsons character Barney Gumble painted on its side. And now the team at the Australian War Memorial wants to find out more about its history from the people who knew it best.

The AS350 BA Squirrel helicopter, which was donated by the Australian Defence Force, was carefully loaded onto the back of a truck at 723 Squadron in Nowra and delivered to its new home at the Memorial’s storage facility in Mitchell on August 30.

The Memorial’s head of Military Heraldry and Technology Nick Fletcher said the helicopter - N22-017 (side number 864) - has a long service history and was one of four Squirrel helicopters sent to the Gulf War in 1991.

“The Squirrel was a training aircraft and it was used by all three services: army, navy and air force,” Fletcher said. “Australia ended up using them in a combat role in Gulf War I, so 864 has some interesting operational history as well. They’ve been a long-serving, hard-working helicopter that’s done the job it was designed to do for years and years and they’re considered to be a good aircraft in terms of both their flying performance and what they’re like to look after on the ground.

“Combat operations for this aircraft were more than 20 years ago, so the people who flew or maintained them in the Gulf have generally retired or moved on. We would like to track them down to learn out more about 864’s operational history, and we would hope to turn up a lot more imagery and some personal experiences.”

The Royal Australian Navy has operated the Squirrel since 1983-84 and they are due to be phased out of service by 2018.

Essentially a training aircraft in Australia, the Squirrel has also been used as a light utility aircraft, for search and rescue, as an operational aircraft, and as part of a display and aerobatic team.

“They were chosen because they are a reasonably gentle introduction to rotary wing and they have good handling characteristics for learners,” Fletcher said. “From that perspective, they’ve done exactly what the ADF required as an initial training helicopter and they’ve done a really remarkable job in roles that they weren’t really expected to fulfil. They are very well liked.”

During their deployment aboard Australian frigates in the Gulf War, the helicopters were modified with updated avionics and a door mounted 7.62mm machine gun. They were used for shipping surveillance, cover for merchant vessel boardings, mine searches and light logistics support.

“The story we have heard was that the design for the gun mounts in the Gulf were basically drawn up on a sheet of A4 paper and they were told to build from that,” Fletcher said. “We have a contact who knows the man who made the mounts up for them, so again, he’s another man we would aim to talk to.”

In 1998, the helicopter was nicknamed “Barney Gumble” and had a suitable caricature painted on its engine cover.

“It could have been to do with the pilot at the time, or sometimes the logo reflects the character of the aircraft, but it’s hard to imagine that in this case,” Fletcher said. “For all we know, they might have all had a Simpsons character ID. That’s one of the things that we don’t know about the aircraft that we will be seeking to be find out in the next few years.”

Did you operate or maintain 864 during its Gulf deployment? Do you have recollections or photos of it or its sister aircraft? The Australian War Memorial would love to hear from you at: mht@awm.gov.au