Robert Crowe, AM

Experience

• 

  Australian Defence Force

  Sept 1986 - now

  Engineer

  Currently Royal Australian Air Force Reserve Aeronautical Engineer. Previously a Senior Officer in the Corps of Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Australian Regular Army and Army Reserve.

• 

  Australian Army

  Jan 1997 - Dec 1998

  Officer Commanding, Technical Support Squadron, 5th Aviation Regiment

  In 1997 and 1998 I was the Officer Commanding Technical Support Squadron and Senior Engineering Officer for the 5th Aviation Regiment. The technical elements of the Regiment supported a fleet of twenty-two S-70A-9 Black Hawk, four CH-47D Chinook and five UH-1H Iroquois helicopters. As a junior Officer, I had previously served at 5th Aviation Regiment in 1991 when I was the inaugural Army leader of B Squadron Technical Support Troop. My initial aircraft maintenance training started in late 1989 when I attended an alignment course at the Royal Military College of Science – Shrivenham (UK), followed in 1990 by six months at the School of Aeronautical Engineering (Middle Wallop) and concluded the year with six months attached to 1st Regiment Army Air Corps Workshops, British Army of the Rhine (Hildesheim, West Germany). Show less

• 

  Australian Army

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2013

  For eleven years I have commanded teams that delivered aerospace materiel logistics management support; six years as an in-service weapons systems logistics manager - two as the Commanding Officer for the S-70A-9 Black Hawk - and more recently, culminating in five years very rewarding work with overall responsibility for the delivery of Chief of Army’s Product Schedules and fleet management for Black Hawk, Kiowa, Chinook and the leased ScanEagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. For four years I was the Chief Engineer Army Aircraft. As the Senior Design Engineer I was responsible for the maintenance of the Army Aviation Systems Program Office’s Engineering Management System supporting Army Aviation’s fleet of S-70A-9 Black Hawk, CH-47D Chinook, Bell 206B Kiowa and UH-1H Iroquois helicopters (106 aircraft in total); and, as the Design Acceptance Representative, I was responsible for the technical acceptability of all aircraft design changes to these four weapon systems.

  • Commander, Army Aviation Systems Program Office (AASPO)

    Feb 2008 - Jan 2013

  • Chief Engineer Army Aircraft, AASPO

    Jan 2004 - Jan 2008
• 

  Australian Army

  Nov 2013 - Nov 2016

  Director Engineering Army Aviation Systems Branch

  In late 2013, after a break on Long Service Leave, I became the inaugural Director of Engineering for the Army Aviation Systems Branch, restructuring the engineering and technical teams such that I became the Senior Design Engineer of the Branch's Engineering Management System.

• 

  Royal Australian Air Force

  Jan 2017 - Jan 2018

  Defence Aviation Safety Regulations (DASR) Alignment - Army

  Posted supernumerary as a Staff Officer within the Defence Aviation Safety Authority, I facilitated the creation of a project plan and mentored the ad hoc subject matter expert DASR 66 'Military Aircraft Maintenance Licencing' and DASR 147 'Aircraft Maintenance Training Organisations' team. Ceased Australian Regular Army service in March 2018

• 

  Amentum

  Apr 2018 - Oct 2024

  Member of Consulting Staff (on leave)
• 

  Royal Australian Air Force

  Sept 2018 - Oct 2018

  Acting Director General Defence Aviation Safety Authority

  Undertook Army Reserve service. Appointed under Charter by Defence Aviation Authority as a Director General DASA for the period 1 September - 2 November 2018, accountable to the Chief of Air Force for my performance, performance of the DASA and the performance of those to whom I have delegated authority.

• 

  Royal Australian Air Force

  Apr 2019 - Jun 2021

  Staff Officer

  Lead the Engineering and Logistics Strategic Workforce Review (ENGLOGSWR) Phases 1 and 2.

• 

  Australian Army

  Jul 2024 - now

  Technical Advisor

  Technical advisor to Commander Aviation Command