On 1st April 2002 the Defence Aviation Safety Centre (DASC) formed at RAF Bentley Priory. The Centre is a tri-Service policy, regulation and auditing body within MOD Central Staffs that will act as the executive arm of the MoD Aviation Regulatory and Safety Board (MARSB) and be the MoD focus for pan-defence aviation safety issues. It will provide the Secretary of State for Defence with an appropriate level of assurance on aviation safety-related matters and ensure a common approach to Aviation Safety throughout the three Services, the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organization.
The key roles of the DASC are:
- To formulate, regulate and validate Defence Aviation Safety policy as directed by the MARSB.
- To provide Aviation Safety advice to the Service Chiefs of Staff, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), and also to the MARSB.
- To provide Aviation Safety advice to Commands, Aircraft Operating Authorities, Release to Service Authorities.
- To provide Aviation Safety advice to other Government Departments, civilian and military agencies, NATO, Foreign & Commonwealth and Partnership for Peace countries and to industry.
- To act as the focus for Aviation Safety matters in the MoD.
- To provide common, high-level Aviation Safety education and publicity.
The head of DASC is a rotational post (currently an AAC Colonel), with a joint staff of Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and civilian personnel. Seven staff branches, each headed by a Royal Navy Commander, Army Lieutenant Colonel or Royal Air Force Wing Commander and manned by appropriately experienced personnel drawn from across the 3 Services, are: Policy, Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing, Operations Support, Occurrences, Engineering and Aviation Safety Management.
The Centre has functional links to the DE & S Air/Land Technology Group at Abbey Wood and TES at Boscombe Down.
As the DASC formed, the Royal Air Force Inspectorate of Flight Safety was disbanded.
