Introduction
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) 160th SOAR (A) is part of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) ,headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. USASOC is the army component command assigned to US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which is loacted at MacDill AFB, Florida. 160th SOAR (A) is also known as Night Stalkers as they specialise in night operations and they operate the most technologically advanced helicopters in the world. Their motto, Night Stalkers Dont Quit (NSDQ).
Brief History
The unit originally was formed from attachments from the 101st Aviation Battalion, 158th Aviation Battalion, 229th Aviation Battalion and the 159th Aviation Battalion, immediately entered into a period of intensive night flying and quickly became the Army's premier night fighting aviation force and the Army's only Special Operations Aviation force. Task Force 160 was officially recognized as a Unit on 16 October 1981 when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion.
Operations
The organizational structure of the 160th SOAR (A) allows the Regiment to quickly tailor its unique assets to meet the mission requirements of special operations forces (75th Ranger Regiment aka Rangers, US Special Forces aka Green Berets, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D) aka Delta Force)
* Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada, 1983
* Operation Prime Chance - Persian Gulf, 19871988
* Operation Mount Hope III - recovery of Mi-24 Hind helicopter in Africa
* Operation Just Cause - Panama, 1989
* Operation Desert Shield - Iraq, 1990
* Operation Desert Storm - Iraq, 1991
* Operation Restore Hope - Somalia, 1993
* Operation Gothic Serpent - the operation that led to the Battle of Mogadishu.
* Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, 2001
* Operation Iraqi Freedom - Iraq, 2003
NB. Most of these operations were in direct support of US Army Rangers with elements of Delta Force supporting them in some.
Structure
The Regiment currently consists of three battalions, a headquarters company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Company (SOA Training Co), and two forward-deployed companies located in the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Pacific Command areas of responsibility.
Campbell AAF, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- Headquarters 160th SOAR (A)
- SOA Training Co (MH-6C, AH/MH-6M, MH-47D/E,MH-60L/K)
- 1 -160TH AVN (AHB - Assualt Helicopter Bn) (AH/MH-6M, MH-60K/L)
- 2 -160TH AVN (HHB - Heavy Helicopter Bn) (MH-47E/G)
Hunter AAF, Savannah, Georgia
- 3 -160TH AVN (AHB - Assualt Helicopter Bn) (MH-60L, MH-47D)
- D/160TH AVN (ASLT - Assualt Helicopter Coy) (MH-60L)
Taegu AFB, Korea
- E/160TH AVN (HH - Heavy Helicopter Coy) (MH-47E/G)
Aircraft
MH-47E
MH-60L
MH-60K
Future
A forth Helicopter Battalion is in the midst of being activated. The current 3 battalions will be reconfigured strictly for lifting operations - 2 MH-47Gs Coys (16x2) and 1 MH-60M Coy (10). The forth will be for attaack and assault - 2 AH/MH-6M Coys (??) and 2 MH-60K/L Coys (??) - will convert to MH-60M later.
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) 160th SOAR (A) is part of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) ,headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. USASOC is the army component command assigned to US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which is loacted at MacDill AFB, Florida. 160th SOAR (A) is also known as Night Stalkers as they specialise in night operations and they operate the most technologically advanced helicopters in the world. Their motto, Night Stalkers Dont Quit (NSDQ).
Brief History
The unit originally was formed from attachments from the 101st Aviation Battalion, 158th Aviation Battalion, 229th Aviation Battalion and the 159th Aviation Battalion, immediately entered into a period of intensive night flying and quickly became the Army's premier night fighting aviation force and the Army's only Special Operations Aviation force. Task Force 160 was officially recognized as a Unit on 16 October 1981 when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion.
Operations
The organizational structure of the 160th SOAR (A) allows the Regiment to quickly tailor its unique assets to meet the mission requirements of special operations forces (75th Ranger Regiment aka Rangers, US Special Forces aka Green Berets, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D) aka Delta Force)
* Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada, 1983
* Operation Prime Chance - Persian Gulf, 19871988
* Operation Mount Hope III - recovery of Mi-24 Hind helicopter in Africa
* Operation Just Cause - Panama, 1989
* Operation Desert Shield - Iraq, 1990
* Operation Desert Storm - Iraq, 1991
* Operation Restore Hope - Somalia, 1993
* Operation Gothic Serpent - the operation that led to the Battle of Mogadishu.
* Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, 2001
* Operation Iraqi Freedom - Iraq, 2003
NB. Most of these operations were in direct support of US Army Rangers with elements of Delta Force supporting them in some.
Structure
The Regiment currently consists of three battalions, a headquarters company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Company (SOA Training Co), and two forward-deployed companies located in the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Pacific Command areas of responsibility.
Campbell AAF, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- Headquarters 160th SOAR (A)
- SOA Training Co (MH-6C, AH/MH-6M, MH-47D/E,MH-60L/K)
- 1 -160TH AVN (AHB - Assualt Helicopter Bn) (AH/MH-6M, MH-60K/L)
- 2 -160TH AVN (HHB - Heavy Helicopter Bn) (MH-47E/G)
Hunter AAF, Savannah, Georgia
- 3 -160TH AVN (AHB - Assualt Helicopter Bn) (MH-60L, MH-47D)
- D/160TH AVN (ASLT - Assualt Helicopter Coy) (MH-60L)
Taegu AFB, Korea
- E/160TH AVN (HH - Heavy Helicopter Coy) (MH-47E/G)
Aircraft
MH-47E
MH-60L
MH-60K
Future
A forth Helicopter Battalion is in the midst of being activated. The current 3 battalions will be reconfigured strictly for lifting operations - 2 MH-47Gs Coys (16x2) and 1 MH-60M Coy (10). The forth will be for attaack and assault - 2 AH/MH-6M Coys (??) and 2 MH-60K/L Coys (??) - will convert to MH-60M later.
