160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (United States)
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| 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) | |
|---|---|
 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment distinctive unit insignia |
|
| Active | October 16, 1981 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Special Operations |
| Role | Provide aviation support to U.S. Special Operations Forces |
| Part of | U.S. Army Special Operations Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Campbell |
| Nickname | Night Stalkers |
| Motto | "Night Stalkers Don't Quit" (NSDQ) "Death Waits in the Dark" |
| Engagements | Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Operation Gothic Serpent Battle of Mogadishu Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Red Wing (Search and Rescue) |
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (160th SOAR (A)) is a special operations unit of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for general purpose forces and Special Operations Forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night, at high speeds and low altitudes, on short notice, and in secret. The force is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The 160th SOAR (A) are also known as the Night Stalkers and its motto is Night Stalkers Don't Quit (NSDQ).
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The regiment consists of a headquarters company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Company, and four battalions: the 1st and 2nd at Fort Campbell, the 3rd at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, and the 4th at Fort Lewis, Washington. This allows the 160th to quickly assemble mixed forces to meet short-notice special operations needs.
The 160th SOAR (A) consists of the Army's best-qualified aviators and support soldiers. Officers volunteer while enlisted soldiers volunteer or are assigned by the US Army HRC (Human Resources Command). All receive intensive training upon joining the 160th. The basic Night Stalker course for enlisted soldiers lasts five weeks; the officer course 20 to 28 weeks. A new Night Stalker is designated fully mission qualified after a year or two, and earns flight lead qualification in three to five years. A note: The 160th also recruits women albeit they are all staff positions [1]
The Night Stalkers pioneered many of the techniques and helped develop much of the equipment now used at night by other Army aviation units.
[edit] Equipment
The 160th SOAR fly modifications of MH-47 Chinooks, AH-6 Little Birds, And MH-60 Blackhawks. More specifically,
AH-6 Little Bird
MH-6 Little Bird
MH-60K Blackhawk
MH-60L Blackhawk
MH-60L Blackhawk Direct Action Penetrator
MH-47E Chinook
MH-47G Chinook
[edit] History
After the failure of 1980s Operation Eagle Claw, the disastrous attempt to rescue American hostages held in Tehran, Iran, President Jimmy Carter ordered former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James L. Holloway III to figure out why it went wrong and how the U.S. military could best mount another attempt. One key lesson: there were no U.S. helicopter units trained in this kind of stealthy, short-notice Special Operations mission.
The Army looked to the 101st Aviation Battalion, which had the most diverse operating experience of the service's helicopter units, and selected elements of the 158th Aviation Battalion, 229th Aviation Battalion, and the 159th Aviation Battalion. The chosen pilots immediately entered intensive training in night flying. Dubbed Task Force 160, the new unit was quickly recognised as the Army's premier night fighting aviation force, and its only Special Operations Aviation force.
As the first batch of pilots completed training in the fall of 1980, a second attempt to rescue the hostages was planned for early 1981. Dubbed Operation Honey Badger, it was called off when the hostages were released on the morning of President Ronald Reagan's inauguration.
The unit was officially established on October 16, 1981, when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion.
The 160th first saw combat during 1983's Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada.
In 1986, it was re-designated as the 160th Aviation Group (Airborne); in May 1990, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). As demand for highly-trained Special Operations Aviation assets bloomed, the Regiment activated three Battalions, a separate detachment, and incorporated one Army National Guard Battalion.
In 1987 and 1988, its pilots took part in Operation Earnest Will, the protection of re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War. They flew from US Navy warships and leased oil barges in a secret sub-part called Operation Prime Chance, and became the first helicopter pilots to use night vision goggles and forward looking infrared devices in night combat.
In June 1988, the unit executed Operation Mount Hope III. Two MH-47 crews flew 490 miles (790 km) deep into Chad to retrieve a crashed Mi-24 Hind medium-attack helicopter.
The Night Stalkers spearheaded Operation Just Cause, the 1989 invasion of Panama, and they were also used in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
In October of 1993 in Somalia, Night Stalkers became involved in the Battle of Mogadishu, which later became the subject of the book Black Hawk Down, and its film adaptation. Two Night Stalker Black Hawks, Super 6-1 (piloted by Cliff Wolcott), and Super 6-4 (piloted by Mike Durant), were shot down in the battle. Five of the eighteen men killed (not counting a nineteenth post-operation casualty) in the Battle of Mogadishu were members of the SOAR(A) Night Stalkers team, who were lost along with the two Black Hawks.
Eight Night Stalkers were lost along with eight Navy SEALs on a rescue mission for Marcus Luttrell, after their MH-47 Chinook helicopter was hit by an RPG (rocket propelled grenade). They were sent out to look for Luttrell after Operation Red Wing, which he was undertaking with three other SEALs, went horribly awry after their presence was revealed to the Taliban by goat herders. The Night Stalkers lost on the search and rescue mission included:
- Staff Sgt. Shamus O. Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio
- Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 35, of Clarks Grove, Minnesota.
- Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, of Pompano Beach, Florida
- Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, of Shelbyville, Indiana
- Master Sgt. James W. Ponder III, 36, of Franklin, Tennessee
- Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 34, of Washington Depot, Connecticut.
- Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 31, of Stafford, Virginia
- Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida
On April 24, 2008, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 160th SOAR was inactivated at a ceremony conducted at Hunter Army Airfield, GA, as part of an overall regimental transformation plan. Source: Army times: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_co_deactivated_043008w/
[edit] Operations
The 160th SOAR (A) had provided air support to most United States Army Rangers missions.
| Operation | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Operation Urgent Fury |  Grenada |
|
| Operation Prime Chance | Persian Gulf |
|
| Operation Mount Hope III (recovery of Mi-24 Hind helicopter) |
Chad |
|
| Operation Just Cause |  Panama |
|
| Operation Desert Shield |  Iraq |
|
| Operation Desert Storm | Iraq |
|
| Operation Restore Hope |  Somalia |
|
| Operation Gothic Serpent (operation that led to the Battle of Mogadishu) |
Somalia |
|
| Operation Enduring Freedom |  Afghanistan |
|
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq |
|
[edit] Organization
Commander: Col. Clayton M. Hutmacher
Command Sergeant Mjor: CSM Ernest "Jake" Elliot
Regimental Warrant Officer: CWO5 David F. Cooper Jr.
| Unit | Location |
|---|---|
Headquarters
|
Fort Campbell, KY |
1st Battalion
|
Fort Campbell, KY |
2nd Battalion
|
Fort Campbell, KY |
3rd Battalion
|
Hunter Army Airfield, GA |
4th Battalion
|
Fort Lewis, WA |
[edit] Notable Night Stalkers
[edit] Books and Movies
- Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War (Mark Bowden)
- Black Hawk Down (Film)
- In The Company of Heroes (Mike Durant)
- Special Forces: War Against Saddam Hussein (Eric Micheletti)
- The Night Stalkers (Mike Durant & Steven Hartov)
- The Battle of Mogadishu (Matt Eversmann)
- Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-970-3.
[edit] See also
- Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia
- Australian 171st Aviation Squadron
- 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron
- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 84
[edit] External links
[edit] Official sites
- 160th SOAR (A) Official site at Fort Campbell
- 160th SOAR (A) fact sheet at USASOC
