160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) | ||
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Operation Neptune Spear Somali Civil War Operation Restore Hope Operation Red Wings Operation Gothic Serpent Global War on Terrorism Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq War Operation Inherent Resolve Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, worn by the 160th SOAR (A) |
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and these missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice.
Nicknamed the Night Stalkers and called Task Force Brown within the JSOC,[2] the 160th SOAR(A) is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Overview
The 160th SOAR (A) consists of some of the Army's best-qualified
Upon joining the 160th, all soldiers are assigned to "Green Platoon", in which they receive intensive training in "advanced methods of the five basic combat skills: first responder, land navigation, combatives, weapons and teamwork".[4] The weapons training includes firing thousands of rounds with AK-47/AK-74 rifles, Beretta M9 pistols, M4/M4A1 carbines, and SIG Sauer M17/M18 pistols. Soldiers who fail to pass the course the first time may retake it, but there is no guarantee that anyone assigned to Green Platoon will pass and continue on with the 160th.[5] The basic Night Stalker course for enlisted soldiers lasts five weeks;[4] the officer course lasts 20 to 28 weeks.
A new Night Stalker pilot arrives at a unit as Basic Mission Qualified (BMQ). After a series of skills test qualifications, experience, leadership, and oral review boards lasting up to three years, the Night Stalker is designated Fully Mission Qualified (FMQ). After three to five years as an FMQ, the Night Stalker may try out for flight lead qualification.[citation needed]
SOAR flight medics can qualify as
History
1980s and 1990s
After the April 1980 Operation Eagle Claw attempt to rescue American hostages held in Tehran, Iran, failed, President Jimmy Carter ordered former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James L. Holloway III to figure out how the U.S. military could best mount another attempt. At the time 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 Group, the air arm of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), which had the most diverse operating experience of the service's helicopter units, and selected elements of the 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Aviation Battalion, 229th Aviation Battalion, and the 159th Aviation Battalion. The chosen pilots immediately entered intensive training in night flying.
This provisional unit was dubbed Task Force 158, since most of its pilots were Black Hawk aviators detached from the 158th. Their distinctive 101st "Screaming Eagle" patches remained on their uniforms. The Black Hawks and Chinooks continued to operate around Campbell Army Airfield at the north of post, and Saber Army Heliport at the south. The
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
Task Force 158 was the Army's only special operations aviation unit, and its members had already become recognized as the Army's premier aviation night fighters. Their capability was judged too useful to lose, and so instead of returning to the 101st, the pilots and modified aircraft became a new unit. (Original members of the Night Stalkers refer to it as "the day the Eagles came off".[citation needed])
Originally created as Task Force 160 when the 101st Airborne Division was commanded by Jack V. Mackmull from June 1980 to August 1981. When the command was formally organized as a regiment, Mackmull was chosen to serve as its honorary colonel.[7][8]
The unit was officially established on 16 October 1981, when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion.
The 160th first saw combat during 1983's
In 1986, it was renamed the 160th Aviation Group (Airborne); and 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 unit, the 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation (OK ARNG).
In 1987 and 1988, its pilots took part in
In June 1988, the unit received a short-notice directive to recover a Soviet made Mi-25 Hind (
The Night Stalkers spearheaded
In October 1993 in
Global War on Terrorism
2001–2005
During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the Night Stalkers from 2nd Battalion supported two task forces established in early October 2001: Dagger and Sword. (Their unit in TF Sword was designated Task Force Brown.)[10] In the evening of 18 October into 19 October 2001, two SOAR MH-47E helicopters, escorted by MH-60L (Direct Action Penetrators) (DAPs), airlifted U.S. troops from the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan[11] more than 300 kilometers (190 mi) across the 16,000-foot (4,900 m) Hindu Kush mountains into Afghanistan.
The pilots of the Chinooks, flying in zero-visibility conditions, were refueled in flight three times during the 11-hour mission, establishing a new world record for combat rotorcraft. The troops—two 12-man
In November 2001, Night Stalker AH-6J Little Birds took part in Objective Wolverine and Raptor missions and Operation Relentless Strike.[15] In December 2001, Night Stalker crews resupplied more than 150
On 21 February 2002, while scouting Islamist terrorists on
In March 2002, Night Stalkers from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR supported coalition troops during
On 21 June 2002 in the Philippines, Night Stalker MH-47Es were involved in the operation that killed Abu Sabaya, a senior leader in Abu Sayyef. A U.S. Predator drone marked the person with an infrared laser as he tried to escape in a smuggler's boat. The MH-47Es trained searchlights on the boat while operators from the Philippine Naval Special Operations Group opened fire, killing the terrorist leader and capturing four other terrorists with him.[19]
Later in 2002, in Afghanistan, Task Force 11 (previously known as Task Force Sword but renamed in January 2002) was composed of DEVGRU, and a company of Rangers, and was supported by a company of helicopters from the 160th SOAR.[20]
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 3rd Battalion, 160th SOAR, deployed as the Joint Special Operations Air Detachment-West under CJSOTF-West (Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-West/Task Force Dagger). It was equipped with eight MH-47E Chinooks, four MH-60L DAPs, and two MH-60L Black Hawks. At 9 p.m. on 19 March 2003, the first strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out by members of the 160th SOAR, on Iraqi visual observation posts along the southern and western borders of Iraq. The strike groups included one flight of MH-60L DAPs and four "Black Swarm" flights, each consisting of a pair of AH-6M Little Birds; a FLIR-equipped, target-spotting MH-6M; and a pair of U.S. Air Force A-10As.[21]
In seven hours, more than 70 sites were destroyed, effectively depriving the Iraqi military of any early warning of the coming invasion. As the sites were eliminated the first heliborne SOF teams launched from H-5 airbase in Jordan, including vehicle-mounted patrols from the British and Australian special forces, who were transported by the MH-47Es of the 160th SOAR. Night Stalkers from 1st Battalion 160th SOAR were tasked with supporting Task Force 20 with its MH-60L/K Black Hawks, MH-60L DAPs, MH-6M transport and AH-6M Little Birds; they were based at Ar'Ar. On 26 March, the 160th SOAR took part in the Objective Beaver mission, a raid by DEVGRU on a complex known as al Qadisiyah Research Centre that was suspected to have stocks of chemical and biological weapons.[21]
On 1 April 2003, the 160th SOAR took part in the rescue mission of PFC Jessica Lynch who was taken prisoner during the Battle of Nasiriyah. On 2 April, a Delta Force squadron operating in Iraq was ambushed by a half-dozen armed technicals from an anti-special forces Fedayeen. Two MH-60K Black Hawks carrying a parajumper medical team and two MH-60L DAPs of the 160th SOAR responded and engaged the Iraqis, which allowed the Delta operators to move their two casualties to an emergency HLZ. However, one Delta Force operator succumbed to his wounds.[21]
On the evening of 13 December 2003,
In 2004 they took part in the rescue of three Italian contractors and one Polish businessman held for ransom by Iraqi insurgents.
In Afghanistan in 2005: Eight Night Stalkers (four from
2006–2009
In March 2006, SEALs from DEVGRU and Rangers were flown by the 160th SOAR into in
On 14 May 2006, helicopters from the 160th SOAR brought operators from Delta Force's B Squadron to Yusufiyah, Iraq, to fight al-Qaeda fighters in several buildings. As the operators disembarked their helicopters, they came under fire from a nearby house, and more al-Qaeda fighters soon joined the firefight. The door gunners of the 160th's Black Hawks fired at the insurgents; a pair of AH-6M Little Birds carried out strafing runs. One Little Bird from the 160th's 1st Battalion, B Company, was shot down. An estimated 25 al-Qaeda fighters were killed.[25][26]
In July 2006, a pair of MH-47Es from 160th SOAR attempted to insert a combined strike element of DEVGRU, Rangers, and Afghan commandos in
Elements of 3rd Battalion 160th SOAR have conducted episodic deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom—Caribbean and Central America, begun in 2008.[28] Night Stalker helicopters were present during the 2008 SOCOM counter-terror exercises in Denver.[29] On 24 April 2008, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 160th SOAR was inactivated at a ceremony conducted at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, as part of a regimental transformation plan.[30] The 160th SOAR also took part in the 2008 Abu Kamal raid.
On 19 August 2009, four Night Stalkers from D Company, 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR lost their lives in a
On 22 October 2009, a 3rd Battalion helicopter crashed into the
2010–2020
In May 2011, the Night Stalkers took part in the
On 28 May 2012,
On 15 January 2014, a MH-60M Black Hawk of the 160th performed a hard landing at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. One soldier, CPT Clayton Carpenter of NY (posthumously promoted to MAJ),[38] was killed with another two injured.[39][40] On 4 July 2014, during Operation Inherent Resolve, the Night Stalkers inserted Delta Force operators into Syria to rescue James Foley and other US hostages. One American was wounded, no hostages were found, but a substantial number of terrorists were killed. CENTCOM mistakenly posted a video on the internet of a flight of four MH-60Ms of the 160th SOAR conducting a mid-air refueling over Iraq in October 2014, the video was hastily taken down. On 26 November 2014, MH-60s flown by Nightstalkers took part in the first raid in the 2014 hostage rescue operations in Yemen.[41]
The Night Stalkers continue to be deployed to Afghanistan as part of NATO's
The Washington Post reported that 160th SOAR took part in the
On 20 August 2018, CW3 Taylor Galvin died from injuries resulting from an MH-60M crash while conducting a partnered counter-terrorism mission in support of the Operation Inherent Resolve.[45]
2021-Present
On the morning of September 18, 2021, "according to what appears to be a military incident report shared on Instagram and Reddit", a katana-wielding man attacked several SOAR soldiers at a California airport, forcing over twenty of them to "hunker down" in a hangar at Inyokern Airport, resulting in wounds to two soldiers that required stitches. "The soldiers' names were redacted in the photo shared on social media—but one was identified as a staff sergeant and the other as a captain."[46]
On November 12, 2023, details emerged about a UH-60 Black Hawk having crash landed in the mediterranean 30 miles off the coast of Cyprus during a training exercise in which the Department of Defense later confirmed this and released the names of the 5 crew members killed also stating that the events leading to the crash were under investigation.[47][48][49]
Aircraft
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service[50][51] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Helicopters
| |||||
Boeing CH-47 | United States | transport / CSAR | MH-47G | 71 | |
Sikorsky UH-60 | United States | utility | MH-60L/M | 72 | Some L models were upgraded to Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) variants |
MD500 Defender | United States | light attack | AH/MH-6 | 47[52] | M variants can be equipped with the Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES)[53] |
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
| |||||
General Atomics MQ-1 | United States | surveillance | MQ-1C | 12 |
List of known operations
Operation | Country | Year |
---|---|---|
Operation Urgent Fury |
Grenada | 1983
|
Operation Prime Chance | Persian Gulf | 1987–1988
|
Operation Mount Hope III | Chad | 1988
|
Operation Just Cause |
Panama | 1989
|
Operation Desert Shield |
Iraq | 1990
|
Operation Desert Storm |
Iraq | 1991
|
Operation Restore Hope |
Somalia | 1993
|
Operation Gothic Serpent | Somalia | 1993
|
Operation Enduring Freedom | Afghanistan / Pakistan | 2001–2014
|
Operation Iraqi Freedom | Iraq | 2003–2010
|
Operation Celestial Balance |
Somalia | 2009
|
Operation New Dawn | Iraq | 2010–2011
|
Operation Neptune Spear |
Pakistan | 2011
|
Operation Inherent Resolve | Syria / Iraq | 2014–2021
|
Operation Kayla Mueller | Syria | 2019
|
Organization
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (160th SOAR) (A)[54]
Beret flash | Unit | Location |
---|---|---|
160th SOAR(A)
|
Fort Campbell, Kentucky | |
1st Battalion, 160th SOAR(A)
|
Fort Campbell, Kentucky | |
2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A)
|
Fort Campbell, Kentucky | |
3rd Battalion, 160th SOAR(A)
|
Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia | |
4th Battalion, 160th SOAR(A)
|
Gray AAF/ Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
|
See also
- Black helicopter
- Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia
- Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington
Comparable U.S. units
- 8th Special Operations Squadron (1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command)
- 20th Special Operations Squadron (27th Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command)
- 352d Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command)
- US Navy Reserve, Naval Special Warfare Command)
Comparable international units
- Australian 171st Special Operations Aviation Squadron
- British Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing
- Canadian 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron
- French 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment
- Italian 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment
- Japanese 1st Helicopter Brigade
References
- ^ United States Army Special Operations Command Archived 14 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, official website, last accessed 1 February 2014
- ISBN 9781466876224.
- ^ "US Military to open 6200 new jobs to women". 31 October 2017.
- ^ a b Laudano, Kimberly (28 September 2006). "Green Platoon—first step to SOAR". Fort Campbell Courier. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
- ^ "160th SOAR(A) Green Platoon Train-up program". 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. United States Army. Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
- ^ "Who Attends the Special Operations Combat Medics (SOCM) Course?". Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Mackmull, Beverly (2011). "Memorial, Jack V. Mackmull". USMA1950.com. West Point, NY: USMA Class of 1950. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ This date in ARSOA history: OPERATION MOUNT HOPE, U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command Facebook page, dated 11 June 2014, last accessed 9 June 2019
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.25, p.29, p.31
- ^ "Task Force Dagger—Operation Enduring Freedom". Retrieved 13 January 2012. page 127ff
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.29, p.32
- ^ Units Credited With Assault Landings
- ^ Gresham, John (12 September 2011). "The Campaign Plan—Special Operations Forces and Operation Enduring Freedom". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.42
- ^ Fury, Dalton. Kill Bin Laden. St Martin's, 2008. Print.
- ^ "'No survivors' in U.S. chopper crash". CNN. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
- ^ "Operation Enduring Freedom casualties". iCasualties. 24 December 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1472807908, pp.29, 50, 58–59, 64–65, 185
- ISBN 978-1472807908
- ^ ISBN 978-1472807908, pp. 90, 97, 130–134
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.195-197
- ^ "HONORING THE U.S. ARMY HEROES OF OPERATION RED WINGS". soldiers.dodlive.mil. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-4728-0790-8, p.232-233
- ISBN 978-1250006967, p.154-156
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.215
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.236-237
- ^ "Operation Enduring Freedom—Caribbean, Central America (OEF-CCA)". GlobalSecurity.org.
- ^ "160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)". shadowspear.com. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- ^ "Special ops aviation company deactivated". Army Times. Army Times Publishing Company. 4 May 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
- ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Four Special Operations Aviation Soldiers die in helicopter crash in Colorado". USASOC News Service. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.243, p.282-284
- Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 23 October 2009.
- Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 24 October 2009.
- ^ Burns, Robert (6 May 2011). "Stealth chopper secrets may have been exposed". Toronto Star. Associated Press.
- ^ a b c "Zero Dark Thirty". afi.com.
- ISBN 978-1472807908, p.266
- ^ Unknown. "Major Clayton O Carpenter" (PDF). J. A. UNDERWOOD.
- U.S. Army. 4 March 2014.
- ^ "One killed in US 'Night Stalkers' hard landing". BBC News. 16 January 2014.
- ISBN 978-1472807908, pp. 302, 307, 310
- ^ "2 Fort Campbell soldiers receive Distinguished Flying Cross". army times. 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Black Hawk helicopter that crashed off Yemen belonged to elite Special Operations air unit". Washington Post. 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Pentagon identifies US service member killed in Afghanistan copter crash". CNN. 29 October 2017.
- ^ "Special operations aviator killed in Iraq helicopter crash identified". Army Times. 21 August 2018.
- ^ "Special ops troops 'hunkered down' in California airport hangar after nighttime ninja attack". Stars and Stripes. 30 September 2021.
- ^ Schmitt, Eric (12 November 2023). "5 U.S. Special Operations Troops Killed in Helicopter Crash in Mediterranean". nytimes.com.
- ^ Cenciotti, David (13 November 2023). "U.S. Army MH-60 Of Elite Night Stalkers Unit Crashes In The Eastern Med Sea Killing Five Soldiers". The Aviationist. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ "5 US special ops troops killed in helicopter crash after training 'mishap': Officials". ABC7 Chicago. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Making Do For Special Ops, aviationweek.com, 6 September 2011
- ^ Comparing apples to elephants, Army.mil, by MAJ Emily Potter, dated 10 December 2013, last accessed 24 November 2018
- ^ "World Air Forces 2019". Flightglobal Insight. 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ "AH/M-6 Little bird". americanspecialops.com. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ 160TH ORGANIZATION Archived 11 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine, U.S. Army Fort Campbell official website, page last updated 13 May 2020, last accessed 11 December 2021
- This article incorporates public domain material from 160th Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) Lineage and Honors. United States Army Center of Military History.
External links
- Official website of the 160th SOAR(A)
- Photographs of 160th SOAR (archived 22 June 2008)