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Encyclopedia > 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)

160th SOAR (A) Insignia
Active: October 16, 1981
Country: United States
Allegiance:
Branch: United States Army
Type: Special Operations
Role: Provide aviation support to U.S. Special Operations Forces
Size:
Command structure: U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Current commander:
Garrison/HQ: Fort Campbell
Ceremonial chief:
Colonel of the Regiment:
Nickname: Night Stalkers
Patron:
Motto: "Night Stalkers Don't Quit" (NSDQ)
"Death Waits in the Dark"
Colors:
March:
Mascot:
Notable battles or wars: Operation Urgent Fury
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Restore Hope
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Notable commanders: {{{notable_commanders}}}
Anniversaries:
Decorations:
Battle honours:

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (160th SOAR (A)) is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides aviation support by helicopters to general purpose forces and other special operations forces. Its missions include 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. Note: Actual size of image is 113x125px; I had cut at little too much in the first attempt (the shadow on the right got cropped). ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the United States Department of Defense lists the US military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the U.S. Department of Defense lists the U.S. military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ... USASOC shoulder sleeve patch. ... Fort Campbell is a large post of the United States Army located approximately ten miles northwest of downtown Clarksville, Tennessee and ten miles south of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. ... The Invasion of Grenada, known to US forces as Operation Urgent Fury, was an invasion of the island nation of Grenada by the military forces of the United States of America and several Caribbean nations. ... Combatants United States Panama Commanders General Carl W. Stiner Manuel Noriega Strength 27,684+ 3,000+ Casualties 23 Dead, 324 Wounded 450 Military, 500-4,000 Civilian U.S. Army Rangers prepare to take La Comandancia in the El Chorrillo neighborhood of Panama City, December 1989. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mujahdeen fighters of Afghanistan, other nations Taliban regime of Afghanistan Commanders General Tommy Franks Taliban military leaders Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States . ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the... A battle honour is an official acknowledgement to recognize a military units achievements in specific wars or operations. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the United States Department of Defense lists the US military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ... The United States Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors. ... Fort Campbell is a large post of the United States Army located approximately ten miles northwest of downtown Clarksville, Tennessee. ... State nickname: Bluegrass State Other U.S. States Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Governor Ernie Fletcher Official languages English Area 104,749 km² (37th)  - Land 102,989 km²  - Water 1,760 km² (1. ...


The 160th SOAR (A) is also known as the Night Stalkers and its motto is Night Stalkers Don't Quit (NSDQ). A motto is a phrase or a short list of words meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. ...

Contents


Overview

The 160th flies AH-6 Little Bird light assault helicopters, MH-6 light transport helicopters, MH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopters and MH-47 Chinook heavy assault helicopters. [1] [2] The Hughes H-6 is a family of light utility civilian and assault helicopters of the United States Army. ... The Hughes H-6 is a family of light utility civilian and assault helicopters of the United States Army. ... For other uses of Blackhawk/Black Hawk, see Black Hawk. ... A Royal Air Force Chinook A field artillery section slingloading a M-198 howitzer for airlift by a CH-47 Chinook The CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ...


The regiment consists of a headquarters company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Company, and three battalions: the 1st and 2nd at Fort Campbell, and the 3rd at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. It also has one forward-deployed company in the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility. This allows the 160th to quickly assemble mixed forces to meet short-notice special operations needs. Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO code In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ... Hunter Army Airfield is, along with Fort Stewart, a military complex in Georgia, United States. ... A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers. ... The United States Pacific Command operates from suburban Honolulu in south central Oahu at the Nimitz-MacArthur Pacific Command Center. ...


The 160th SOAR (A) seeks the Army's best-qualified aviators and support soldiers. All must have volunteered and qualified for three increasingly tough jobs: Army, Airborne, and 160th SOAR (A). 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. It has been suggested that Pilot (spaceflight) be merged into this article or section. ... U.S. paratroopers jump into Australia on a military training exercise. ...


The Night Stalkers pioneered many of the techniques and helped develop much of the equipment now used at night by other Army aviation units, and it continues to lead the service's advancement of these.


History

160th SOAR Insignia
160th SOAR Insignia

After the failure of 1980's Operation Eagle Claw, the disastrous attempt to rescue American hostages held in Tehran, 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. 160th SOAR Insignia Copyright status Public domain: United States Air Force. ... 160th SOAR Insignia Copyright status Public domain: United States Air Force. ... Combatants United States new Iranian regime Casualties 8 dead, 4 injured Operation Eagle Claw (or Operation Evening Light) was a United States military operation to rescue the 53 hostages from the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran on April 24, 1980. ... Failed Iran Hostage Rescue The former US embassy, Tehran, Iran, as it appears today The Iran hostage crisis was a 444-day (about 14 months) period during which student proxies of the new Iranian regime held hostage 52 diplomats and citizens of the United States, which lasted from November 4... Map of Iran and surrounding lands, showing location of Tehran View from Jamaran looking southwest toward Elahiyeh, Jordan, and Shemiran districts of Tehran. ... For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). ... The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the senior military officer in the United States Navy. ...


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 recognized as the Army's premier night fighting aviation force, and its only special operations aviation force.-1...


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. Operation Credible Sport, also known as Operation Honey Badger, was a United States military operation plan in late 1980 to rescue the hostages held on American soil in Iran using C-130 cargo planes modified with rocket engines. ... An October surprise is a stunning news event calculated to influence the outcome of an election in the United States, particularly one for the presidency. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...


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. The Invasion of Grenada, known to US forces as Operation Urgent Fury, was an invasion of the island nation of Grenada by the military forces of the United States of America and several Caribbean nations. ...


In 1986, it was redesignated 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. The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. ...


In 1987 and 1988, its pilots took part in Operation Earnest Will, the protection of reflagged Kuwait tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War. They flew from Navy warships and leased oil barges in a secret subpart called Operation Prime Chance, and became the first helicopter pilots to use night vision goggles and forward looking infrared devices in night combat. Mess Management Specialist 2nd Class Williams Hendrickson scans for mines from the bow of the U.S. Navy guided missile frigate USS Nicolas (FFG-47) during an Earnest Will convoy mission. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Combatants Iran Iraq Casualties Est. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations around the globe. ... Operation Prime Chance (August 1987-June 1989) was a U.S. Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran-Iraq War. ... Two American soldiers pictured during the 2003 Iraq War Night vision goggles (NVG) are a type of eye-wear that allows one to see in the dark. ... A forward looking infrared (FLIR) system is a camera that takes pictures using the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. ...


In June 1988, the unit executed Operation Mount Hope III. Two MH-47 crews flew 490 miles deep into Africa to steal an Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter. Operation Mount Hope III was a secret American operation to steal a crashed Soviet-made MI-24 “Hind” attack helicopter. ... The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. ...


Night Stalkers spearheaded Operation Just Cause, the 1989 invasion of Panama, and they were also used in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Combatants United States Panama Commanders General Carl W. Stiner Manuel Noriega Strength 27,684+ 3,000+ Casualties 23 Dead, 324 Wounded 450 Military, 500-4,000 Civilian U.S. Army Rangers prepare to take La Comandancia in the El Chorrillo neighborhood of Panama City, December 1989. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian...


In October of 1993 in Somalia, Night Stalkers became involved in the Battle of Mogadishu, which later became the subject of the book and movie Black Hawk Down. Two Night Stalker Blackhawks, Super 61 (piloted by Cliff Wolcott), and Super 64 (piloted by Mike Durant), were shot down in the battle. The Night Stalkers lost five men in the two Blackhawks. Combatants U.S. Special Operations Forces Mogadishu Local Militia, Citizens Commanders Major General William F. Garrison, Joint Task Force Command Center Unknown Strength 160 2,000+ Casualties 18 Killed 73 Wounded 1,000+ The Battle of Mogadishu was fought between forces of the United States by order of U.S... Black Hawk Down is a 2001 film by Ridley Scott, based on the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden. ... Michael Mike J. Durant is the American pilot that was held prisoner after a raid in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993. ...

The crew of Super 64 a month before the Battle of Mogadishu. From left: Tommy Field, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank and Mike Durant.
The crew of Super 64 a month before the Battle of Mogadishu. From left: Tommy Field, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank and Mike Durant.

The crew of Super 64 a month before the Battle of Mogadishu. ... The crew of Super 64 a month before the Battle of Mogadishu. ...

Operations

The 160th SOAR (A) has provided air support to most U.S. Army Rangers missions. Official force name 75th Ranger Regiment Rangers Other names Airborne Rangers Army Rangers U.S. Army Rangers Branch U.S. Army Chain of Command USASOC Description Special Operations Force, rapidly deployable light infantry force. ...

The Invasion of Grenada, known to US forces as Operation Urgent Fury, was an invasion of the island nation of Grenada by the military forces of the United States of America and several Caribbean nations. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Prime Chance (August 1987-June 1989) was a U.S. Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran-Iraq War. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Mount Hope III was a secret American operation to steal a crashed Soviet-made MI-24 “Hind” attack helicopter. ... Combatants United States Panama Commanders General Carl W. Stiner Manuel Noriega Strength 27,684+ 3,000+ Casualties 23 Dead, 324 Wounded 450 Military, 500-4,000 Civilian U.S. Army Rangers prepare to take La Comandancia in the El Chorrillo neighborhood of Panama City, December 1989. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... This article is about the year. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Bravo Company, 3rd Batallion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Somalia, 1993. ... Combatants U.S. Special Operations Forces Mogadishu Local Militia, Citizens Commanders Major General William F. Garrison, Joint Task Force Command Center Unknown Strength 160 2,000+ Casualties 18 Killed 73 Wounded 1,000+ The Battle of Mogadishu was fought between forces of the United States by order of U.S... Combatants United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mujahdeen fighters of Afghanistan, other nations Taliban regime of Afghanistan Commanders General Tommy Franks Taliban military leaders Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States . ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Combatants Coalition Forces (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland) Iraq Commanders Tommy Franks Saddam Hussein Strength 263,000 375,000 The 2003 invasion of Iraq, termed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the US administration, began on March 20. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Famous Night Stalkers

Michael Mike J. Durant is the American pilot that was held prisoner after a raid in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Books and Movies

“Black Hawk Down” is an official phrase used on combat situations, by the United States military, to inform the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter. ... Black Hawk Down is a 2001 film by Ridley Scott, based on the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden. ... This is the cover of Michael Durants book, In the Company of Heroes. ...

External links

Official sites

  • 160th SOAR (A) fact sheet at Fort Campbell
  • 160th SOAR (A) fact sheet at USASOC
  • 160th SOAR (A) New Site

Former Night Stalkers' websites

  • Night Stalkers Association
  • NightStalkers.com
  • SpecialOperations.com's unit profile


 
 

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