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Encyclopedia > Night Stalkers
160th SOAR Insignia

Night Stalkers Emblem 160th SOAR Insignia Copyright status Public domain: United States Air Force. ... 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). ...

Unit name

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
Abbreviated: 160th SOAR (A)

Nickname

Night Stalkers

Branch

U.S. Army The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

Mission

Provide aviation support to U.S. Special Operations Forces 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. ...

Headquarters

Fort Campbell, Kentucky
USA 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. ... 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. ...

Motto

Night Stalkers Don't Quit (NSDQ)
Death Waits in the Dark

Regiment

3 battalions,
Training Company,
2 forward-deployed companies located in the U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Pacific Command The United States Southern Command (also called SOUTHCOM) is responsible for all United States military activities in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean basin. ... The United States Pacific Command operates from suburban Honolulu in south central Oahu at the Nimitz-MacArthur Pacific Command Center. ...

Battalions

1st & 2nd Battalion:


3rd Battalion:
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. ...

Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia

Aircraft

MH-60 Black Hawk
MH-47 Chinook
A/MH-6 Little Bird
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sikorsky S-70. ... 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, twin-rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ... The Hughes H-6 is a family of light utility and assault helicopters of the United States Army. ...

Established

October 16, 1981,
after the failure of Operation Eagle Claw The wreckage of a Sea Stallion helicopter at the Desert One base in Iran 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. ...

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)160th SOAR (A)— is a special operation 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. Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ... US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The 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 (propellers). ... 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).

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 and assault helicopters of the United States Army. ... The Hughes H-6 is a family of light utility and assault helicopters of the United States Army. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sikorsky S-70. ... 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, twin-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 two forward-deployed companies: one apiece in the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Pacific Command areas 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. ... // US Army In the United States military, infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon; tank companies are usually made up of three tank platoons and a command element. ... The United States Southern Command (also called SOUTHCOM) is responsible for all United States military activities in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean basin. ... 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 consisting of unit history, combat life savers, landnav, conbatives, and range each is a roughley a week long henc 5 weeks also befor class starts there is a hold faze whale students wait to start class, holdies are also knowen as snowbirds and do mundae details for 160th whale they wait to start class  ; 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. Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... 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

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. The wreckage of a Sea Stallion helicopter at the Desert One base in Iran 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. ... The Iran hostage crisis was a 444-day period during which the new regime of Iran after the Iranian Revolution held hostage 66 diplomats and citizens of the United States. ... Map of Iran and surrounding lands, showing location of Tehran Tehran is a metropolis of 14 million situated at the foot of the towering Alborz range. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... 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. An October surprise is a stunning news event calculated to influence the outcome of a US election, 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 Commanders Strength Casualties Est. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... 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. 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. Operation Just Cause was the U.S. military invasion of Panama that deposed Manuel Noriega in December 1989, during the administration of U.S. President George H. W. Bush. ... 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. ...


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 and citizens Commanders William F. Garrison, Joint Task Force Command Center Unknown, local militia Strength 160 more than 2,000 (city) Casualties 18 dead 73 wounded, 2 MH-60 Black Hawks lost. ... 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. Original Ranger Battalion Shoulder Sleeve Insignia 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) is 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) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Just Cause was the U.S. military invasion of Panama that deposed Manuel Noriega in December 1989, during the administration of U.S. President George H. W. Bush. ... -1... 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. ... 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. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Operation Restore Hope (UNOSOM II) was an American military operation with the support of the United Nations which was formed to deliver humanitarian aid and restore order to the African nation of Somalia which was suffering from a severe famine, general anarchy, and domination by a number of warlords following... Cite error 4; Invalid call; no input specified 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 and citizens Commanders William F. Garrison, Joint Task Force Command Center Unknown, local militia Strength 160 more than 2,000 (city) Casualties 18 dead 73 wounded, 2 MH-60 Black Hawks lost. ... Official Picture Poster for Operation Enduring Freedom by the DoD Combatants United States, United Kingdom, France, other nations, Mujahdeen fighters of Afgahnistan Taliban government of Afgahnistan Commanders U.S. commander Taliban military leaders Strength Casualties Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Combatants United States, United Kingdom, Australia, other nations Iraq Commanders Tommy Franks Saddam Hussein Strength 300. ... 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. ...

External links

Official sites

Former Night Stalkers' websites


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