"The 160th SOAR(A) has the mission to organize, equip, train, resource, and employ Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) forces worldwide in support of contingency missions and combatant commanders. Known as "Night Stalkers."
The United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) provides command and control, executive oversight, and resourcing of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) aviation assets and units in support of national security objectives. USASOAC is responsible for service and component interface; training, doctrine, and proponency for Army SOA; system integration and fleet modernization; aviation resource management; material readiness; program management; and ASCC oversight. USASOAC was established March 25, 2011 consisting of 135 headquarters soldiers and subordinate units totaling more than 3,300 personnel, include the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), (160th SOAR) (A) which features 4 Aviation Battalions, the USASOC Flight Company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion, the Systems Integration Management Office, and the Technology Application Projects Office. The first commander of USASOAC was Brig Gen. Clayton M.Hutmacher.
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 general purpose forces and 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, the 160th SOAR(A) is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 160th SOAR (A) consists of the Army's best-qualified aviators, crew chiefs, and support soldiers.
Typical Heliborne mission profiles include:
• Development, testing & use of aerial attack/assault platforms
• Limited Close Air Support / Attack Aviation to Special Operations Forces
• Insertion/Extraction of Special Operations Forces
• Aerial reconnaissance
• Forward Arming & Refuel Points (FARP)
Most missions are conducted at night and while flying "NOE"
Special Operations Forces Structure
SOCOM
SOCOM directs all U.S. Special Operation Forces branch commands (Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines)
USASOC
USASOC is the U.S. Army component of SOCOM;
• Special Forces Command / School
• Military Intelligence
• Psychological Operations
• Civil Affairs
• 75th Rangers Regiment
• 160th SOAR
• Sustainment & Support
Unit Structure
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
• Regimental HQ
• Special Ops Training Company
• UAV Company E (MQ-1C)
• UAV Company F (MQ-1C)
1st Battalion (1/160th SOAR)
• Battalion Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC)
• Light Assault Helicopter Company Alpha (A Co 1/160th SOAR (A) MH-6M Little Birds (15)
• Light Attack Reconnaissance Company Bravo (B Co 1/160th SOAR (A)) AH-6M Little Birds (15)
• Assault Helicopter Company Charlie (C Co 1/160th SOAR (A)) MH-60M Black Hawks (10)
• Assault Helicopter Company Delta (D Co 1/160th SOAR (A)) MH-60M Black Hawks (10)
• Attack Helicopter Company Echo (E Co 1/160th SOAR (A)) MH-60M DAP Black Hawks (10)
• Aviation Maintenance Company (F Co 1/160th SOAR (A))
Note: 1/160th SOAR provides support to Joint Special Forces Command (JSOC) as well as SOCOM in general.
2nd Battalion (2/160th SOAR (A))
• Battalion Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC)
• Heavy Helicopter Company Alpha (A Co 2/160th SOAR (A)) MH-47G Chinooks (8)
• Heavy Helicopter Company Bravo (B Co 2/160th SOAR (A)) MH-47G Chinooks (8)
• Assault Helicopter Company Charlie (C Co 2/160th SOAR (A)) MH-60M Black Hawks (10)
• Aviation Maintenance Company (D Co 2/160th SOAR (A))
• UAV Company (E Co 2/160th SOAR (A)) (MQ-1C)
3rd Battalion (3/160th SOAR (A))
• Battalion Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC)
• Heavy Helicopter Company Alpha (A Co 3/160th SOAR(A)) MH-47G Chinooks (8)
• Heavy Helicopter Company Bravo (B Co 3/160th SOAR(A)) MH-47G Chinooks (8)
• Assault Helicopter Company Charlie (C Co 3/160th SOAR(A)) MH-60M Black Hawks (10)
• Aviation Maintenance Company (D Co 3/160th SOAR(A))
4th Battalion (4/160th SOAR (A))
• Battalion Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC)
• Heavy Helicopter Company Alpha (A Co 4/160th SOAR(A)) MH-47G Chinooks (8)
• Heavy Helicopter Company Bravo (B Co 4/160th SOAR(A)) MH-47G Chinooks (8)
• Assault Helicopter Company Charlie (C Co 4/160th SOAR(A)) MH-60M Black Hawks (10)
• Aviation Maintenance Company (D Co 4/160th SOAR(A))
Duty Position(s)
The vast majority of duty positions are:
Pilots
Crew Chiefs
Support personnel: • Administrative (personnel)
• Combat/Service Support (cooks/drivers/fuel/ammo etc.)
• Maintenance (repair/installation/maintenance of airframe/ordnance)
• Other (legal/spiritual/training etc.)
Rank Structure
Besides the traditional rank structure of any military unit, the 160th SOAR is heavily staffed by Warrant Officers.
Warrant Officers are considered officers with technical specialities and are in a rank structure of their own. Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers that are rated above the enlisted rates but are subordinate to officer ratings.
Warrant officers can and do command detachments, units, vessels, aircraft, and armored vehicles, as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. However, the warrant officer's primary task as a leader is to serve as a technical expert, providing valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field. Both warrant officers and chief warrant officers take the same oath as regular commissioned officers (O‑1 to O‑10).
Warrant Officers serve as pilots & co-pilots.
Crew Chiefs are junior and senior enlisted members.
Section commanders are Officers (aviation section/maintenance etc.)
Officer pilots can and do fly with Warrant Officers as they are the officer in charge of an aviation section.
Captain Kimberly Hampton (1976-2004) was first female military pilot in United States history to be shot down and killed as a result of hostile fire.
She attended flight training and Aviation Officer Basic Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where she completed the training with honors. She served two years in South Korea, and also in Afghanistan as part of the United States forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. Hampton was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina before becoming the commander of Delta Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment prior to the unit's deployment to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in September 2003.
Hampton died when the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter she was flying was shot down near Fallujah, Iraq on January 2, 2004. Captain Hampton was the first female military pilot in United States history to be shot down and killed by enemy fire. She was also the first female combat casualty in Iraq from South Carolina. Hampton was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Purple Heart. On June 10, 2004, she was inducted into the South Atlantic Conference hall of fame.
Basic/Fully Mission Qualification (BMQ/FMQ)
All new members report to the training section to participate in "Green Platoon" training
After several years of experience and additional training and leadership development, soldiers may become Fully Mission Qualified (FMQ)
Being FMQ allows Soldiers try to become flight lead qualified.
Loadout
Two basic types of loadouts are:
• Pilots/Crew Chiefs
• Combat Support/Service personnel
Pilot/Co-Pilots
• Standard issue (or personal) long rifle with high velocity rounds and a 14.5" barrel (5.56mm or more) (Short barrels offer LESS penetration/more noise/more muzzle flash)
• Standard issue (or personal) handgun • "Dog" tags
• Map/GPS/compass/signal mirror/fire starter
• Full combat load (7 rifle and 3 pistol mags)
• Complete first aid kit for extended use (tourniquets/"combat pill-pack"/bandages etc.)
• 1 canteen
• 1 shelf-stable meal ready to eat
• VS-17 marker panel
• Small weapon cleaning kit/lubricant
• 1 each; red/green smoke grenade
• Multi-tool (pocket saw/pliers/screwdriver etc.)
• Earplugs
• SERE kit, card, evasion route, rally points etc.
• Portable multi-frequency radio
• Pen-flare kit
• Issued night optical devices
Combat Support/Service personnel
• Full combat load with service rifle/sidearm
• 1 each; red/green smoke grenade
• 2 fragmentation grenades
• Map/GPS/compass/signal mirror/fire starter
• First aid kit (tourniquets/"combat pill-pack"/bandages etc.)
• 2 canteens
• 2 shelf-stable meal ready to eat
• VS-17 marker panel
• Small weapon cleaning kit/lubricant
• Multi-tool (pocket saw/pliers/screwdriver etc.)
• NVGs
• "Dog" tags
•Essential work tool/kits
Capabilities
"Over-the-horizon" Insertion
Fast Rope/FRIES/SPIES
Close Air Support / Attack Aviation
Reconnaissance
Insertion/Extraction
In-flight Refueling
Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP)
FARPs are essential for operations that cover extended distances which are more frequent for special operations forces. They also have rearming points and can act like a small HQ if properly augmented.
FARP "Night Owls"
"Fat Cow" CH-47 with internal/external fuel storage
Typical FARP Layout
This layout shows fuel/rearm points; sling-load zone and aerial test fire point.
Equipment
The most common airframes are:
• MH-6J/AH-6J Little Bird assault/attack variants
• MH-60M/MH-60L Black Hawk assault/attack variants
• MH-47G Chinook assault variants
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
HELICOPTERS
Light
MH-6J (Assault/Transport)
AH-6J (Attack)
Medium
MH-60M Black Hawk (Assault/Transport)
MH-60M Direct Action Penetrator (DAP)
Heavy
MH-47G Chinook
RADAR
IP-1150A
WEAPONS
M2HB / GAU-21 .50 Cal Heavy Machine Gun (limited use)
M134 (7.62mm) / GAU-19 (.50mm) Minigun
M240H 7.62mm Medium Machine Gun
SENSORS
Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)
Legacy
The Modern Day Member
Special operations aviation traces its modern roots back to the early 1960s and the formation of special warfare aviation detachments (SWAD) and finally a task organized helicopter company as Army Special Forces prepared for Vietnam.
The 22nd SWAD activated in March 1962 at Fort Bragg, N.C: In June 1962 the unit was reorganized and redesignated as 22nd Aviation Detachment (Special Forces). The unit supported 5th Special Forces Group (SFG), 7th SFG, U.S. Army Special Warfare School, and the 1st and 13th Psychological Warfare Battalions. The detachment was inactivated in December 1963. The 23rd SWAD (Surveillance) organized in July 1962 and flew the OV-1. The unit deployed to the Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam in September 1962 to support I Corps and Special Forces with photographic intelligence.
On 7 October 1965, the 281st Assault Helicopter Company, Airmobile Light was activated at Fort Benning. By 9 June the following year, the newly formed company set up its headquarters inside the 5th SFG compound at Nha Trang Bay, Republic of Vietnam.
The unit's mission was to provide air movement of troops, supplies and equipment under the direct supervision of the commanding officer, 5th SFG. The 281st became the first organized special operations helicopter unit in the U.S. Army. Army historians consider the 281st to be the legacy unit for today's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR(A). The unit earned decorations for Valor and Meritorious Service from the Army, Navy, and Republic of Vietnam.
In the years that followed, the individual SFGs had their own organic aviation detachment. These detachments usually consisted of 4 UH-1D helicopters, associated crewmen, and a limited maintenance capability.
After the 1980 Operation Eagle Claw attempt to rescue American hostages held in Tehran, Iran, failed, (in large part to poor night time flying abilities), 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 OH-6 Cayuses, aircraft that had vanished from the division's regular inventory after Vietnam, were hidden on base in an ammunition holding area still known as the "SHOC Pad", for "Special Helicopter Operations Company".
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.
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".
The unit was officially established on October 16th 1981, when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion. Following a series of subsequent operations, it was renamed to the 160th Aviation Group in 1986 and eventually to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in 1990 and joining USASOC shortly after it's creation in 1989. 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).
Since then, the 160th has conducted various operations, including;
• 1983's Operation Urgent Fury (invasion of Grenada), the 160th saw its first combat deployment
• 1987/88's Operation Earnest Will/Prime Chance, to protect oil tankers in the Middle East
• In 1988, SOAR and other special operations forces recovered a Russian made Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter from a remote location in Chad
• 1989's Operation Just Cause (invasion of Panama)
• 2003's invasion of Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom)
• 2011's Operation Neptune Spear (Osama Bin Laden assassination)
• 2014's current Operation Inherent Resolve (Syria)
The Night Stalkers continue to be deployed to Afghanistan as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission after Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan ended in late 2014 and was replaced with Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
Notable Engagements
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 (FLIR) devices in night combat.
In June 1988, the unit received a short-notice directive to recover a Soviet made Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter from a remote location in Chad. The Mi-24 was abandoned by the Libyans after 15 years of fighting, and was of great intelligence value to the U.S. In April 1988, two CH-47 Chinooks, a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy, and 75 maintenance personnel and crew flew to White Sands AFB, New Mexico to rehearse the mission. In late May of that year an advance team went to Ndjamena, Chad, to await their aircraft. Two weeks later two Chinooks and 76 crew members and maintenance personnel arrived by C-5. At midnight on 11 June 1988, two MH-47s flew 490 miles at night without outside navigational aids to the target location, the Ouadi Doum Airfield in northern Chad. The first Chinook landed and configured the Mi-24, while the second hovered overhead and sling loaded it for return to Ndjamena. A surprise sandstorm slowed the return trip, but less than 67 hours after the arrival of the C-5 in Chad, the ground crew had the Mi-24 and Chinooks aboard and ready for return to the U.S.
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 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 Night Stalkers team, who were lost along with the two Black Hawks.
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.) 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 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 Green Beret teams from the 5th Special Forces Group dubbed Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 555 and 595 plus four Air Force Combat Controllers — linked up with the CIA and Northern Alliance. Within a few weeks, the Northern Alliance, assisted by U.S. ground and air forces, captured several key cities from the Taliban.
In December 2001, Night Stalker crews resupplied more than 150 Delta Force, British Special Boat Service, and CIA Special Activities Division operatives as they hunted for Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountain complex.
In March 2002, Night Stalkers from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR supported coalition troops during Operation Anaconda, particularly at the Battle of Takur Ghar on 4 March, where one of their MH-47Es, callsign Razor 03, was damaged by rocket-propelled grenades and crash-landed carrying Mako 30. A second MH-47E, callsign Razor 01, responded to the shoot down with a Quick Reaction Force; it was damaged by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, and crash-landed. One Night Stalker was killed in the battle.
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-60M 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.
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-60M 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.
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.
In Afghanistan in 2005: Eight Night Stalkers (four from HHC and four from Bravo company of 3rd Battalion) were killed 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 Wings, in which he was involved with three other SEALs, was compromised and Luttrell's teammates killed.
In March 2006, SEALs from DEVGRU and Rangers were flown by the 160th SOAR into in North Waziristan, Pakistan, to assault an al-Qaeda training camp, allegedly under the codename: Operation Vigilant Harvest, the assaulters killed as many as 30 terrorists including the camps commandant.
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.
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 Helmand Province, Afghanistan, to attack a compound. With some troops on the ground, a large insurgent force ambushed them. Both helicopters were struck by small arms fire. One MH-47E pilot put his aircraft in the line of fire to protect the other MH-47E as its assault team disembarked. An RPG hit the shielding MH-47E, whose pilot crash-landed with no serious injuries to operators or aircrew. The Ranger commander and an attached Australian Commando organized an all-round defence while the other MH-47E held back the advancing insurgents until its miniguns ran out of ammunition. An AC-130 Spectre joined the battle and kept the down crew and passengers safe until a British Immediate Response Team helicopter recovered them. The AC-130 then destroyed the MH-47E wreck, denying it to the Taliban.
On 19 September 2009 in Somalia, the Night Stalkers took part in Operation Celestial Balance, whose target was a senior terrorist leader connected to al-Qaeda affiliated organizations. The assault force (4 AH-6M Little Birds and 4 MH-60L Black Hawks) carried in DEVGRU operators to kill or capture the leader. AH-6Ms strafed the two-vehicle convoy, killing the leader along with three other al-Shabaab terrorists, then carried out an overwatch while DEVGRU cleared the vehicles and recovered the body.
In May 2011, the Night Stalkers provided insertion and cover for the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound.
On 28 May 2012, Operation Jubilee took place: Black Hawks from the 160th SOAR flew in a teams from the British 22nd SAS Regiment and DEVGRU into Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan so they could rescue a British aid worker, a Kenyan NGO worker and 2 Afghans who were taken hostage by Bandits in the province. The rescue was a success.
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.
On 26 November 2014, MH-60s flown by Nightstalkers took part in the first raid in the 2014 hostage rescue operations in Yemen.
Throughout the night of 5 December 2015, a group of Rangers engaged in a firefight with enemy troops near the Afghan-Pakistan border; after about 5 a.m. their commander called for an extraction after they learned of a larger enemy group approaching. A helicopter from the 160th SOAR arrived and began receiving heavy fire from the enemy, with an AH-64 Apache helicopter from the 1st Battalion 101st Aviation Regiment escorting the helicopter, put their Apache directly between the U.S. troops, the helicopter and the enemy forces to draw the fire. As a result, the extraction was a success.
The Washington Post reported that 160th SOAR took part in the Yakla raid in Yemen on 29 January 2017, distinguishing itself when its helicopters flew repeatedly into heavy enemy fire to support U.S. Navy SEALs pinned down on the ground.
Somalia 1993
Mike Durant
A legend within the special operations aviation community. Flew combat operations in Prime Chance, Just Cause, Desert Storm and in Gothic Serpent - where he flew an MH-60L known as Super 6-4 and was shot down by an enemy RPG and was portrayed in the movie "Black Hawk Down"
"Black Hawk Down"
Insignia
Former unit insignia that now still belongs to USASOC
Current unit insignia
Unit Creed
USASOC Flight Company (UFC)
The UFC was activated in June 2013 by USASOAC and provides responsive fixed and rotary wing training support to USASOC, as well as key planner transport in support of contingency plans. The company was a detachment that began its unique mission in 1996. Its aircraft inventory includes UH-60L Black Hawks, C-212 Aviocars, C-27J Spartans, UV-20 Porters, and C-12C Hurons.
Technology Applications Program Office (TAPO)
TAPO is responsible for equipping the soldiers of the 160th SOAR(A) with the most capable rotary wing aircraft in the world, facilitate the sustainment of 160th SOAR(A) highly modified and/or unique aircraft, responsible for life-cycle program management of the ARSOA fleet—involved from concept and refinement through disposal--, facilitate aircraft modernization for the ARSOA fleet, and manage the USASOC rotary wing aviation night vision device and advanced aircraft survivability equipment programs. TAPO was classified prior to 1997. After 1997, the unit moved from St Louis, MO (adjacent to Army Aviation and Missile Command) to Joint Base Langley–Eustis, where the Program Office is currently co-located with the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate.
Systems Integration Management Office (SIMO)
SIMO is responsible for equipping the soldiers of the USASOAC Enterprise with the most capable rotary wing aircraft and mission systems in the world and facilitate the sustainment and improvement of USASOAC highly modified and/or unique aircraft and mission systems. SIMO processes new requirements, product design, platform integration, development, product fielding, fleet resource planning, product organization, product support, property management, incremental product improvements, and rapid technology injection off modernization cycle.
Special Operations Training Battalion (SOATB)
SOATB conducts basic Army Special Operations Aviation individual training and provides education in order to produce crew members and support personnel with basic and advanced qualifications for the 160th SOAR(A). The unit averages 235 training days per year including 80 officer graduates, 325 enlisted graduates, and 10,500 flight hours. Originally called "Green Platoon," ad hoc training functions began in 1983. In 1988, the unit officially formed to centralize and standardize recruiting, assessment and training. In 1990 the mission scope expanded to all active and reserve components. Special Operations Aviation Training Company (SOATC) provisionally designated in 1992, and in 2010 officially re-designated as SOATB.
All members of the 160th must:
• Attend the 6 week "Green Platoon" training course
• Pass a "flight physical"
• Maintain at least a "Secret" security clearance • Be Airborne qualified
"Green Platoon" training includes:
• Physical Training
• Road Marches
• Land Navigation
• Combatives
• First Aid (TCCC)
• Weapon System Training (small arms and crew-served)
Specific training regarding;
• Mission planning/preparation/briefing
• Advanced skills for aircraft qualifications (FARP/maintenance etc.)
• Aerial/environmental planning
• Combat mission flight simulators
Water egress at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility
"Green Platoon" - 6 week new student training
SERE Level C School
Night Training
In-flight medic training is over 6 months (Special Operations Combat Medics course)
Night Stalkers Don't Quit
USASOAC insignia
Conclusion
The 160th SOAR is part of USASOC, which in-turn is part of SOCOM
The 160th SOAR is the standard of special operations aviation that provides special operations forces aerial support through highly modified aerial platforms