The U.S. military’s 160th Aviation Combat Regiment is the global vanguard of expansion

The first covert operation of the 160th Task Force was the "Urgent Fury" II when the US military invaded Grenada on October 24, 1983. In this battle, the 160th Task Force almost All helicopters were dispatched, except for the AH-6 attack helicopter, which was responsible for the beachhead combat reconnaissance before SEAL Team 4 landed. The AH-6 was also used to accompany the UH-60 (the MH-60 special warfare derivative was not yet in use at the time) to transport special forces. Combat forces (Delta Team 1 and SEAL Team 6) launched air raids on inland targets. Although it was also a raid, the scale of "Operation Provoke" was by no means a combat posture that should be used by a secret type of special operations force, which resulted in an unexpected trial of war. At dawn at 6:15, a group of UH-60 helicopters accompanied by AH-6s flew towards the inland target in a low-altitude and high-speed flight formation. Unexpectedly, they happened to pass by the already prepared ground air defense fire network, mainly Russian-made ZSU -23 type 23mm self-propelled anti-aircraft cannon; although the formation dispersed immediately, swarms of bullets rained down on the aircraft mercilessly, destroying one UH-60 helicopter immediately. Although the other seven escaped the disaster, He was also seriously injured.

Grenada's "Operation Provoke" was originally intended to use elite special operations forces' blitzkrieg tactics to achieve tactical objectives in order to promote the then Reagan administration's determination to carry out regional security missions. The combat forces are not yet suitable for formal military operations other than covert operations. The 160th Task Force's aircraft fleet suffered serious losses, and the Delta and SEAL special forces were unable to successfully perform their missions. What's more, the Rangers responsible for the main attack suffered greater damage than originally expected. After all, war is a cruel reality. The tactics used by the US military's special operations forces are obviously still not suitable for formal military operations such as "Operation Provocation." Therefore, in less than 24 hours after the start of the war, the Joint Special Operations Command decided to comprehensively Withdraw all special operations forces. One of the most well-known public operations of Task Force 160 (and other US special operations forces) was the cruise ship hostage rescue operation in October 1985. On October 5, 1985, Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Archille Lauro. After learning that most of the hostages on board were American citizens, the United States immediately dispatched special operations forces to prepare for a hostage rescue operation. The MH-6J and MH-60 helicopter groups of Task Force 160 were immediately transported to the Sigonella Naval Air Base in Sicily for deployment. The Navy SEALs were also on standby to prepare for an underwater raid on the cruise ship. Delta Special Warfare The troops are preparing to launch a surprise rescue operation if the cruise ship docks or the hostages are moved to land.

Because there are still citizens of many countries among the hostages, the United States cannot act arbitrarily. In addition, due to the insistence of the Italian government, the raids of the US special operations forces have been prioritized after negotiations; during the lengthy and delayed negotiation process, the cruise ship It finally sailed to Egypt, and the Egyptian government agreed to provide an aircraft for the terrorists to escape to Tunisia. Since during the hijacking of the ship, terrorists shot and killed an American citizen in cold blood and threw the body into the sea, the United States decided to intercept the terrorists and face judicial trial as soon as the hostages were out of the hands of the terrorists. After the terrorists left Egyptian airspace, the U.S. military dispatched F-14 fighter jets over the Mediterranean Sea and successfully intercepted the EgyptAir Boeing 737 jetliner and forced it to land at the Sigirla base to be "greeted" by the Delta and Navy SEALs. ". According to unconfirmed reports, the 160th Task Force has been involved in the war between Iran and Iraq since the mid-1980s. Although most of its missions are generally believed to be to detect the whereabouts of American hostages held hostage by Iran in Lebanon, due to the The long-term confrontation with Iranian terrorism has gradually evolved into a secret subversive action against the Iranian government. According to surveillance by Israeli and Arab intelligence organizations, the United States has quite frequent activities in the Sinai Desert, and the deployment and use of helicopters also indicate the presence of Task Force 160 and special operations forces.

The suspicions of various countries about the secret involvement of US special operations forces in the Middle East were confirmed in an accident in 1985.

On December 12, 1985, a chartered jetliner flying back to the United States from the Sinai Desert landed at Gander Airport in Newfoundland (a large island in eastern Canada) to refuel. It crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 248 people on board. Passengers (all active duty soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and 160th Task Force 1 of the US Army) were all killed. Although the subsequent investigation report claimed that the accident was caused by ice on the wing, suspicious and evil people have repeatedly asked the United States and Canada to once again Conduct in-depth investigations into other reasons: such as terrorist bomb attacks. Regardless of the cause of the crash, the crash at least revealed to the world the fact that US special forces were deployed in the Middle East.

At the end of the Iran-Iraq war. When entering the oil tanker war in the Persian Gulf, the United States' attitude was obviously more favorable to Iraq. After several years of fighting with each other, in order to destroy each other's economic lifeline, they began to attack each other's crude oil production and transportation facilities and attack each other's oil tankers. Iraq dispatched. Mirage fighter jets launched Exocet missiles to attack Iranian oil tankers and facilities. In contrast, Iran used sea speedboats to attack Iraq's crude oil production facilities. Since the war at sea may affect important oil sources in European and American countries, the United States began to use this excuse to launch attacks on Iran. Maritime attack operations.

Since Iran uses oil drilling platforms located all over the coast as a base for maritime communication and attack, attacking Iranian offshore oil drilling platforms has become the main task of the 160th Task Force. During the mission, the AH-6Js of the 160th Task Force specifically conducted survival training on "hit and run" and forced landing at sea (Iran deployed troops on the oil drilling platform); the MH-60 also practiced carrying SEALs or other special operations forces personnel, preparing to conduct a raid on the Iranian oil drilling platform. Facts have proved that the detailed drills beforehand were absolutely helpful in the execution of the mission. The 160th Task Force's attack on the Iranian oil drilling platform was quite successful. Dozens of Iranian oil drilling rigs were installed. The platform was completely destroyed by U.S. special operations forces. The AH-6Js of the 160th Task Force also destroyed several oil drilling platforms with direct firepower from the aircraft. When it was still a task force, the largest deployment operation of the 160th Task Force was. In December 1989, the US military invaded Panama during the "Operation Justice Invasion". In this operation, more than 4,000 US special operations troops were dispatched, and of course the 160th Task Force also inevitably participated in the Panama invasion. During the infiltration mission, the AH/MH-6J of the 160th Task Force gave full play to its mobile infiltration and attack capabilities; during the infiltration mission, the AH/MH-6J carried a special operations team to rescue American hostages and hunt down Panamanian strongman Noriega. ; Although there is a huge disparity in strength, the military forces supporting Noriega are also opponents that cannot be ignored. Throughout the war, 2 AH-6 and 1 MH-6 helicopter were destroyed by enemy fire, and the ground special operations troops also suffered considerable losses. The largest war in modern times, the Gulf War, was the largest deployment of the U.S. military since the Vietnam War. At that time, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which had been established with the U.S. Special Operations Command and expanded to a regiment level, also fully supported the U.S. military. Overall deployment of operations.

Since Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the US military immediately launched active defense and reinforcements in Operation Desert Shield. The existing ground forces deployed in the Persian Gulf at that time were only the green hat troops of the 5th Special Aviation Group and the 3rd Battalion of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; in order to prevent Iraqi forces from continuing to invade Saudi Arabia, the 160th Special Operations Group The helicopter group of the 3rd Battalion of the Combat Aviation Regiment carried green hat troops busy and nervously laying mines on the border between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and along the Saudi defense line and even deep into Iraq to monitor the movements and deployment of the Iraqi army.

Since the Iraqi army invaded and occupied Kuwait, it has not taken a strategic advantage to further block reinforcements from the US military (and UN forces), allowing the coalition to use several months to calmly reinforce and deploy. By the time the coalition launched the "Desert Storm" air strikes on January 16, 1991, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment had been engaged in reconnaissance, transportation and supply and other defensive missions for a long time, and was already gearing up and eager to try. Get ready for serious combat.

According to unconfirmed news, the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, Lieutenant General Norman Schwarzkopf, may be trying to restore the sluggish morale of the traditional U.S. forces since the Vietnam War, or in view of modern times, Most of the U.S. military's special operations forces were not operating smoothly, and they did not consider using the special operations forces that had been accumulated for a long time. Fortunately, thanks to the recommendation of Brigadier General Carl Stiner, the commander of USSOCOM, the special operations forces were deployed during Operation Desert Storm. The combat troops were given the opportunity to perform, and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment cooperated with the 75th Ranger Regiment to carry out search and destruction missions deep into the western region of Iraq.

In order to cooperate with the overall combat operation of Desert Storm, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment refined stealth penetration tactics in the desert. In addition to night infiltration in this operation, formal battles during the day will also be inevitable. Therefore, how to carry out high-speed and low-altitude flight in a sandy and dusty environment to avoid the interception of the Iraqi ground air defense fire network has become the focus of repeated training before Operation Desert Storm.

Generally, helicopters fly at a low altitude of about 91.5m (300ft). However, under the threat of the Iraqi army equipped with advanced Russian-made air defense weapons, the pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment continued to lower their flying altitude. Lowering the aircraft, practicing diligently day after day, from day to night; before the official launch of Operation Desert Storm, the pilots of various types of aircraft of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment were able to perform departures with surgical precision. Flying at ultra-low altitude and high speed 7.6m (25ft) above ground.

As we all know, the Gulf War was actually a testing ground for the US military to test various new types of precision strike weapons. Before the air strikes began, the U.S. military was still very concerned about the Iraqi army's air defense capabilities, and its preemptive attacks focused on the Iraqi army's radar command and control system as its main target. Although the Air Force's operational results are brilliant, many Iraqi mobile air defense systems rely on the combat search and destruction capabilities of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

In order to search for and destroy the Iraqi mobile air defense system deployed in the vast area behind the front edge of the war zone, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment entered along the Iraqi frontline defense gap that had been destroyed by the coalition forces, and maneuvered to search for the Iraqi army. military independent targets and destroy them. Although the AH-6J is small, its precise and powerful attack firepower has once again been verified by actual combat; and the long-range flight capability of the MH-60, carrying ground special operations personnel, has also been proven to be quite effective with the attack of the AH/MH-6J Successful tactics. Under this tactic, the special operations personnel carried by the MH-60, in addition to verifying the results of the battle, were also tasked with protecting the aircraft of the 160th Aviation Regiment.

In addition to air mobile strike missions, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is also responsible for ground enemy reconnaissance and mobile transport of friendly forces. Shortly after the Desert Storm air strike was carried out, the heavily armed Iraqi army began to retreat along Highway 8 connecting the border with Iraq and Kuwait; the MH-60 of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carried the 5th Airborne Special Operations Group that could speak Arabic. Real-time reconnaissance of Iraqi military movements from the forward observation position. This reconnaissance operation laid the foundation for the smooth execution of the subsequent ground battle. When the ground battle began, all major Iraqi forces, whether retreating or covering their forces, were ruthlessly pursued by the coalition land and air forces and suffered heavy losses. Although the victory in the Gulf War swept away the gloom of previous defeats by the US military, especially the special operations forces, people tend to be carried away by the joy of victory. The subsequent improper deployment in Somalia caused the U.S. special operations forces to make the same mistake again. In addition to suffering serious losses, the special operations personnel were also humiliated.

Due to the long-term civil war in Somalia, people's livelihood has deteriorated. The United Nations began to launch humanitarian assistance operations in 1993. The "Restore Hope" (Operation Restore Hope), led by the US military, established a "denial zone" with UN troops. , to put an end to the wars between the various warring parties in the Kingdom of Somalia. The initial military interdiction operations were quite successful. The landing of US Marines and Navy SEALs in Mogadishu (the capital of Somalia) deterred artillery fire from all warring parties and allowed the United Nations forces to successfully establish a non-combatant zone. , and then the US military handed over the peace maintenance operations to the United Nations forces and retired with success.

After establishing a peaceful order, the United Nations hopes to promote negotiations between warring parties to resolve disputes. However, the United Nations, led by European and American countries, is accustomed to using "democracy and freedom" as a means to attempt to "transform" the internal system of Somalia. Disputes inevitably tend to favor one side and eventually lead to irremediable disasters.

On June 5, 1993, dissatisfied with the intolerance of the United Nations, the troops of the Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid opened fire on the United Nations troops; in less than an hour of attack, Aidid Troops killed 24 Pakistani Peace Corps soldiers and wounded 54 others. At this point, Aidid's provocation was labeled a "war criminal" by the United Nations, and he was eager to arrest him.

After Aidid became a target of the United Nations, the United Nations forces led by the United States launched a comprehensive hunting operation. The AC-130 aerial gunships of the 1st Special Operations Wing of the U.S. Air Force carried out precise bombardments on targets suspected to be the Aidid headquarters, troop assembly areas and other targets, while the Marine Corps actively patrolled the city of Mogadishu and on the roads outside. Although the arrest operation was quite active, it did not achieve any results. Aidid's whereabouts remained a mystery, but Aidid was preparing to launch a revenge counterattack.

The failure of the more than one-month hunt for Aidid, coupled with the ambush of Aidid troops on UN troops and the increasing pressure on UN troops' casualties, led to the United States' domestic intervention in the US military. The legitimacy of the affairs of other countries and the sending of large armies to participate in hunting someone down like a war game has been questioned. What's more, on August 8, 1993, a US military vehicle was ambushed, killing four US soldiers, which further exaggerated the incompetence of US military operations. At this time, in Washington's consideration, regardless of whether he is arrested or killed, Aidid must immediately "disappear" from peace maintenance operations in Somalia to avoid causing greater trouble. Therefore, U.S. special operations forces were ordered to dispatch.

On August 24, 1993, US President Clinton, Secretary of Defense Yaspin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Powell jointly approved the application of United Nations Peace Force Commander Jonathan Howe. Conduct tactical operations against Aidid and his troops. The meaning of "tactics" here means special operations assault operations. Before the tactical assault order was approved, the U.S. military had already deployed relevant special operations operations. The main force of the task force was more than 400 green hat troops of the 75th Ranger Regiment, some Delta Special Operations units and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. There is only one mission to hunt down or kill Aidid one by one.

Using more than 600 elite special operations forces to deal with the military leader of a third world country may seem simple, but in fact it is full of dangers. The characteristic of special operations forces is stealth, but the large-scale use of troops has obscured the characteristics of special operations forces. In order to maneuver in secret, special operations forces are all lightly armed units. When they encounter an ambush by traditional ground forces, they can immediately Quite fragile. Similarly, the various types of helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment may appear and disappear like ghosts in the darkness of night, but in the daytime under the scorching sun of Africa, they are like big stupid geese, shooting at random. A well-placed sniper round may bring it down.

Although the hunting operation was carried out very seriously, and the special operations task force also conducted many infiltration raids at night, the US intelligence agencies obviously underestimated Aidid's strength; the hunting operation continued for several weeks, However, it can only destroy some of Aidid's peripheral troops, and the hunt for the core leadership has never been involved; the operation to hunt Aidid may face the fate of failure.

On the verge of despair, the US military once again made the mistake of being aggressive. According to the sworn assurances of the intelligence unit, Aidid would appear at the Olympic Hotel in the city at noon on October 3, 1993. Therefore, the US military command decided to dispatch a large-scale special operations force to prepare to capture Aidid in one fell swoop. But the move of going deep into enemy territory to capture the king at noon predicted the inevitable failure.

In a forward base near a small island in Haiti, members of the Third Special Forces Group used MH-6OK helicopters to perform night combat missions.

At noon on October 3, a fleet of 13 MH-60 and AH-6 aircraft arrived over the Olympic Hotel on time. The Rangers and Delta Commandos quickly rappelled down to the rooftop of the hotel with ropes and rushed into the hotel. They controlled more than 20 officers of Aidid's troops, but there was no trace of Aidid. It was obvious that they had missed again. When they were about to withdraw from the scene, they discovered that they had been ambushed by Aidid.

When the U.S. military discovered the ambush and prepared to retreat, snipers and RPG rocket launchers appeared on the top floors of the buildings around the hotel. An officer of the 75th Ranger Table Tennis Regiment who participated in the battle described it as "like being in a "In the eye of the typhoon." A hail of bullets rained down on the U.S. special forces and the helicopter group circling in the sky. Three Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and crashed as soon as they opened fire. In line with the purpose of special operations training, the commandos were not in a hurry to escort the prisoners to retreat. Instead, they rushed to the crashed helicopter, preparing to rescue their colleagues and destroy the confidential equipment on board; they immediately deployed a defensive fire net around the helicopter to resist attacks from all sides. rain of bullets and waited for air rescue.

During the fierce battle, a Black Hawk helicopter serving as air cover was hit by enemy fire and attempted to land in the ground defense circle. However, the heavily damaged helicopter crashed in the distance; 3 crew members Although he showed his ability to survive and fought and ran, he still could not escape the pursuit of Aidid's troops. Warrant Officer Michael I Durant who was driving the vehicle was seriously injured and captured. The other two companions were shot dead by the enemy during the fierce battle. Their bodies were stripped naked and paraded through the streets by Aidid troops. The dignity that special forces members deserved after death in battle was humiliated to the point of being worthless by Aidid troops.

In the fierce ground battle that lasted for 16 hours, although the U.S. special forces fought bravely, the disparity between the enemy and ourselves continued to increase the number of casualties. The only one who supported the ground special forces during the battle was the 160th The helicopters of the aviation regiment have been hovering over the battlefield. In addition to providing ground support firepower, they also maintain the combat morale of the ground troops. In the cleanup after the battle, the U.S. military suffered the greatest damage in a single battle after the Vietnam War. 17 special forces members were killed and 77 others were seriously injured.

RAH-66 that expands the field of special operations

In order to continue to maintain first-class special operations support capabilities, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment continues to work hard in personnel training and equipment improvement; generally It is speculated that the next generation of the U.S. RAH-66 Commanche helicopter will first be used by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; the advanced reconnaissance and weapons systems of the RAH-66 will greatly expand the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. aviation special warfare mission field.

Operation Red Wings

In 2005, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment of the US Army was dispatched to Afghanistan to perform missions. On June 25, the U.S. military launched Operation Red Wings. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was responsible for transporting SEAL team members and providing fire support. As the four SEALs on the ground were besieged, the U.S. military base camp immediately dispatched eight soldiers from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and eight special forces from the SEALs to the mountainous area for rescue on an MH-47 Chinook helicopter. When it was about to land, the Chinook helicopter was shot down by an RPG-7 rocket launcher armed by the base, killing all 16 members on board. On the evening of June 30, the U.S. military finally arrived at the crash site of the Chinook and found the bodies of 16 U.S. troops who had been burned beyond recognition. The youngest of these 16 fighters is only 20 years old, and the oldest is 40 years old. Their bodies were transported to Balagam, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, and will then be transported back to Dover, the United States.

Those killed in action:

Shamus O. Goare

Hometown Danville (Danville), Ohio, 2005 Killed in action on June 28, aged 29.

Corey J. Goodnature (Kerry J. Goodnature)

Hometown Clarks Grove (Clarksway) Minnesota, killed in action on June 28, 2005, Aged 35.

Kip A. Jacoby

Hometown Pompano Beach, Florida, killed in action on June 28, 2005, 21 years old.

Marcus V. Murales (Marcus V. Murales)

Hometown Shelbyville (Shelbyville) Indiana, killed in action on June 28, 2005, Aged 33.

James W. Ponder III (James W. Ponder III)

Hometown of Franklin, Tennessee, died in action on June 28, 2005, at the age of 36.

Stephen C. Reich (Stephen C. Reich)

Hometown Washington Depot, Connecticut, died in action on June 28, 2005, at the age of 34.

Michael L. Russell

Hometown of Stafford, Virginia, killed in action on June 28, 2005, aged 31 .

Chris J. Scherkenbach (Chris J. Scherkenbach)

Hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, died in action on June 28, 2005, aged 40 .