160th SOAR Helicopters

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), also known as the “Night Stalkers,” is an elite U.S. Army aviation unit established on October 16, 1981. Its primary mission is to support special operations forces by day and night, including in adverse weather conditions.

The regiment’s main tasks include inserting and extracting special operations teams, providing close air support, and conducting aerial reconnaissance. It is based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The regiment operates several types of helicopters, including the MH-60L Black Hawk, equipped with a weather radar, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, and an optional aerial refueling system; the MH-6J Little Bird, a light transport helicopter with a single main rotor, tail rotor, one turboshaft engine, and skid landing gear; and the AH-6J Little Bird, a light attack helicopter armed with M134 Minigun or GAU-19 machine guns, Hydra 70 or FFAR unguided rockets, and AGM-114 Hellfire or TOW guided missiles.

The regiment’s most famous mission involving these helicopters was Operation Gothic Serpent, conducted in Somalia in October 1993.