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18th Aviation Brigade (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 18th Aviation Brigade ("Black Barons") is an inactive aviation
brigade
of the United States Army
. Its initial formation in 1987 drew upon the resources of the 269th Aviation Battalion, originally formed in 1966.
On 17 August 1987, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Aviation Brigade, was activated. On 1 September 1987, the 269th Aviation Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as the 18th Aviation Brigade (Corps)(Airborne), and has since participated in Operation Prime Chance
in the Persian Gulf, Operation Just Cause in Panama, and "Desert Shield and Storm" in Southwest Asia, and Hurricane Andrew Relief in Southern Florida.
On the first day of the Gulf War
24 February 1991, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) began its attack with its AH-64s, AH-1s, 60 UH-60s and 40 CH-47s augmented by the XVIII Airborne Corps' 18th Aviation Brigade and began lifting the 1st Brigade into what became Forward Operating Base (FOB) Cobra, 93 miles (149.7 km) into Iraq and halfway to the Euphrates River. Over three hundred helicopter sorties ferried the troops and equipment into the objective area in the largest heliborne operation in military history.
The other operation the brigade administered in the Gulf was the activities of Task Force 118, the former Operation Prime Chance
force. TF 118, or 4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, as it became on 15 January 1991, operated armed OH-58Ds off U.S. Navy warships.
An undated listing on Globalsecurity.org
, seemingly for the early 2000s, said the brigade's units included two active, and eight National Guard battalions. The active units were the 1st Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment. The National Guard units were the 449th Aviation Group (NC ARNG), the 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment (FLNG), the 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment (ALNG), the 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment (OHNG), the 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment (SC ARNG), the 5th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment (MDNG), and the 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment (LA ARNG).
The 18th Aviation Brigade was also deployed to Iraq from October 2004 to October 2005. This was the last time the brigade was deployed as a unit. The unit supplied aviation assets all across Iraq, ranging from combat missions to service and support missions. As part of an Army-wide restructuring, the brigade was deactivated shortly after its return from Iraq in March 2006. Although designated as an Airborne unit, parachute qualification was not a prerequisite for assignment to the brigade and many, if not most, in the brigade were not jump-qualified.
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Its initial formation in 1987 drew upon the resources of the 269th Aviation Battalion, originally formed in 1966.
On 17 August 1987, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Aviation Brigade, was activated. On 1 September 1987, the 269th Aviation Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as the 18th Aviation Brigade (Corps)(Airborne), and has since participated in Operation Prime Chance
Operation Prime Chance
Operation Prime Chance was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as Operation Earnest Will , the largely Navy effort to escort the tankers...
in the Persian Gulf, Operation Just Cause in Panama, and "Desert Shield and Storm" in Southwest Asia, and Hurricane Andrew Relief in Southern Florida.
On the first day of the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
24 February 1991, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) began its attack with its AH-64s, AH-1s, 60 UH-60s and 40 CH-47s augmented by the XVIII Airborne Corps' 18th Aviation Brigade and began lifting the 1st Brigade into what became Forward Operating Base (FOB) Cobra, 93 miles (149.7 km) into Iraq and halfway to the Euphrates River. Over three hundred helicopter sorties ferried the troops and equipment into the objective area in the largest heliborne operation in military history.
The other operation the brigade administered in the Gulf was the activities of Task Force 118, the former Operation Prime Chance
Operation Prime Chance
Operation Prime Chance was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as Operation Earnest Will , the largely Navy effort to escort the tankers...
force. TF 118, or 4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, as it became on 15 January 1991, operated armed OH-58Ds off U.S. Navy warships.
An undated listing on Globalsecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
, seemingly for the early 2000s, said the brigade's units included two active, and eight National Guard battalions. The active units were the 1st Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment. The National Guard units were the 449th Aviation Group (NC ARNG), the 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment (FLNG), the 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment (ALNG), the 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment (OHNG), the 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment (SC ARNG), the 5th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment (MDNG), and the 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment (LA ARNG).
The 18th Aviation Brigade was also deployed to Iraq from October 2004 to October 2005. This was the last time the brigade was deployed as a unit. The unit supplied aviation assets all across Iraq, ranging from combat missions to service and support missions. As part of an Army-wide restructuring, the brigade was deactivated shortly after its return from Iraq in March 2006. Although designated as an Airborne unit, parachute qualification was not a prerequisite for assignment to the brigade and many, if not most, in the brigade were not jump-qualified.