Cairo, the DEVGRU military working dog in the bin Laden raid, shared a deep bond with his handler despite hardships.

Three decades on, the haunting echoes of the Battle of Mogadishu reverberate, reminding us of the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of American warfighters during the Battle of Mogadishu.

The venerable AC-130 has faithfully served the American military and provided invaluable support to special operations.

What does the future hold for the Little Bird helicopter, one of the older but most legendary special operation helicopters?

The new Chinook Block II will give U.S. Special Operations Forces significantly more capability for extremely challenging missions.

Two special operations soldiers were killed and three others injured on Thursday evening when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during routine training off the Californian coast, Army officials said. Their helicopter crashed on San Clemente Island, which is about 70 miles west of Coronado and San Diego. The deceased were Staff Sgt. Vincent P. Marketta, […]

During the Battle of Mogadishu (3-4 October 1993), Task Force Ranger was going after the lieutenants of the Somalian warlord Mohammed Farah Aideed. As the ground force was egressing, an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down. This was the spark for a fierce battle that raged for almost a day. By the end of […]

In its quest for more effective close-air support (CAS), the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is turning away from the Air Force and is looking to purchase its own aircraft. According to a solicitation published on the U.S. government’s site, SOCOM is looking to set up a fleet of at least 75 armed overwatch aircraft. […]

Afghanistan’s premier Special Operations Aviation unit is slotted to receive an unspecified number of CH-47 Chinooks from the U.S. Established in 2005, the Special Mission Wing (SMW) is the cream of the crop of the AAF. With less than 1,000 pilots and ground personnel in its ranks, the unit was initially designed to support counter-narcotics […]

Following the deadly attack on a joint American-Kenyan base earlier this month, the Kenyan military just got several light scout attack helicopters. More specifically, the Kenyan military received 12 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior scout attack helicopters. The fuel tanks of the MD 530Fs can withstand direct hits from ammunition up to and including 7.62mm. Also the […]

The MH-47G Chinook helicopter fleet, one of the most important aviation assets of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), is getting a new countermeasure system aimed at improving its survivability on the battlefield. More specifically, the MH-47Gs are being outfitted with the AN/AAQ-24 LAIRCM. This enhancement is a Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) system that […]

According to a manning report, the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), also known as Night Stalkers, is facing significant manning shortages. The report, first obtained by the Army Times, concerns the final quarter of Fiscal Year 2019. It reveals the following numbers of pilot shortages: With regard to the MH-60 Black Hawk […]

What does nearly every successful mission by Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Marine Raiders, and Green Berets have in common? They’ve probably been carried to and from their missions by members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Airborne with the abbreviation of 160th SOAR (A). The 160th SOAR commonly known as the “Night Stalkers” are […]

The night of April 17th, New Yorkers were rattled by the sound and sight of low flying helicopters buzzing around southern Manhattan. In this case, there was nothing to be alarmed about; New York City had announced that the flights would occur and the gents flying the helicopters are the best in the world: The […]

Back in the day, we were in a support cycle having come back from a deployment with the 7th Special Forces Group and myself and another guy got ourselves put in a short course the Weapons Committee was running for some reserve Heavy Weapons guys. It was early November and the weather was turning crappy […]

On June 28, 2005, Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy would perform heroic actions that would result in his being awarded the Medal of Honor. It would also cost him his life in the process, in one of the bloodiest days in the history of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the SEALs. Murphy […]

In a SNAFU of epic proportions, an Army PAO SGT is facing being forcibly removed from the service for trying to safeguard classified information. SGT Ricardo Branch was serving in the PAO office of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers). Members of the Night Stalkers were to visit the Boeing aircraft company site […]

It’s rare you get to see the Nightstalkers of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in action, mainly because their missions and the bulk of their training are, appropriately enough, conducted at night!  This video compilation contains some good daytime footage of the unit training in both field and urban environments–as well as a few […]

Courtesy of the “Nightstalkers,” the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, we bring you some absolutely beautiful close air support provided by the Sikorsky MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) and the AH-6 “Killer Egg” version of the MD-500E helicopter. The SOAR is most well-known for its ability to insert and extract SOF units under any and all battlefield conditions, […]

Courtesy of the “Nightstalkers“–the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, we bring you some absolutely beautiful Close Air Support provided by the Sikorsky MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP), as well as the AH-6 “Killer Egg” version of the MD-500E helicopter. The SOAR is most well-known for its ability to insert and extract SOF units under any […]