160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
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 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.
The Regiment's Company E fly the slingloaded Mil Mi-24 out of Chad, known as Operation Mount Hope III
A MH-60L DAP fires its 2.75 in (7.0 cm) rockets on a U.S. test range
An AH-6M attacks designated targets during an offensive air support exercise with the USMC's MAWTS-1
A MH-6M insert a team of Rangers atop a building using the Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES)
Operation Red Wings, informally referred to as the Battle of Abbas Ghar, was a joint military operation conducted by the United States in the Pech District of Kunar Province, Afghanistan. It was carried out from late-June to mid-July 2005 on the slopes of a mountain named Sawtalo Sar, situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the provincial capital of Asadabad. The operation was intended to disrupt the activities of local Taliban-aligned anti-coalition militias (ACM), thus contributing to regional stability and thereby facilitating the September 2005 parliamentary election for the National Assembly of Afghanistan. At the time, Taliban ACM activity in the region was carried out predominantly by a small group led by a local man from Nangarhar Province known as Ahmad Shah, who had aspirations of achieving regional prominence among Muslim fundamentalists. Consequently, Shah and his group were one of the primary targets of the American military operation.
SEALs prior to Operation Red Wings (L to R): Matthew Axelson, Daniel R. Healy, James Suh, Marcus Luttrell, Eric S. Patton, Michael P. Murphy
SEAL Danny Dietz
Michael Murphy (left) with Matthew Axelson, in Afghanistan
Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy of the U.S. Navy, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient