The “Night Stalkers” are an elite helicopter unit trained to quickly and stealthily enter and exit contested areas—ideal for Saturday’s operation targeting Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, the US military conducted a special operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Spearheaded by the Army’s elite Delta Force, the operation was successful. Maduro and his spouse appeared before a federal judge on Monday, pleading not guilty to charges of drug trafficking.
More than 150 military aircraft were involved in the operation. However, it was a small number of special operations helicopters and crews that made the successful mission possible.
The “Night Stalkers” over Venezuela
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, inserted and extracted the Delta Force assault force that captured Maduro and his wife. The special operations aviators also provided close air support to the ground force by suppressing Venezuelan military positions that threatened the operation.
The 160th SOAR is the best fixed-wing special operations unit in the world. Indeed, Night Stalkers pride themselves that they can deliver their cargo anywhere in the world with the precision of roughly 30 seconds.
The 160th SOAR operates three rotary-wing platforms, some of which have different configurations. Specifically, the Night Stalkers fly the AH-6/MH-6 Little Bird, the MH-60 and MH-60 Direct Air Penetrator (DAP) Blackhawk, and the MH-47G Chinook.
Each helicopter is designed and equipped for a very specific mission set, and every platform is designed to operate seamlessly with the others. For example, the small MH-6 Little Bird is designed to ferry a small number of operators right on target. The helicopter’s small and nimble nature allows it to land in very tight spots, including house rooftops and city streets. The AH-6 Little Bird is the gunship version of the same helicopter and can carry a wide range of weapons, including M134 miniguns, GAU-19 .50 caliber 3-barrel Gatling guns, AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missiles, and standard M260 rockets.
The Night Stalkers also operate the MH-60 Blackhawk and MH-60 DAP. The MH-60 is the medium-lift asset of the unit that can carry operators in and out. A stealth version of the helicopter participated in the mission to kill Osama bin Laden in 2010. The MH-60 DAP is the gunship version and can carry a plethora of weapon systems, including M134 miniguns, GAU-19 .50 caliber 3-barrel Gatling guns, M230 30mm chain guns, M261 FFAR 2.75″19-rocket pods, AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missiles, and AIM-92 ATAS air-to-air missiles.
Finally, the MH-47G Chinook is the heavy-lift asset of the Night Stalkers and can carry dozens of special operators and their gear.
The “Night Stalkers” Were Born in the Ashes of Failure
Much like the Delta Force itself—formed in 1977 after Pentagon planners watched German special forces fail to save Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis—the Night Stalkers came into existence after a catastrophe showed the limits of existing insertion units.
The Night Stalkers were created in the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue the US hostages from the embassy in Iran in 1980. At the time, the Delta Force-led task force had relied on a combination of Air Force and Marine Corps air assets. However, miscommunication and different procedures between the services led to a collision between an Air Force EC-130 transport aircraft and an RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter. The after-action report made it clear that a dedicated special operations aviation unit was necessary.
Night Stalkers have been involved in countless US military operations, both large and small, over the last quarter-century.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
