How to Join the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) is colloquially known as the Night Stalkers – and that should tell you everything you must know about 160th SOAR (A). This unit represents the pinnacle of aviation excellence in the U.S. Army.

What exactly do they do? From inserting Delta Force operators into hostile territory to providing close air support for Navy SEAL missions, the Night Stalkers are indispensable to special operations forces.

Night Stalkers were formed in the wake of the failed Iran hostage rescue mission in 1980. Operation Eagle Claw not only failed but exposed a critical gap in our military’s ability to conduct high-risk aviation missions. And so we formed Task Force 160, now 160th SOAR (A).

We made sure that the U.S. military would never lack elite aviation support for special operations in the future. Since its formation, the regiment has played a pivotal role in many high-profile missions, including:

As such, becoming a 160th SOAR operator is no ordinary feat-it requires a perfect blend of physical endurance, technical expertise, and mental resilience. It’s a grueling job with an even bigger sense of responsibility. Let’s get started if you still think you’re up for it!

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the 160th SOAR, you must first meet the general qualifications for Army service and additional criteria specific to the regiment.

1. Basic Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship
• Applicants must meet the Army’s enlistment age (17 – 35) and be active-duty personnel or in the process of enlisting.
• A General Technical (GT) score of 110 or higher is required in ASVAB
• Candidates must pass the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) with competitive scores

2. Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Requirements

The 160th SOAR primarily recruits from within the Army’s aviation and support branches, although personnel from other fields may also apply.

Primary Aviation MOS: Soldiers in 15-series MOSs (Aviation) are highly sought after, including:

• 15T: UH-60 Helicopter Repairer
• 15U: CH-47 Helicopter Repairer
• 15P: Aviation Operations Specialist

Support and Ground MOS: Non-aviation MOS candidates, such as 11B (Infantry) or 13F (Fire Support Specialist), can apply if you have the relevant skills, such as tactical experience, knowledge of ground and aviation operations.

For officers, preferred roles include aviation leadership positions or those with prior experience commanding tactical units.

3. Preferred Qualifications

The best apply to 160th SOAR and only the best among them get selected. So, how can YOU stand out? Of course, you must excel in the physical and tactical requirements. But you can also acquire relevant additional skills to truly stand out among your applicant class.

• Airborne Qualification: Candidates with paratrooper experience are sought-after due to their experience with high-risk operations and familiarity with air-ground integration.
• Air Assault Qualification: Qualifying for and having the knowledge of heliborne operations is a core aspect of the Night Stalkers’ missions.
• Flight Experience: Pilots with significant flying hours are highly valued, particularly in rotary-wing aircraft.
• Other Advanced Certifications: It’s great to have other certifications such as Crew Chief, Combat Medic, or Tactical Operations Specialist to stand out during the selection process.

4. Additional Requirements

• Secret Security Clearance: Given the sensitive nature of their missions, candidates must obtain and maintain a Secret clearance. This involves passing a detailed background check and periodic reinvestigations.
• Medical Readiness: Applicants must meet the Army’s medical fitness standards, with no conditions that could impede operational performance.
• Psychological Fortitude: Given the nature of Night Stalker operations, candidates must show grit and resilience along with the ability to effectively and calmly work under high-stress scenarios.

Application Process

Joining the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). There’s a lot to do before the selection process even begins. Let’s talk about the application, pre-screening, and evaluation phases. 

Step 1:  Apply for the job.

If you’re already serving in the U.S. Army, notify your immediate supervisor or commanding officer about your intent to apply for the regiment.

If you’re a new enlistee, speak with your recruiter about opportunities to join the 160th SOAR. It’s a great advantage if you’re defining your goals from the get-go. That way, you can try to get an MOS that aligns with the regiment’s requirements.

Recruiter Contact Information:

• Officer / Warrant Officer Recruiter: [email protected]
• Enlisted / NCO Recruiter: [email protected]
• PHONE: (270) 956-3882

Application Information:

• Enlisted / Non-Commissioned Officer Application
• Warrant Officer Application
• Officer Application

Step 2: Pre-Screening Requirements

Before being considered for selection, candidates must meet specific pre-screening criteria:

• Documentation: Submit an official application packet that includes personal identification and army service details, current APFT scores and medical clearance forms; and record of MOS qualifications and certifications.
• Background Check: A thorough investigation is conducted to confirm eligibility for a secret clearance. This includes interviews, financial and criminal record checks, and a polygraph exam (if deemed necessary).
• Physical Fitness Assessment: You’ll have to demonstrate exceptional physical readiness by exceeding the Army’s Combat Fitness Test standards (ACFT).
• Flight Records (for Aviators): Pilots and crew members must submit detailed flight logs and certifications.

Step 3: Invitation to Assessment

Once your application has been reviewed and approved, you will receive an invitation to attend the Green Platoon Training and Assessment Program-the primary selection course for the 160th SOAR.

These assessments are typically conducted at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 160th SOAR.

Here’s a quick timeline of the events of the application process:

Selection Process

The Night Stalkers employs one of the most challenging and selective processes in the U.S. Army.

The Green Platoon Training and Assessment Program is the primary selection course, designed to test candidates’ physical endurance, tactical proficiency, and mental resilience. 

It is a 6-week assessment and training program to join the 160th SOAR. The Green Platoon is essentially a selection course followed by an initial training program that combines physical challenges with academic evaluations, and tactical skill-building.

While there are no official data or numbers, the attrition rate for 160th SOAR’s selection process is estimated to be between 40 – 60% based on personnel accounts.

Green Platoon is divided into several phases, each targeting a critical area of readiness:

Phase 1: Physical Fitness and Endurance

• Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT):
  • 2-mile run under 13 minutes (competitive: under 12 minutes).
  • Ruck march: 12 miles with 50 lbs in under 3 hours.
• Obstacle Courses: You must navigate challenging courses that test agility, strength, and endurance.
• Swim Tests: Proficiency in water survival and swimming with full gear is mandatory.

Phase 2: Tactical Skills Evaluation

This phase focuses on preparing candidates for the tactical aspects of their role:

• Land Navigation: You’ll engage in day and night navigation exercises using maps, compasses, and GPS. There will be simulated scenarios where you must find your way under time constraints.
• Marksmanship: The selection includes precision shooting drills with pistols and rifles. There are also mandatory nighttime shooting scenarios using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).

Phase 3: Academic and Leadership Assessments

Green Platoon evaluates physical and tactical skills, cognitive abilities, and leadership potential.

• Academic Testing: Written exams on aviation theory, tactics, and mission planning.
• Leadership Drills: This includes team-based problem-solving exercises designed to assess communication and decision-making under stress. You’ll be rotated into leadership roles to test your ability to guide a team effectively.

Phase 4: Stress and Resilience Testing

To simulate combat conditions, candidates are subjected to sleep deprivation, long work hours, and high-pressure scenarios. Classic army ops, right?

During this phase, you’ll participate in simulated firefights and extraction missions to judge your tactical decision-making and the ability to handle emergencies (such as helicopter malfunctions or navigation errors).

Phase 5: MOS Assessments

Candidates are evaluated on mission-specific skills depending on their MOS or desired specialization:

• Pilots: Advanced flight maneuvers, including low-level flying and night missions.
• Crew Members: Equipment handling, medevac procedures, and air-ground coordination.
• Support Personnel: Logistics management, communications, and field repairs.

Green Platoon Training

1. Basic Training Courses

After getting through the selection process, soldiers are first assigned to the “Green Platoon,” where they are trained into operational readiness. Those who pass the courses and qualify are then finally assigned to 160th as operators.

Upon joining the 160th, all soldiers are assigned to “Green Platoon”, in which they receive intensive training in “advanced methods of the five basic combat skills: first responder, land navigation, combatives, weapons and teamwork”.

Green Platoon training covers advanced methods of basic combat skills. This five-week course will include: 

• Physical Assessment
• Security Clearance
• Physiological Screening
• Navy Class II Swim Test
• First Responder
• Trauma Lanes
• Land Navigation Training
• Special Operations Combative Program (SOCP)
• Advanced Weapons Training

Aviation Tactics: Advanced flight maneuvers, including low-level flying, terrain masking, and night operations. For navigation and combat missions training, there will be an emphasis on using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).

Crew Coordination: Simulated missions to enhance communication and teamwork between pilots, crew chiefs, and ground units. You’ll be training in high-stress scenarios, such as emergency medevac or rapid extractions.

Tactical Decision-Making: Flight teams will practice adapting to unexpected challenges, such as mechanical failures, adverse weather, or enemy engagement.

Live Fire Drills: You’ll use live ammunition during simulated combat scenarios to improve accuracy and confidence in high-pressure situations.

2. Mission-Specific Training

After completing Green Platoon, candidates will move into specialized modules tailored to their role within the regiment.

Pilots will take modules focused on flying (obviously), this includes:

• Combat Flight Mastery: Training focuses on operating helicopters like the MH-60 Black Hawk, MH-47 Chinook, and MH-6 Little Bird. You’ll learn to execute precision landings in confined spaces, often under hostile conditions.
• Electronic Warfare Techniques: Instruction on avoiding detection and countering enemy radar systems using the latest technology.
• Aerial Infiltration and Exfiltration: Practicing drop-off and extraction techniques for special operations teams in hostile or austere environments.

Crew Members will take modules and courses focused on support and handling the aircraft, this includes

• Tactical Equipment Management: Ensuring all onboard systems, weapons, and mission-critical gear are operational.
• Medevac and Combat Lifesaving: Providing medical support under fire, including stabilizing injuries during transport.
• Aerial Gunnery: Mastery of mounted machine guns and other weapons used for close air support.

Support personnel will focus on logistics and communication required to ensure mission success, this includes:

• Logistics Coordination: Managing mission supplies, including fuel, ammunition, and spare parts.
• Ground-Based Communication: Ensuring seamless connectivity between air and ground forces during operations.

3. Advanced Tactical Modules

Training also includes modules that prepare candidates for the unpredictable nature of special operations aviation.

• Aircraft Maintenance Training: You’ll be doing the following courses in avionics: AH/MH-6 Maintainer Course, CAAS Avionics Course, and AH/MH-6 Avionics Course.
• Night and Adverse Weather Operations: Pilots and crew practice flying under extreme conditions, such as heavy rain, high winds, or fog.
• Escape and Evasion (E&E): Techniques for avoiding capture and surviving in hostile territory if downed.
• Interagency Cooperation: Training alongside other elite units, such as Delta Force and Navy SEALs, to build seamless mission integration.

4. Field Training Exercises (FTX)

The final training phase involves Field Training Exercises (FTX), which simulate real-world missions to test your combat readiness as part of the 160th SOAR (A). This will be your final step towards achieving Basic Mission Qualification (BMQ).

• Mountain, Desert, Overwater/Ship Environments
• Door Gunnery Qualification
• Aerial Refueling Operations
• Special Operations Mission Tasks
• Aquatics/Dunker Training

Performance during FTX is evaluated to ensure each operator meets the regiment’s elite standards.

After successfully completing the training program, you’ll officially become Night Stalkers. You will then be assigned to one regiment’s battalions, where you’ll begin operational duties.

Career Path and Opportunities

As a Night Stalker, you will participate in some of the most critical missions in military history. As such, you’ll have access to a multitude of opportunities for specialization, leadership, and long-term professional growth.

1. Initial Roles and Assignments

After completing the training program, Night Stalkers are assigned to one of the regiment’s battalions based on their skills, experience, and operational needs. You’ll be first sent to the unit as Basic Mission Qualified (BMQ).

Upon reaching the unit, you can get promoted further twice. After gathering enough experience, qualifying various tests and giving oral reviews, you can become a Fully Mission Qualified (FMQ) Night Stalker within the 160th SOAR (A). This process usually lasts up to 3 years.

After two more years of experience (five in total), you are eligible to try out for Flight Lead Qualification (FLQ).

Here are some specialized roles to look at:

Pilots and Aircrew: You can look into becoming a flight lead, instructor pilot (IP) or a master gunner.

Support Personnel: You can aspire to become a tactical mission planner or an avionics specialist working on cutting-edge technologies relevant to the military.

Specialized Tactical Roles: You can move away from core aviation roles and focus on becoming an escape and evasion (EE) specialist, sniper/gunner or a tactical medic.

Night Stalkers who demonstrate exceptional performance can advance to leadership roles, taking on greater responsibility and influence within the regiment. You can become a team leader or the operations officer before vying for command positions.

2. Benefits and Compensation

Night Stalkers enjoy competitive compensation and benefits that reflect their elite status and the high-risk nature of their missions.

Night Stalkers typically earn salaries in line with Army pay grades (e.g., E-5 to E-9 for enlisted personnel and O-1 to O-5 for officers).

Additional incentives include:

• Special Duty Pay for hazardous missions.
• Flight Pay for aircrew members.
• Retention Bonuses for extended service.

Retirement and Healthcare:

• Early retirement eligibility after 20 years of service, with full military pension.
• Comprehensive health and dental coverage for personnel and their families.

Lifestyle Benefits:

• Opportunities to travel and operate in diverse locations.
• Access to state-of-the-art training facilities and equipment.

And if you were ever worried about the work-life balance, 160th SOAR (A) is the best place to be. Here are some firsthand and secondhand accounts.

Preparation Tips for Aspiring Night Stalkers

The selection and training process demands unparalleled physical fitness, technical expertise, and mental resilience. Whether you’re a pilot, crew chief, or support specialist, preparation is key to standing out. Here’s how to maximize your readiness.

1. Physical Fitness Preparation

Endurance Training

• Running: Incorporate long-distance runs (6-10 miles) and interval sprints to improve cardiovascular fitness. Aim for a 2-mile time under 13 minutes, with a competitive goal of under 12 minutes.
• Ruck Marching: Train with a weighted rucksack (start with 30 lbs and gradually increase to 50-65 lbs). Target 6-12 miles on varied terrains, including hills and uneven surfaces. Aim for a 12-mile ruck march in under 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Strength and Functional Fitness

• Upper Body: Perform push-ups, pull-ups, and bench presses to develop core and upper-body strength. Competitive benchmarks include:
  • Push-Ups: 80+ in 2 minutes.
  • Pull-Ups: 15+ unassisted.
• Core Training: Focus on planks, sit-ups, and Russian twists to improve stability and endurance. Sit-Ups: Target 85+ in 2 minutes.
• Functional Movements: Include exercises like farmer carries, rope climbs, and obstacle course training to simulate operational tasks.

Flexibility and Recovery

• Incorporate yoga or dynamic stretching into your routine to prevent injuries.
• Schedule active recovery days with light swimming or cycling.

2. Tactical and Technical Skills Development

Technical expertise and tactical readiness are critical for both aviators and support personnel. Build these skills early to ensure you excel during Green Platoon and beyond.

Aviation and Technical Proficiency

• For Pilots: Accumulate flight hours on rotary-wing aircraft, focusing on low-level flying, terrain masking, and night operations. Familiarize yourself with advanced avionics and navigation systems.
• For Crew Members: Develop expertise in tactical equipment handling, medevac procedures, and aerial gunnery. Practice operating weapon systems in dynamic environments.

Tactical Readiness

• Land Navigation: Train in day and night navigation using maps, compasses, and GPS tools. Practice finding waypoints under time constraints in various terrains.
• Marksmanship: Hone your shooting accuracy with pistols and rifles under stress and time pressure. Practice nighttime shooting with Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).
• Teamwork and Leadership: Participate in group exercises to improve communication, coordination, and problem-solving skills.

3. Mental Resilience Training

Mental toughness is often deciding whether candidates succeed in Green Platoon. Build resilience by training your mind as rigorously as your body.

Stress Inoculation: Simulate fatigue by combining physical exhaustion with problem-solving tasks (e.g., running followed by navigation drills). Practice decision-making under time constraints to prepare for high-pressure scenarios.

Mindset and Visualization: Develop a growth mindset to view setbacks as opportunities to improve. Use visualization techniques to mentally rehearse challenging scenarios, such as flying in low-visibility conditions or navigating under duress.

Adaptability and Focus: Train in dynamic environments where mission parameters can change abruptly. Practice staying calm and effective during unexpected challenges.

4. Timeline for Preparation

My advice? Don’t get in your head too much. Check out the resources on the website and get after it.

By committing to a disciplined and focused preparation plan, you’ll improve your chances of selection and build the skills needed to succeed as a Night Stalker.

If you want to maximize your chances of success, I recommend you read my guide on Do You Need a Coach for Military Selection.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/160th_Special_Operations_Aviation_Regiment_(Airborne)
• https://www.soc.mil/USASOAC/160th.html
• https://go160thsoar.com/