"Since the elite helicopter unit's creation in 1981, its daredevil pilots have taken part in some of the most dangerous missions in recent US military history: battling Islamic State during Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria, and Somali warlords during Operation Gothic Serpent; and spiriting Navy Seals into Pakistan to kill the al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden as part of Operation Neptune Spear."
"I honestly think these people are the best rotor-wing pilots in the world They are the Formula One drivers of aviation, said Steven Hartov, the author of a book about the unit's top secret missions, which nearly always happen under the cover of darkness. In recent weeks the Night Stalkers have found themselves in a different part of the world, their egg-shaped Little Bird attack helicopters and Black Hawks spotted not in Idlib, Kandahar or Baghdad but 90 miles (145km) off the coast of Venezuela."
The Night Stalkers are the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) with the unofficial motto 'Death Waits in the Dark.' The unit formed in 1981 and undertakes high-risk nocturnal helicopter missions. Pilots have battled Islamic State in Operation Inherent Resolve, engaged Somali warlords during Operation Gothic Serpent, and transported Navy SEALs into Pakistan for Operation Neptune Spear to kill Osama bin Laden. Observers describe the pilots as the best rotor‑wing aviators and 'Formula One drivers of aviation.' The unit recently deployed to the Caribbean, with Little Bird and Black Hawk helicopters operating about 90 miles off Venezuela amid heightened US pressure on President Maduro. Since September, at least 27 people have been killed in US missile strikes on alleged drug vessels.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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