A U.S. Army Apache helicopter with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Attack Reconnaissance) conducts a traffic pattern training flight July 23, 2018, at Katterbach Army Airfield in Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany. During traffic pattern training flights, pilots perform multiple important maneuvers and tasks, including taking off, making coordinated turns, managing airspeed and landing. The 3d Combat Aviation Brigade is a regiment of the United States Army Aviation Branch. It operates the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter. It has been associated with the 3rd Infantry Division (United States) for some time.
In 2004, the brigade was redesigned as the U.S. Army’s first modular Combat Aviation Brigade and deployed to Iraq in January 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom III. This redesign enabled the brigade to significantly increase its ability to operate 24 hours a day for an indefinite period providing an unprecedented level of aviation combat power to the Division. The brigade’s accomplishments include flying over 80,000 hours in support of over 26,707 combat missions to include over 13,455 attack and recon missions, 289 air assaults and raids, and over 3,760 MEDEVAC missions transporting over 4,998 patients. The attack aircraft provided 24-hour coverage over the Multi-National Division – Baghdad area of responsibility from January 2005 to January 2006, proving to be the Division’s most flexible and effective, quick reaction force. With an additional Assault Battalion and the Chinooks in the General Support Aviation Battalion, the Brigade was able to offer the Division a new mission – Air Assault. The brigade also performed general aviation support missions, including being the sole provider of helicopter support for the senior members of the Iraqi Transitional Government.
Video by Charles Rosemond Training Support Activity Europe
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