The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade deploys, on order, worldwide to find, fix and destroy enemy forces using aerial fire and maneuver to concentrate and sustain combat power.
The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade tactical moniker "Pegasus" is a name drawn from the historic June 6th, 1944 Allied invasion of mainland Europe. Specifically, Pegasus Bridge was the single most important piece of key terrain whose control was critical to the protection of thousands of British and Canadian Soldiers during their early morning assault on the beaches of Sword and Juno. British paratroopers were inserted on six gliders around midnight, the first Allied company-sized unit to begin the D-Day invasion. These Paratroopers used gliders to conduct air land insertions.
Today, the troopers of the 82nd Airborne
Division rely on the men and women of Task
Force Pegasus and their more than 120
helicopters -- Apaches, Kiowa Warriors,
Chinooks, Black Hawks and Medical
Evacuation (MEDEVAC) aircraft for their
protection and support.
Whenever Paratroopers go into harm's way,
they can rely on the significant lethality, firepower, and flexibility of Task Force Pegasus to ensure decisive victory, regardless of the task.
Pegasus is composed of approximately 2,800 Troopers and around 120 aircraft. The highly flexible 82nd CAB conducts full-spectrum aviation operations, to include combat resupply, battlefield circulation, air assaults, close combat support, and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). All these capabilities are critical assets ensuring tactical success on the modern battlefield in any environment worldwide.
The 82nd Aviation Brigade, officially activated on 15 January 1987, preceded the organizational structure of the 82nd CAB. The 82nd Aviation Brigade was primarily a conglomeration of three preexisting units: the 82nd Combat Aviation Battalion; 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, and the 269th Aviation Battalion. The colors of the 82nd Combat Aviation Battalion are still used to represent most of the modern 82nd CAB, and 1-17 CAV still proudly displays its traditional colors. The 17th Cavalry Regiment traces it lineage back to 1 July 1916, and is by far the oldest unit within the 82nd CAB today.
The 82nd Combat Aviation Battalion’s origins are rooted in the establishment of the 82nd Aviation Company, which was activated in 1957. The 82nd Aviation Company gradually expanded into a battalion-sized organization over the next decade, and elements served in Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.
In July 1979, the 82nd Combat Aviation Battalion received two additional assault companies. The 82nd Combat Aviation Battalion soon became the largest aviation battalion in the United States Army, as it incorporated a general support company and an attack company prior to deployment to Grenada in support of Operation Urgent Fury in October 1983. Operation Urgent Fury marked the first time the UH-60 Blackhawk was used in combat operations.
Soon after, efforts to consolidate the 82nd Airborne Division’s aviation assets resulted in the activation of the 82nd Aviation Brigade, internal realignment continued. This resulted in the establishment of the Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company, as well as an Aviation Intermediate Maintenance (AVIM) company. Also, a provisional second battalion was established in May 1987. The second battalion was formally activated in September 1989, just two months before the brigade deployed to Panama in support of Operation Just Cause.
In August 1990, the 82nd Aviation Brigade deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of the build-up of American Forces in the Persian Gulf region to support Operation Desert Shield, and later, Operation Desert Storm. In February and March 1991, the brigade launched deep attacks into Iraq and supported friendly forces liberating Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. Just a few years later, the 82nd Aviation Brigade deployed to Haiti in November 1994 in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. Beginning in April 1997, elements of 2nd Battalion detached from the brigade for deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Guard. Elements of the 82nd Aviation Brigade conducted another rotation for peacekeeping operations in Bosnia in 2001. While not deployed overseas, the 82nd Aviation Brigade supported the 82nd Airborne Division in multiple training exercises, to include rotations through the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Erwin, California, and the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Since 11 September 2001, the 82nd Aviation Brigade has shouldered a heavy burden in the Global War on Terror. The Brigade saw action early in the campaigns Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Elements of the 82nd Aviation Brigade first deployed to Afghanistan in July 2002, providing combat power and support to American and Coalition Forces in order to disrupt Taliban and Al-Qaeda networks. The following year, the 82nd Aviation Brigade deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After redeploying, the Brigade underwent a massive aircraft reset program, and after becoming fully mission capable, certain elements supported the Drug Enforcement Agency in interdiction operations in the Caribbean. Other elements of the Brigade returned to Iraq in 2005, and conducted joint and multi-national operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In autumn 2005, elements remaining Stateside accompanied Task Force All American Assist to southern Louisiana to help with disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
As the United States Army sought to
better-consolidate combat power through
the Brigade Combat Team construct for
its land forces, so the aviation brigades
underwent similar realignment for greater
empowerment. The modern 82nd CAB
took shape in January 2006. As part of
the reorganization, the 3rd General
Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB),
82nd Aviation Regiment, and the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion were created through the reflagging and fusion of other preexisting units and became part of the newly organized 82nd CAB.
In April 2006, the Troopers of 1-17th CAV transferred to Ft Campbell, Kentucky, and reflagged as 7-17th CAV under the 159th CAB, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in June 2006. However, 1-17th CAV soon reactivated under the 82nd CAB at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as 1-82nd Aviation Regiment reflagged as 1-17th CAV.
The former 3rd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment reflagged and reorganized as an Attack battalion, becoming 1-82nd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion.
The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade is today composed of the following units: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Gryphon), 1-17th Cavalry Squadron (Saber), 1-82nd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (Wolfpack), 2-82nd Assault Battalion (Corsair), 3-82nd General Support Aviation Battalion (Talon), and 122nd Aviation Support Battalion (Atlas).
The 82nd CAB is a medium-structure CAB, similar in organization to the 101st CAB, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The aircraft of assignment are as follows: 1-17th CAV, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior; 1-82nd ARB, AH-64D Apache Longbow; 2-82nd ASLT BN, UH-60M Blackhawk; 3-82nd GSAB, UH-60M Blackhawk, CH-47F Chinook, and UH-60M modified for MEDEVAC operations.
Soon after reorganization as the 82nd CAB,
the Brigade deployed elements in support
of both Operation Iraqi Freedom in June
2006, and Operation Enduring Freedom in
January 2007. The Brigade Headquarters
Company, 2-82nd ASLT, 3-82nd GSAB,
and elements of 122nd ASB deployed to
Afghanistan, as 1-82nd ARB, 1-17th CAV,
and the remainder of the 122nd ASB had
deployed to northern Iraq.
The 82nd CAB deployed for the first time as a complete brigade to Regional Command – South, Afghanistan, in early 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As part of a build-up of American Forces in Afghanistan, the 82nd CAB became the first full aviation brigade to be based in Regional Command – South. Previously, aviation assets had been concentrated in Regional Command – East, with one subordinate task force deployed to Regional Command – South. The 82nd CAB completed this deployment cycle in April 2010, and returned to Fort Bragg with great honor as the United States Army’s most decorated CAB.
After returning to home station, the 82nd CAB initiated its required reset, but soon began to plan and train for its next call to arms. The 82nd CAB conducted a complete reset, to include transitioning to the advanced M-Model of the UH-60. The CAB’s Troopers also conducted training in the mountains of Colorado to prepare for the demands of flying over the mountainous and rugged lands of Regional Command – East, Afghanistan.
Whatever the threat, the 82nd CAB will remain ready to deploy as part of America’s Guard of Honor and conduct full-spectrum aviation operations in any environment across the globe.
The unit is currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XII.