The 285th Aviation Regiment is a parent aviation regiment of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
.
The lineage of the 1st Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment began in 1971 with the formation of the 997th Aviation Company (Assault Helicopter) at
Papago Army Airfield. Its Platoon D ("Delta") was equipped with UH-1M Huey gunships. On 30 September 1978 the unit was organized and federally recognized in the AZ ARNG in Phoenix as Detachment 1, Company D, 149th Aviation Battalion, an element of the
49th Armored Division
The 49th Armored Division —nicknamed the "Lone Star"— was an armored division of the Texas Army National Guard during the Cold War.
Active from 1947, the division formed part of the Texas Army National Guard together with the 36th Infantr ...
. On 1 May 1982 it was designated as Company D, 149th Aviation Battalion and relocated to
Marana, Arizona
Marana is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States, located northwest of Tucson, with a small portion in Pinal County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 34,961. From 1990 to 2000, Marana was the fourth fastest-gr ...
. On 14 April 1986 the unit transitioned to the AH-1S Cobra.
In October 1986 the unit was released from the 49th Armored Division and redesignated as the 551st Aviation Battalion. A year later it was reorganized and redesignated as the 285th Aviation, a parent regiment under the United States Army Regimental System, to consist of the 1st Battalion. It was equipped with AH-64A Apache aircraft in 1991.
On 1 October 2005 the unit was redesignated as the 1st Battalion (Attack Reconnaissance), 285th Aviation Regiment and on 1 May 2006 it was mobilized to conduct the AH-64D Unit Fielding Training Plan and deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VIII.
In April 2012 and August 2013 the unit deployed its Companies A and B in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XII and XIII.
On 4 August 2018 the unit was retired from service after a "casing of colors" ceremony.
Structure
* 1st Battalion (Attack Reconnaissance)
** Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC)
** Company A
** Company B
** Company C
** Company D
** Company E
* 2nd Battalion (Assault Helicopter)
** Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC)
*** Detachment 2 (
AR ARNG)
** Company A
** Company B (AR ARNG)
** Company C (UH-60) (
ND ARNG)
** Company D (Aircraft Maintenance)
*** Detachment 1 (AR ARNG)
** Company E (Ground Maintenance)
*** Detachment 1 (AR ARNG)
References
{{Reflist
285
The year 285 ( CCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the "Year of the Consulship of Carinus and Aurelius" (or, less frequently, "year ...
Military units and formations established in 1987