Article - Whiteman AFB - 2016

Whiteman AFB - Missouri Army National Guard Aviation

1-135th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion "First Attack" 2016

Home to the Missouri Army National Guard Aviation Training Center, Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB) is host to a multitude of cross service units, including Army National Guard helicopters (UH-60 and AH-64D) along with a squadron of Air Force Reserve A-10s , the entire fleet of B-2 "Spirit" Bombers and a complement of T-38Cs to keep the B-2 pilots flying hours current.

The 1-135th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) known as "1st Attack" is made up of 4 Companies, A, B, C and D, A to C are line Companies with D providing all aviation assets for maintenance and ground support. The ARB moved into Whiteman AFB during 1996 and at that time was flying the AH-1 “Cobra”. During 1999 the Army announced plans to modern the aviation division and to upgrade its fleet of ageing AH-1s and replace them with AH-64A “Apache”. During mid 2002 they lost all their AH-1s and the unit was restructured to receive its new Boeing AH-64A, early in 2002 the first AH-64A had arrived at Whiteman AFB, the Attack Battalion would have between 18-24 AH-64s assigned. The new AH-64A had two high performance turboshaft engines, laser, infrared targeting systems, target acquisition designation, night vision sensors, and a multitude of munitions including 30mm automatic cannon firing up to 1200 high-explosive rounds, 70mm rockets and laser-guided Hellfire missiles. The A model served with the Battalion until early 2012 with the newer AH-64D “Longbow” arriving between October 2011 and early spring 2012. The D model had a number of upgrades including integrated digital sensor networking showing real time situation awareness to battlefield operations, threat-prioritization with up to 128 targets in fewer than 60 seconds, object detection for stationary or moving targets and longer range accuracy during day/night conditions. Today the 1-135th is unique in its mission role, because of its location upon Whiteman AFB it regularly flies joint tactical training missions alongside A-10’s and B-2’s, something that no other Army aviation unit performs, as well as these joint ops the AH-64’s will also perform FAA approved currency flights at local airfields performing routine landing s. Currently the 1-135th has twenty four AH-64D’s, but in late 2015 started to receive the first of its scheduled 10 UH-60 “Blackhawks” with the remainder due to arrive by late 2016, in turn 16 AH-64D models will be transferred out to other Army units in Hawaii, Kansas and Utah. The unit has twelve instructor pilots, one command pilot, and one command supervisor instructor along with 70 aircrew/maintainers that keep the helicopters serviced and in the air full time, along with over 300 National Guard members who drill at the Air Force base on the 2nd weekend of the month.

The Missouri National Guards 35th Combat Aviation Brigade is due to be renamed in the latter part of 2016, it will be changed to the 1-135th Assault Helicopter Battalion (AHB) to reflect the mission change from Combat Attack (CA) to Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR). At the time of my visit in early 2016 the "1st Attack" were still an ARB.

1-135th "First Attack" team names;

A Company "Dogs of Night"

B Company "Phantoms"

C Company "Roughriders"

D Company "Hammerhead"

Special thanks must be afforded to the PAO team on Whiteman AFB and the 1-135th PAO team for allowing such an up close visit with their Combat Helicopter unit.

Author & photography

Mark Forest