The US Military’s twelfth Fight Aviation Brigade has reactivated the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, at Katterbach, Germany, restoring a historic assault aviation unit to service in Europe.
The transfer, efficient 14 October 2025, is a part of the Military Aviation Transformation Initiative and continues the brigade’s long-standing Apache operations on the continent, the service acknowledged.
The change successfully redesignates the brigade’s current 1st Battalion, third Aviation Regiment, because the 2-159th “Gunslingers.” Personnel, helicopters, and gear stay in place, making certain no lack of functionality for the U.S. Military Europe and Africa command.
“We’re redesignating again to 2-159th, and my crew is happy to renew the heritage of this storied unit,” stated Lieutenant Colonel Comador Ferguson III, the battalion’s commander. “We’ll proceed to fly and struggle the world’s most technically superior Apache with a laser-like concentrate on addressing potential near-peer threats, whereas repeatedly showcasing our experience in hard-hitting, gritty lethality.”
Colonel Adam Bock, commander of the twelfth Fight Aviation Brigade, stated the return of the 2-159th identify reaffirmed each the unit’s legacy and its connection to Germany. “Katterbach has all the time been greater than an obligation station; it’s a house to generations of Troopers, households, and our German neighbours who’ve welcomed and supported us,” he stated.
“As we reactivate the 2-159th Assault Battalion, allow us to additionally rededicate ourselves to the mission, to 1 one other, and to the belief positioned in us by our nation.”
The 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment was first constituted in 1968 and beforehand served in Germany earlier than being reflagged in 2015 as the first Battalion, third Aviation Regiment.