Night stalkers Descend on Sydney
Article by Nate Newman
Images by Nate Newman and Lachy McKay
For this year's iteration of Exercise Talisman Sabre, the US Army 160th SOAR “Night Stalkers” deployed to Holsworthy in Sydney’s south. Along with them were the Canadian Air Force with their CH-146 Griffon special operations aircraft, the Singaporean Air Force with their CH-47F Chinook, as well as the new Australian Army UH-60M Black Hawks based at Holsworthy year-round.
To start the exercise, all four nations conducted a joint low-level flypast of Sydney Harbour. Altogether, 10 aircraft took part in the expedition, flying west to east over the Harbour Bridge before exiting at Sydney Heads and turning south for Holsworthy.
Throughout the exercise, special operations were conducted within the Holsworthy Military Area and the greater Sydney region. The exercise climaxed with the 160th SOAR conducting counter-terrorism operations in Sydney Harbour with their MH-47G and MH-60M aircraft fast-roping onto the famous Manly Ferry.
The SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) conducted multiple runs throughout the day against different targets, including Chinooks deploying operatives via fast rope onto one of the squadron’s specially designed speedboats, built by OTOTNQ.
The day was hosted from the nearby HMAS Penguin in Mosman, where the local football oval was converted into a makeshift helipad. Overall, two Chinooks and two Black Hawks landed throughout the day.
The exercise wrapped up a week later with a flying display of combined Australian and American forces through Sydney Harbour. On the same day, the nation-wide Exercise Talisman Sabre began with a media event aboard HMAS Adelaide in Sydney Harbour. The Australian Black Hawks and American Chinooks landed at Victoria Barracks in the CBD throughout the day before flying at low level through the harbour. The American MH-60Ms also conducted a flypast before heading north to Coffs Harbour and eventually on to Townsville.
The final run of the day was two Australian UH-60Ms flying extremely low east to west before heading back home to Holsworthy. The Chinooks were scheduled for one final run but had to depart for the Gold Coast that night due to time constraints.
