U.S. soldiers refuel AH-64 Apache helicopters at an undisclosed location in South Korea during the Talon Reach exercise, March 12, 2026. (Yun Hyuk Kim/U.S. Army)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — U.S. Army helicopter units flew more than 1,300 miles across the Korean Peninsula this month, simulating long-range air assaults and coordinated attacks during a sweeping four-day exercise.
About 2,700 soldiers from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade took part in the training, dubbed Talon Reach, which concluded March 12 and was conducted alongside Freedom Shield, an annual joint exercise between the United States and South Korea.
Talon Reach involved attack, assault, reconnaissance and sustainment missions carried out simultaneously across the country, according to an Army video released Wednesday.
Pilots flew AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, the service said. The exercise culminated in Apache attack operations, demonstrating the brigade’s ability to rapidly project combat power.
U.S. soldiers refuel AH-64 Apache helicopters at an undisclosed location in South Korea during the Talon Reach exercise, March 12, 2026. (Richard Kim/U.S. Army)
The training included multiple missions, including attack, reconnaissance, medical evacuation and air assaults, Col. Jason Raub, the brigade’s commander, said in the video.
Each battalion maintained “situational awareness, mutual understanding and reporting to the brigade,” he said.
The Army said the exercise also tested the brigade’s operational reach, including a long-distance flight that simulated an overwater attack and the seizure of an island.
“I wanted to make sure that we designed an exercise that allowed each of the subordinate battalions to test and validate their mission essential tasks,” Raub said.
The 2nd Infantry Division, which oversees the brigade, acknowledged but could not immediately respond to questions about the exercise on Friday.
