YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — Aviation battalions serving with the 17th Aviation Brigade in South Korea will restructure in the coming months as a part of the Army’s goal of transforming into “units of action,” according to an 8th Army statement released Friday.
Some units within the brigade — the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment — will relocate to the United States, while the remaining units will become part of the 6th Cavalry, which is now at Camp Humphreys, according to the release. Eventually, the units that remain in South Korea will become part of the 2nd Aviation Brigade.
The new unit, under the 2nd Aviation Brigade, will include Apache Longbow attack helicopters, UH-60 Black Hawks, C-12 Hurons and CH-47 Chinooks. The release didn’t specify how large or diverse the fleet will be.
An article last week in Stars and Stripes said most of the 1-52 would relocate permanently to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, along with a portion of the regiment’s current fleet of Chinooks.
On Friday, 8th Army officials clarified that three companies within that battalion — C, D and the Headquarters companies — would move to Wainwright after a May 13 encasing ceremony.
Additionally, Company A from the 2-52 will relocate to Fort Hood, Texas, the release stated.
Two other units will remain in South Korea: Company A with the 1-52 Aviation Battalion and Company A with the 6-52 Aviation Battalion.
