Mission
THE ARMY RESERVE AVIATION COMMAND based in Fort Knox, Kentucky, provides command and control for all Army Reserve aviation.
The ARAC provides air traffic services, airfield management, aeromedical evacuation, combat aviation brigade reinforcement, theater aviation support and coordination of aviation staging and onward movement in order to support Army or joint operations.
With more than 4,400 Soldiers, approximately 600 civilians and 230 aircraft in 12 states, the Army Reserve Aviation Command is one-of-a-kind, providing command and control for all Army Reserve aviation, air assault, air movement, aeromedical evacuation, and inter- and intra-theater transportation.
Our rotary-wing aircraft includes UH-60s, HH-60s and CH-47s, while C-12s and UC-35s make up our fixed-wing.
Additionally, the command supports all FEMA regions within the United States to support emergency response.
Vision
A trained and ready Aviation Command composed of professional and resilient Soldiers and civilians with skills and knowledge to execute both domestic and theater aviation support and coordination of aviation staging and onward movement in order to support Army or joint operations.
Lineage
The Army Reserve Aviation Command incorporates the history of the 11th Aviation Group which can be traced to the 11th Airborne Division when it served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and in the Army of Occupation in Japan after the war. The division returned to the United States in May 1949 and established its headquarters at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. They then moved to Germany in 1956 and subsequently inactivated on July 1, 1958 when it was reflagged as the 24th Infantry Division.
On Feb. 1, 1963, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Group, was activated for testing purposes as a Regular Army element of the 11th Air Assault Division. Under the leadership of MG Charles W.G. Rich, the Test Director, and BG Harry Kinnard, the Division Commander, the group worked to formulate a unit that could move one-third of the division's infantry battalions and supporting units in one single helicopter lift. The unit operated out of Fort Benning, Georgia.
On July 1, 1965, the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) was inactivated and reflagged as the 1st Cavalry Division (airmobile). The unit was quickly deployed to the Republic of Vietnam. The 11th Aviation Group proudly deployed with the Division.
The 11th Aviation Group left Vietnam in March 1973. Bound for Dolan Barracks, Germany, the Group’s mission was to support Headquarters United States Army Europe and the Seventh Army. In November 1979 the 11th Aviation Group became a major subordinate command of VII Corps.
The 11th Aviation Group was reorganized and re-designated Oct. 16, 1987, as Headquarters and Headquarters Company. The 11th Aviation Brigade fielded the first AH-64 Attack Helicopter unit in Europe, 2d Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. This firmly established the brigade's role as a decisive combat element in the NATO alliance. In August 1988, the 11th Aviation Brigade moved to Storck Barracks in Illesheim.
On Oct. 4, 1996, the unit received its deployment orders, and within five days HHC, 11th Aviation Group; 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment; A and B Companies 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment; 147th Maintenance Support Team; C Company, 3rd Battalion (Air Traffic Services), 58th Aviation Regiment; and the 45th MEDEVAC began departing Germany enroute to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. The 11th Aviation Group was inactivated in Germany on June 9, 2005, with a casing of the colors. At the time, the 11th Aviation Group consisted of two attack helicopter battalions, service support units, and a headquarters, and was part of the V Corps.
The 11th Aviation Command activated in September 2007 with colors ceremony at Fort Knox, Kentucky; serving daily as the Functional Command and Control Element over all Army Reserve Aviation units. With the loss of our Attack assets, the gaining of new Assault Aircraft, and the addition of the 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade to our structure, we have been re-designated as the Army Reserve Aviation Command.