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3rd Battalion - 147th Aviation Regiment

The 3rd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment was first formed in July, 1995, as part of the nationwide Guard/Reserve Realignment, which moved all combat assets out of the Army Reserve and into the National Guard.

The unit operates 24 AH-1 Cobra helicopters from its hangar/headquarters at St. Paul Downtown Airport, MN. The unit's 200 or so members are primarily part-time "civilian-soldiers", and in most cases work full-time civilian jobs or attend college.

The unit's primary mission is to support the 34th Infantry Division, MN Army National Guard, with aerial firepower in the event of deployment to combat potentially anywhere in the world. The 3rd/147th could be called upon to conduct several types of missions: strikes on enemy tanks and equipment, armed aerial reconnaissance, aerial fire support of friendly units, or troop helicopter escort.

The secondary mission of the 3rd/147th is supporting the State of Minnesota with an aerial search capability, or pure manpower in support of potential crises or natural disasters. The Forward-Looking Infrared (or FLIR) system installed on some of the unit's AH-1s can detect people, fires or vehicles on the ground by sensing differences in temperature, and provides equally clear imagery day or night. This provides the State of Minnesota with a highly effective aerial search capability in times of need.

The 3rd/147th is scheduled to upgrade into the AH-64 Apache helicopter. On 07 September 2001, the Army announced a significant acceleration of the Aviation Modernization Plan. This acceleration advances the retirement of aging aircraft and reduces the number of helicopters in the active and Reserve components. By the end of 2004, there will no longer be AH-1 Cobras in the Army; by that date, the Army's operational helicopter fleet will contain only AH-64 Apaches. By the end of 2002, attack helicopter battalions in heavy divisions will be restructured from 24 to 18 AH-64 Apaches. Corps level attack battalions will be converted from 24 to a maximum of 21 aircraft. This unit is one of six Army National Guard battalions that wil convert from the AH-1 Cobra to the AH-64 Apache under this plan.

Soldiers from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 147th Aviation, St. Paul, Minn., supported 14th Marines, during a Joint Air Attack Team (JAAT) mission as part of the July 2001 exercise Maximum Force, providing close air support. This exercise marked the first time in seven years a Minnesota Army National Guard unit supported Marines in a joint-service exercise.