5th Battalion (General Support), 158th Aviation Regiment
5th Battalion (Command), 158th Aviation Regiment
"Mission Ready"

158th Aviation Battalion was reorganized and redesignated in 1987 as a parent regiment under the United States Army Regimental System. On 18 September 1987 at Giebelstadt Army Airfield (GAAF) in Giebelstadt, Germany, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 158th Aviation Battalion was reflagged as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, which was constituted and activated. The Battalion's organic elements were subsequently constituted anda activated.

During the 1990s, the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, an element of the 12th Aviation Brigade, was the largest aviation battalion in the US Army. Units of the Battalion are located in Giebelstadt and Wiesbaden, Germany and Aviano, Italy. Their mission included transportation of people and equipment. During combat or peacekeeping missions the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment was also responsible for transporting V Corps leaders throughout the area of operations. Unit aircraft were a mixture of UH-60 Blackhawks and CH-47 Chinooks.

A and E Companies, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation were located at Wiesbaden Air Base (WAB) in Wiesbaden, Germany. B Company, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation, which was activated on 16 October 1998, was stationed in Aviano, Italy. The activation of C Company, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation at WAB was, at that time, projected for January 2000. This activation would complete the Army's doctrinal template of the Mission Ready Battalion. As of early 2000 the unit consisted of 8 companies flying and maintaining UH-60 Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinooks.

The Battalion had a total of 70 aircraft, which was larger than the normal 24 in a then standard aviation battalion. A standard battalion generally flew about 3,000-4,000 hours per year, while the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment had nearly 12,000 accident free flying hours during 1999. Their mission included transportation of people and equipment. During peacetime, combat, or in peacekeeping missions the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment was also responsible for transporting V Corps leaders throughout the area of operations. The Regiment was also the primary organization used for transporting the US Vice President and entourage for the President when they were in the theater.

In 1999, the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment deployed to Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Africa, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and other areas within Europe. The total flying hours for FY99 was over 11,000, with over 5,000 of those hours logged in support of Task Force Hawk in Albania. Vehicle miles covered by members of the Battalion were over 135,000. The unit also dispensed over 750,000 gallons of aircraft fuel without a major incident. Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment were the first to fly US troops into Kosovo.