Remnants of a Legendary Battle

The Battle of Takur Ghar represented a turning point that transformed drones and airborne special forces from supporting roles to leading actors in the drama of 21st century warfare. This intense 17-hour fight atop an Afghan mountain in 2002 will be represented by two artifacts on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum's Modern Military Aviation gallery, which opens next year on July 1. 

One of the artifacts is a MQ-1 Predator (initially designated RQ-1), the first of its type to be armed and used to attack ground targets with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, a weapon designed to be fired from helicopters. MQ-1 Predator 3034, manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of Poway, California, flew 196 combat missions in Afghanistan before it was transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the National Air and Space Museum. As an aerospace milestone, the MQ-1 marked several significant transformations underway at the beginning of the 21st century. The first was the shift to remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). The MQ-1 and other RPAS consist of air vehicles and ground-control equipment connected via radio and satellite-data links. In most RPAS, including the Predator, humans are still essential to their routine operation.

The second artifact, which will be displayed on a mannequin, is a desert-tan flightsuit of the type worn by helicopter pilots of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Organized in 1981 and known as the Night Stalkers, the 160th regiment was used intermittently for special operations in the 1980s and 1990s. According to an official history, between November 1993 and October 2001, the unit flew only non-combat missions. Michael W. Hankins, a Museum curator who specializes in post-World War II military aircraft, says that the uniform reflects the fact that “the perceived threat to the United States in the early 2000s is much different than it was at the height of the Cold War.” Besides the basic flightsuit, air crew coat, boots, flying gloves, and helmet, the display includes gear and weapons that Night Stalker pilots carried in the early 2000s, depending on the mission. 

This article is from the Fall 2025 issue of Air & Space Quarterly, the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today. Explore the full issue.

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