3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment is an Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB) headquartered on Simmons Army Airfield, Fort Liberty.3-58th AOB had its beginning at Echterdingen Army Airfield as the 16th Air Operations Detachment in 1961.After 26 years of operations, moves and realignments, the Battalion was designated as 3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment in 1987.
The Battalion serves as one of only two AOBs in the active component of the Army.The Battalion's primary mission is to deploy globally in support of any combatant commander and provide Air Traffic Services and Airfield Management.Guardian Raptor Soldiers are agile, adaptive, competent, andcommitted to the Army profession.3-58th AOB enables combatant commanders to expeditiously establish an airfield with the capability to control rotary and fixed-wing aircraft through both positive and procedural airspace control measures.
The Guardian Raptors have a proud history of combat deployments and support to multi-national training exercises: Operation Saker Falcon (2014),humanitarian relief efforts in Pakistan (2006), Operation Enduring Freedom (2005 and 2012), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003 and 2007), Operation Joint Endeavor (1995), Operation Provide Comfort I & II (Turkey and Northern Iraq), Operation Desert Storm (1991), and Operation Desert Shield (1990).
After reassignment to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in 1993, the Battalion provided fixed base airfield operations and air traffic services in support of V Corps in Hanau, Ansbach, Grafenwöhr and Wiesbaden.
