The 130th Aviation Regiment is aligned with the North Carolina Army National Guard and comprises the 1st and 2nd Battalions, which together makes up the NCNG 449th Theater Aviation Brigade. 1st Battalion, 130th Aviation is unique in Army National Guard history in that it was the first National Guard unit ever to receive the Apache AH-64 helicopters with the arrival of a half-dozen of the then-cutting edge units in November 1987. Classified as an Airfield Operations Battalion, (AOB), 2nd Battalion, 130th Aviation was previously a multi-component, ten-Soldier detachment of U.S. Army Company A, 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment. It then became a standalone National Guard unit designated the 226th Airfield Operations Battalion, but in 2006 it was restructured and later became 2-130th AOB.
As of Summer 2023, the 130th Aviation Regiment's 1st and 2nd Battalions are assigned to the 449th Combat Aviation Brigade, North Carolina Army National Guard.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.Ultramarine blue, the color used for the shield and scroll of the 130th Aviation Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, is the branch color of Army Aviation, The red device is a caltrop, an old defensive weapon tossed onto the ground with a spike sticking upward to impale soldiers’ feet and horses’ hooves; it symbolizes defense, but also simulates an aircraft. The white, bulbous protrusions are nebuly and are used to simulate the sky/clouds in heraldry. White, red, and blue that make up the insignia are also the colors of the state flag of North Carolina, the unit’s home location.
The 130th Aviation Regiment unit crest was originally approved on 12 October 1965 for the 30th Aviation Battalion; it was updated on 6 September 1974 and rescinded on 23 February 1980. It as reinstated and redesignated for the 130th Aviation Regiment, with an updated description, on 3 November 1987. The motto, “The Eyes Of Commands,” emphasizes the reconnaissance role Army Aviation plays (the Regiment’s 1st Battalion is a an Attack/Reconnaissance unit).