A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches in height overall consisting of a Spanish mission silhouette being a silver horizontal bar with a golden orange and silver Yuma Indian pattern and overall a pair of silver wings, points up, conjoined in base. Attached across the base an arched black scroll inscribed "WITH WINGS AS EAGLES" in silver letters.
Ultramarine blue and golden orange are the colors traditionally associated with the U.S. Army Aviation. The shape of the device and Indian (Yuma) pattern allude to southern California and its rich history of Spanish missions and interaction with the Indians. The conjoined wings represent the unit's mission, capabilities and the quest for excellence. Black alludes to strength, strategy and twenty-four hour preparedness.
The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 7 December 1988.