Mengantisipasi maraknya tindakan pembajakan pesawat terbang era 1970/80-an, Kepala Badan Intelijen Strategis ABRI menetapkan lahirnya sebuah kesatuan baru setingkat detasemen di lingkungan Kopassandha. Pada 30 Juni 1982, muncullah Detasemen 81 (Den-81) Kopassandha dengan komandan pertama Mayor Inf. Luhut B. Panjaitan dengan wakil Kapten Inf. Prabowo Subianto. Kedua perwira sempat dikirim ke GSG-9 (Grenzschutzgruppe-9) Jerman untuk mendalami penanggulangan teror dan sekembalinya ke Tanah Air dipercaya menyeleksi dan melatih prajurit yang ditunjuk ke Den-81.

Keinginan mendirikan Den-81 sebenarnya tidak terlepas dari peristiwa pembajakan pesawat Garuda DC-9 Woyla di Bandara Don Muang, Bangkok, 31 Maret 1981. Nah, pasukan yang berhasil membebaskan Woyla inilah yang menjadi cikal bakal anggota Den-81, dan belakangan diganti lagi jadi Satuan 81 Penanggulangan Teror (Sat-81 Gultor). Dari periode 1995­2001, Den-81 sempat dimekarkan jadi Grup 5 Antiteror (Grup 4 Sandi Yudha).

Secara organisatoris, Gultor langsung di bawah komando dan pengendalian Danjen Kopassus. Gultor saat ini dipimpin perwira menengah berpangkat kolonel. Proses rekrutmen prajurit Gultor dimulai sejak seorang prajurit selesai mengikuti pendidikan para dan komando di Batujajar. Dari sini, mereka akan ditempatkan di satuan tempur Grup 1 dan Grup 2, baik untuk orientasi atau mendapatkan pengalaman operasi.

Sekembalinya ke markas, prajurit tadi akan ditingkatkan kemampuannya untuk melihat kemungkinan promosi penugasan ke Satuan Sandi Yudha atau Satuan Antiteror. Untuk antiteror, pendidikan dilakukan di Satuan Latihan Sekolah Pertempuran Khusus Batujajar. Operasi terakhir terbilang sukses Den-81 yaitu saat pembebasan 26 sandera yang ditawan GPK Kelly Kwalik di Irian Jaya pada 15 Mei 1996. Namun Operasi Woyla masih menjadi satu-satunya operasi antiteror dalam skala besar yang dijalankan TNI hingga saat ini. Tidak jelas berapa jumlah prajurit Sat-81 Gultor saat ini.

To anticipate the increase in potential airplane hijacking cases in the 70s and 80s, the head of Indonesian Army Strategic Intelligence Office (BAIS) formed a new detachment in the Army Special Forces (then Kopassandha). On June 30, 1982, the new unit, called Detasemen 81 (Den-81) Kopassandha, was formally established with Major Luhut B. Panjaitan as its first commander and Captain Prabowo Subianto as its first vice commander. Both of these officers had been sent to Germans GSG-9 (Grenzschutzgruppe-9) school to learn about the anti-terror techniques. These two officers then selected and trained the Den-81 troops.

The desire to form Den-81 was mostly motivated by the hijacking incident of Garudas DC-9 Woyla in Don Muang Airport, Bangkok-Thailand, on March 31, 1981. The troops that involved in the operation to free Woyla became the first troops in Den-81. Later, Den-81 was changed into Unit-81 Anti-Terror (Sat-81 Gultor). From 1995-2001, Den-81 became the Group 5 Antiterror (Groups 4 Sandhi Yudha) in the Kopassus (new name for Army Special Forces) structure.

Sat-81 Gultor is under the direct command of Kopassus commander in chief. Currently, this unit is led by a colonel. The recruitment process of this unit starts when the troops finish the Para and Commando programes in Batujajar, West Java. From here, they will be assigned to Group 1 and Group 2 of Kopassus for orientation or gaining combat experience. After returning from these assignments, these troops will be evaluated for further assignment to the Anti-terror unit. The Anti-terror program is conducted in Special Combat Training School in Batujajar, West Java.

The most recent successful operation conducted by Sat-81 Gultor is the rescue of 26 hostages from Kelly Kwaliks terrorist group in Irian Jaya on May 15, 1996. However, Operation Woyla is still the biggest and internationally well-known operation that Indonesain Army ever experienced.

Currently, there is no exact information of the number of troops in Sat-81 Gultor.