Reapers Over New York State

The New York Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing, based at Hancock Field in Syracuse, received authorization to operate using a C-Band radio frequency from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration last week, a unit spokesman said.

The MQ-9 Reaper — used for reconnaissance and airstrikes — will be housed at Fort Drum’s Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield and uses the frequency for takeoffs and landings because of its reliability. All other times, it flies with a satellite link. For training purposes only, the aircraft crews, based out of Hancock Field, will train using random objects, such as structures and vehicles, from afar, Col. Charles Dorsey, vice commander of fighter wing, told members of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization last week.

The unit is seeking authorization now from the Federal Aviation Administration, a process that could take up to three months, Col. Dorsey said Friday in an email. The post is home to three UAS — one used for training flights and two for maintenance training. The unit will have three more delivered to Fort Drum within a year. That will make 16 aircraft the unit uses domestically and abroad for maintenance training, local flying and combat missions. “The 10th Mountain Division could not be more supporting of our efforts,” Col. Dorsey said.

Twenty-five employees will commute to Fort Drum when the aircraft fly. Overall, the programme supports 875 personnel. The unit will train teams from the active-duty and reserve Air Force units, as well as allied troops. Pilots from the unit have been conducting missions in Afghanistan from Syracuse since December 2009.

Source: Watertown Daily Times

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