New York Army and Air National Guardsmen Train together at Hancock Field on Saturday

HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SYRACUSE, NY (03/13/2015)(readMedia)-- New York Air National Guard Airmen who call airstrikes in support of American troops will team up with New York Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter crews for joint training at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base and Fort Drum on Saturday, March 14.

Members of the press are invited to come to Hancock Field on Saturday morning to observe training happening at the base.

WHO: 30 Airmen from the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS), based at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base and the aircrew of two CH-47F Chinook helicopters from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport.

WHAT: Joint Terminal Attack Controller (or JTAC) Airmen from the 274th ASOS will conduct CH-47 helicopter familiarization training, safety briefings and embark and debark training before flying to Fort Drum where they will train in CH-47 landing procedures and sling loading.

This is the first time the 274th ASOS has trained with the Army National Guard aviators. In Afghanistan, CH-47s play a key role in moving troops in the high mountain regions because their dual rotors generate the lift necessary to operate at high altitudes.

WHEN: Saturday, March 14th at 9:00 a.m. Members of the Media MUST call the Public Affairs office no later than 7:30 a.m. to attend training and interview opportunity. Media MUST be at the Thompson Road gate of Hancock Field Air National Guard Base NO LATER THAN 8:45 a.m.

WHERE: Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, 6001 Molloy Road, Syracuse, NY 13211. Entry through Thompson Road gate.

Members of the Media must contact the 174th Attack Wing Public Affairs Office NLT 7:30 a.m. on Saturday March 14 at (315) 233-2651/2408 for access to this secure military facility.

Coverage Opportunities:

Video and still imagery of CH-47 familiarization training, safety briefings, and embark/debark training. Service members will be available for interviews.

BACKGROUND:

274th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS)

The 274th ASOS is a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) unit. A TACP is generally a two-airman team, working in an Army ground unit. Their mission is to advise US Army commanders on how to best utilize US and NATO assets for Close Air Support. While mirroring the maneuver capabilities of the Army on the battlefield, the TACP assumes command and control of NATO and US strike aircraft when friendly forces are in close range of enemy forces. The TACP's job is to identify the target and make sure the fighter aircraft neutralize the threat. Once the fighters are inbound to the designated target, the Terminal Attack Controllers (TACs) provide final attack control to the pilots while minimizing the danger to nearby friendly forces.

The 274th is tasked to provide combat support to the New York Army National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the 42nd Infantry Division.

Members of the unit deploy frequently for training and real world contingencies. Personnel assigned to the 274th are normally deployed in teams and not as a unit. Recent combat deployments include Afghanistan, Iraq and Qatar.

The 274th was originally stationed in Roslyn, NY on Long Island. They became a National Guard unit at the close of WWII. The 274th faced the choice of changing their mission or deactivating. The decision was made to transition from a Combat Communications Squadron to an Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS). In fiscal year 2000, the unit moved to its current location at Hancock Field in Syracuse NY. This allows the unit access to the Fort Drum Bombing Range, 27th Brigade in Syracuse to coordinate and train, and with the 20th ASOS (USAF active duty) to help assist in additional training requirements.

B Company 3rd Battalion 126th Aviation

Nicknamed "Kong" The Soldiers of Company B 3rd Battalion 126th Aviation have deployed to Afghanistan twice to support United States Forces there and fly the latest version of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter which began supporting American troops during the Vietnam War.

The Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008 and the company was recognized as the Army National Guard aviation unit of the year for 2008 by the Army Aviation Association of America for the company's accomplishments in Afghanistan, including participating in the largest air assault operation in that country since 2002.

In 2012 and 2013 the Soldiers deployed once again to Afghanistan to move troops and supplies across the country.

In 2009 the detachment's pilots and other Soldiers trained Canadian Forces pilots to operate the CH-47 because all of that country's CH-47s were already deployed to Afghanistan. The detachment also sent Soldiers and helicopters to assist in the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Soldiers of Company B carried priority supplies during the New York National Guard response to Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and to Tropical Storms Lee and Irene in 2011. In June 2011 a helicopter assigned to the company plucked a motorboat stuck in the Niagara Falls rapids off the lip of the falls before it could go over.

Detachment 1 of the company is based in Rochester while the other half of the company is part of the Maryland Army National Guard.

In October 2014 the company began flying the CH-47 F. While this helicopter looks like earlier versions of the CH-47 it has more powerful and reliable engines and a number of avionics changes to make the helicopter more efficient.

The newest version of the helicopter includes redesigned ramp and rear rotor pylon, and incorporates new countermeasures against ground to air missiles. The new helicopter is also designed to make it easier to prepare it for shipment in the fuselage of a C-5 or C-17 cargo plane.

The biggest change in the new CH-47 is the all digital "glass cockpit" instrument array which replaces many dials with integrated computer readouts. Known officially as the Common Avionics Architecture System, the array of computer readouts incorporate information for the aircraft pilots in an easily managed format. The new digital readouts were designed to reflect lessons learned in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.