109th Airlift Wing starts annual Antarctica support mission Friday

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A 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 landing in the Canadian Arctic earlier this year. ( Photo courtesy Canadian Forces)

STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SCIOTA , NY (10/16/2014)(readMedia)-- The 109th Airlift Wing will kick off its 27th season in support of Operation Deep Freeze as Airmen and LC-130 aircraft begin their journey to Antarctica.

Members of the media are invited to watch the first aircraft depart and get a briefing on this season's Operation Deep Freeze support.

WHO: Airwing personnel will be available to talk to the media about the upcoming season.

WHAT: ODF season kicks off as aircraft and Airmen make the first trip of the season. Media will have the opportunity to obtain imagery of the takeoff.

WHEN: 8 a.m., Friday, Oct. 17th, 2014

WHERE: Stratton Air National Guard Base, 1 Air National Guard Road, Scotia

For access to this secure military facility on Friday morning, members of the media must contact Tech. Sgt. Catherine Schmidt no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16 at (518) 344-2423

Coverage Opportunities:

Interview with 109th Airlift Wing members and visual and still imagery of LC-130 leaving Stratton Air National Guard Base.

BACKGROUND:

A total of eight ski-equipped LC-130s will be deployed this season, and about 120 Airmen will be on the ice at any one time.

The 109th Airlift Wing deploys Aircraft to Antarctica from October to March – the summer season on the southern continent-as part of the U.S. military's Operation Deep Freeze. Deep Freeze involves active duty and Reserve Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airlift support from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, alongside the LC-130 Hercules airlift support from the New York Air National Guard. Also included is sealift support from the U.S. Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command, engineering and aviation services from the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and cargo handling from the U.S. Navy.

This season, the 109th plans to conduct more than 350 missions, an increase from the 285 missions flown last year. Crews expect to deliver 5.4 million pounds of fuel and cargo and nearly 4,500 passengers. Throughout the whole season, which will run through about March, nearly 3,000 hours are expected to be flown.

Along with their standard missions of supporting National Science Foundation scientists in remote locations, crews will also be flying IcePod missions.

IcePod focuses on the development of an integrated ice imaging system that can measure in detail both the ice surface and the ice bed, helping in the understanding of why ice sheets are changing at such a rapid rate. The system will be enclosed in a Common Science Support Pod (CSSP) mounted on the rear troop door of the LC-130. This will be the first operational use of the CSSP.

Two LC-130s will also be outfitted with an Airborne Data Collection System (ADCS) for testing. The integrated Iridium-based communication and position reporting system will improve in-flight communications for mission reporting, weather updates, and air traffic control instructions. It will also dramatically improve search and rescue response.

The last couple years have had warmer temperatures, causing the ice runway to deteriorate making flying operations challenging. The same is expected for this season. Because of this, wheeled aircraft may not be able to land for a large part of the season, and the ski-equipped LC-130s will once again be relied on for intercontinental airlift.

The 109th AW boasts the U.S. military's only ski-equipped aircraft, which has been supporting the NSF's South Pole research since 1988. Since 1999, the unit has been the sole provider of this type of airlift to the NSF and U.S. Antarctic research efforts.