NY National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing launches Antarctic mission on Thursday, October 20

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An LC-130 assigned to the NY Air Guard's 109th Airlift Wing off loads cargo during a mission in Greenland in 2021.

STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SCOTIA, NEW YORK (10/19/2022) (readMedia)-- Airmen and aircraft from New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing will be departing Stratton Air National Guard Base on Thursday, October 20th to begin their annual deployment in support scientific research in Antarctica as part of Operation Deep Freeze

A total of 420 Airmen and five aircraft will be deployed in support of the mission which begins in November.

Members of the press are invited to cover the departure on Thursday.

WHO: A LC-130 and crew assigned to the Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing will be departing for the Wing's 35th season supporting National Science Foundation research in Antarctica as part of Operation Deep Freeze.

WHAT: Departure of Airmen and Aircraft fromStratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia to a four month deployment to New Zealand and Antarctica.

WHEN: Thursday, October 20th, estimated departure time is 0900. Media members must call MSgt Jamie Spaulding to be placed on a call back list to verify the exact arrival time.

WHERE: Stratton Air National Guard Base, 1 Air National Guard Rd., Scotia, NY, 12302

Members of the media MUST contact MSgt Jamie Spaulding by calling 518-344-2423 as soon as possible in order to gain access to the secure facility.

Media Opportunity:

Subject matter experts will be available to discuss this year's Operation Deep Freeze season. There will also be an opportunity to obtain imagery of the aircraft taking off.

Background:

This year's Operation Deep Freeze season will run from November 2022 through February 2023.

Five LC-130 ski-equipped aircraft and about 420 Airmen will deploy to Christchurch, New Zealand and then on to McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Last season, 109th Airmen completed 40 missions, transporting 204 passengers and 357,926 pounds of critical cargo to research stations located across Antarctica. The crews also flew 24 missions between bases on the continent.

Sixteen missions were flown between Christchurch, New Zealand and Antarctica.

These included four medical evacuation missions.

The unique capabilities of the ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft make it the only one of its kind in the U.S. military, able to land on snow and ice.

The primary mission of the 109th Airlift Wing is to provide airlift within Antarctica, flying to various remote locations from McMurdo Station. Crews transported scientists, support, fuel, supplies, medical supplies and more throughout the season.

The 109th Airlift Wing has been supporting the National Science Foundation's South Pole research since 1988.