New York Air National Guard Dedicates Reaper Maintenance Facility

Media Advisory

Related Media

Field Training Detachment Building

HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SYRACUSE, NY (09/30/2009)(readMedia)-- The New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly refurbished headquarters of the MQ-9 Reaper Field Training Detachment here on Friday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. This is the only facility in the Air Force, both active and reserve components, dedicated to training MQ-9 maintenance personnel.

WHO: Lt. Gen., Harry Wyatt, III, Director of the Air National Guard; Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General of New York; Brig. Gen James Kiwiatkowski, commander of the New York Air National Guard and other New York Air National Guard officers and members of the first and so far the only training detachment in the Air Force teaching maintenance for the new MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft.

WHAT: Ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the building, renovated at a cost of $739,000.

WHEN: 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

WHERE: Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, 6001 East Molloy Road, Syracuse, NY

Members of the media wishing to cover this event should contact Capt. Anthony Bucci at 315- 233-2651 or 315-506-9828 for access to this secure military facility.

Coverage Opportunities:

There will be opportunities to interview leaders and members of the New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing about the significance of the Reaper Program and the maintenance training that will be going on there. Visuals include the ribbon cutting ceremony and interview opportunities and tours of the facility.

BACKGROUND:

MQ-9 Reaper Field Training Detachment:

This will be the first MQ-9 Reaper Maintenance FTD within the Air National Guard and presently is the only MQ-9 Reaper Maintenance FTD within the U.S. Air Force. This FTD will provide MQ-9 Reaper maintenance training for all maintainers for active-duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members. The courses expected to be taught at the 174th FW MQ-9 Reaper FTD will be: Introduction to the Reaper, Aircraft Mechanic Training, Aircraft Technician training, Ground Control Station Maintenance training and Weapons Training.

MQ-9 Reaper Field Training Detachment Bulding:

Construction began on the 24th of September 2008 to convert the former Aerospace Ground Equipment facility to the Field Training Detachment with the project being completed on May 30th this year. The facility was renovated at a cost of $739,000 saving taxpayers approximately 3.3 million dollars from constructing a new building. The designs for this FTD facility was a collaborative effort between RSA Architects of Syracuse and Beardsley Design Associates of Auburn, with the actual construction accomplished by Strock Construction of Buffalo.

MQ-9 Reaper:

The MQ-9 Reaper is an remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems . The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer RPV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The MQ-9 is a larger and more capable aircraft than the earlier MQ-1 Predator .The MQ-9 has a 950-shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop engine, far more powerful than the Predator's 115 hp (86 kW) piston engine. The increase in power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance and cruise at three times the speed of the Predator. In 2008 the 174th Fighter Wing began to transition from F-16 piloted planes to MQ-9 Reaper RPVs. This will make the 174th an all-RPV attack wing.

Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, III:

Lieutenant General Harry M. Wyatt III, is the Director, Air National Guard, Arlington, Virginia. General Wyatt is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 106,800 Guard members in more than 88 flying wings and 200 geographically separated units throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Before assuming his duties as Director, Air National Guard, General Wyatt served as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma, responsible for commanding units of the Air and Army National Guard.

General Wyatt entered the United States Air Force on June 24, 1971 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on November 24, 1971. He entered undergraduate pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas and graduated on January 26, 1973. He is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours in the A-7, C-26, F-16, F-100, F-106, T-33, T-37, and T-38 aircraft.

Major General Joseph Taluto:

Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto was appointed The Adjutant General for the State of New York on January 23, 2006. Prior to this assignment, General Taluto was assigned as the Commander, 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard. Maj. Gen. Taluto commanded the division and Task Force Liberty during its historic deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III from 2004-2005.Taluto served as the Joint Task Force Commander during the 42nd Infantry Division's initial emergency response mission to assist the City of New York in its security and recovery operations following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. He directed a force of some 2,000 Soldiers, Airmen, sailors and Marines to assist the city's Office of Emergency Management.The General's military service began in 1965 as an enlisted Soldier in the New York Army National Guard. He was commissioned in 1968 and completed the Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course. After a platoon leader assignment in the Nike-Hercules Missile Program, Maj. Gen. Taluto transferred to the Armor Branch and held a variety of positions in the 1st Battalion, 210th Armor, including command positions in three companies while completing the Armor Officer Advanced Course. After serving in operations officer assignments at several levels of command, he was assigned as Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Troop Command, New York Army National Guard, with subsequent assignments as Chief of Staff, 42nd Infantry Division, Chief of Staff, State Area Command, Deputy Commander, 27th Infantry Brigade and Assistant Division Commander, 42nd Infantry Division.

Brig. Gen. James Kiwiatkowski:

Brigadier General James W. Kwiatkowski is the commander of the New York Air National Guard, Latham, New York. Brigadier General Kwiatkowski functions as the director of operations and logistics for the state of New York and is responsible for five flying wings and the Northeast Air Defense Sector. He monitors readiness, inspections, plans, air space issues, and other operations and logistics issues. He also serves as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, United States Transportation Command. Prior to becoming the director of operations, he served as wing commander of the 107th Air Refueling Wing in Niagara Falls, New York. General Kwiatkowski earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Masters in Business Administration through the State University of New York at Buffalo, graduating in 1972 and 1980, respectively. His military education includes Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College and Executive Education at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. General Kwiatkowski is a command pilot and qualified in the F-101, F-4, F-16 and the KC-135 with more than 4000 flying hours.

Photo Cutlines:

090930-F-5508F-008.jpg

Newly refurbished building housing the MQ-9 Reaper maintenance Field Training Detachment at Hancock Air National Guard Base in Syracuse. This is the only facility in the United States Air Force dedicated to training Airmen in the maintenance of the MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft.

 US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy M. Call.

090930-F-5508F-029.jpg

Control station where pilots fly the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted attack aircraft within the new Field Training Detachment building at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse.

US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy M. Call.