New York Army and Air National Guard Highlight Capabilities at Great New York State Fair

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Visitors to the 174th Attack Wing exhibit at the New York State Fair can picture themselves as members of the Air National Guard.

SYRACUSE, NY (08/28/2015)(readMedia)-- Visitors to the Great New York State Fair will be able to drive an armored humvee in a computerized convoy, and "fly" a simulated MQ-9 aircraft when they visit the New York Army and Air National Guard exhibits there.

The New York Army National Guard's Recruiting Battalion and the New York Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing, which is based at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, will also have Soldiers and Airmen on hand to talk to visitors about the National Guard and their service.

Reporters looking for a different kind of State Fair story are invited to stop by both exhibits and check out the action.

At the 174th Attack Wing exhibit near the Sports Activity Center, fair visitors will be able to take a turn in a simulated Static Ground Control Station. Trained pilots in ground control stations here in the United States control MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft operating over Afghanistan.

The 174th will also be displaying a model of the MQ-9 aircraft the wing operates overseas and here at home at Fort Drum. Other displays at the 174th section will include an MQ-9 engine, and display models of the Hellfire missiles and GBU-38 and GBU 12 bombs carried by the MQ-9.

A specially equipped Air Force humvee used by the Joint Tactical Air Controllers, or JTACS, of the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron, will also be on display. JTACS accompany Army troops on the ground to call in air support.

Finally, members of the public can have their photograph taken as an Air National Guard Airman, by putting their heads on uniformed bodies and taking their own family portrait or selfie at the 174th exhibit.

The Army National Guard's exhibit will feature a Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer, or VCOT, like those used to train Soldiers who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The simulator allows participants to act as a driver, gunner and vehicle commander as they navigate through hostile territory. The VCOT simulator allows Soldiers to engage in a 360 degree world and work through tactical problems they would encounter in a deployment ahead of time.

The Army National Guard station, located between Gate 3 and Gate 4, will also feature different military vehicles throughout the fair.

On different days fair goers can check out a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle truck like those used by Army National Guard units overseas as well as in support of storm relief missions following Superstorm Sandy, as well as an Armored Security Vehicle used by Military Police units. A Humvee with a 60 kilowatt generator and a Stryker armored vehicle will also be on exhibit during the fair.

Visitors can also participate in the Army National Guard pull-up bar challenge at the booth and recruiters will be on hand to talk to young men and women about how they can join the New York Army National Guard.