STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – Three LC-130 Hercules aircraft and 88 Airmen assigned to the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing kicked off the wing’s annual support for the National Science Foundation missions in Greenland on May 4.

The 109th Airlift Wing operates the LC-130 Hercules, the world’s largest ski-equipped aircraft capable of landing on snow and ice. The 109th Airlift Wing is the only military organization in the world that flies the specialized aircraft.

The annual Greenland science support season allows aircrews, maintainers and support personnel to sharpen the skills required to operate in remote polar locations with limited infrastructure.

“Greenland provides a training ground you cannot replicate anywhere else,” said Col. Steven Slosek, commander of the 109th Airlift Wing. “It allows our crews to build the critical skills required to operate in the challenging polar environment.”

The 109th Airlift Wing’s Greenland mission began in 1975, when the wing received its first LC-130 aircraft and assumed responsibility for supplying remote sites across Greenland’s polar ice cap.

Operating from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, the wing’s Airmen will conduct missions throughout the Arctic region during the summer. Aircraft and personnel will rotate into and out of Greenland.

The Greenland mission also serves as a critical training opportunity for the wing’s annual support to Operation Deep Freeze, the Department of War’s mission supporting U.S. scientific research operations in Antarctica.

During the 2025 Greenland support season, Airmen from the 109th Airlift Wing flew more than 360 hours and transported more than 1 million pounds of cargo, 80,000 gallons of fuel and 630 passengers in support of Arctic science operations.

The 109th Airlift Wing has supported polar operations for decades and continues to provide airlift capability in both the Arctic and Antarctica.