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HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y.-- The $3.5 million facility where the 174th Attack Wing trains MQ-9 sensor operators, pilots and mission coordinators will be named in honor of the late Maj. Gen. Robert A. Knauff who served as the wing commander from 1996 to 2003.
Knauff, who commanded the New York Air National Guard prior to retiring in 2009, is credited with launching the effort to transition the 174th Fighter Wing from flying F-16s to flying the remotely piloted MQ-9 as the Air Force began eliminating the F-16 from its inventory.
Who: Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the adjutant general of New York; Maj. Gen. Verle Johnston, commander of the New York Air National Guard; Col. Greg Semmel, commander of the 174th Attack Wing and Lt. Col. John Knusten, commander of the 108th Attack Squadron of the 174th Attack Wing.
What: Ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the Formal Training Unit (FTU) at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base.
When: 2 p.m., Sunday, May 3, 2015. Members of the Media must call the Public Affairs office no later than 12:30 p.m. to attend training and interview opportunity. Media must be at the Thompson Road gate of Hancock Field Air National Guard Base no later than 1:45 p.m.
Where: Formal Training Unit facility, Hancock Field Air National Base, 6001 E. Molloy Road, Syracuse, N.Y. 13211. Members of the press meet at the Thompson Road gate to be escorted to the facility.
Members of the Media must contact the 174th Attack Wing Public Affairs Office NLT 12:30 p.m. on Sunday May 3 at 315-233-2651/2408 for access to this secure military facility.
Coverage opportunities: The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony will take place outside and the 174th Attack Wing Honor Guard will be a part of the ceremony. Tours of the facility will be available. Ribbon cutting participants will make remarks and be available for interviews.
Background
Maj. Gen. Robert A. Knauff
Knauff commanded the 6,000-member New York Air National Guard and served as deputy commander of the 17,000 men and women of the New York Army and Air National Guard.
He retired from military service in February 2009. In May of 2014 Knauff was killed in a glider accident in Aguilar, Arizona.
"Major General Knauff's bold vision and courageous leadership brought the MQ-9 mission to Hancock Field and the men and women of the 108th Attack Squadron are honored to have established and now operate the Air National Guard's first-ever MQ-9 schoolhouse from this beautiful facility," said Lt. Col. John Knutsen, 108th squadron commander.
"The staff and students of the 108th will humbly accomplish our mission from this outstanding training facility and uphold the dedicated professionalism and unwavering devotion worthy of Major General Knauff's namesake, "Knutsen said.
Knauff was a combat veteran with more than 3,900 flying hours while piloting a variety of aircrafts including the F-106 Delta Dagger, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon and OV-10 observation aircraft.
He commanded the 174th Fighter Wing at Hancock Field from 1996-2003, prior to becoming Chief of Staff of the Air National Guard and then commander.
A 1975 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Gen. Knauff completed undergraduate pilot training in 1976. In the years following, he undertook a series of flying and command assignments culminating with his duty at the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs in Latham, New York.
Knauff's awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Overseas Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the New York State Conspicuous Service Medal, and the New York State Defense of Liberty Medal.
Formal training unit facility
Renovation operations for the 15, 656 square foot facility began on May 12, 2014 and will serve as the formal training facility for MQ-9 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) crew members, which include pilots, sensor operators and mission intelligence coordinators.
Construction to convert the former F-16 avionics building to the 108th ATKS FTU facility was completed on March 9 of this year. The building was renovated at a cost of $3.5 million saving taxpayers approximately $2.5-$3.5 million when compared to the constructions costs of a new building.
The building is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. The U.S. Green Building Council developed LEED certification to help builders and operators be more environmentally responsible.
As a result of the building renovation, 90 percent of the waste generated was able to be recycled. The building utilizes energy efficient florescent and LED lighting and has an energy star rated heating source with a minimum efficiency rating of 93 percent.
"In the years to come, nearly 90 student aircrew annually will walk through the doors of this building and learn how to operate and effectively employ the MQ-9 weapon system," said Lt. Col. John Knutsen, 108th squadron commander.
The 108th Attack Squadron is responsible for training MQ-9 aircrew.
174th Attack Wing
Based at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse the 174th Attack Wing operates the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. Airmen from the wing train MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators for the Active Air Force and Air National Guard at Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum, and Hancock Field. They also train MQ-9 maintainers at their field training detachment on Hancock.
The 174th Attack Wing's personnel also operate MQ-9 aircraft around the world from a command and control center at the base, and also deploy around the world as part of Air Force Air Expeditionary Wings.
Members of the 174th Attack Wing also respond to state emergencies and other state domestic operations missions when called upon and maintain high-tech communications and command and control equipment that can be called upon by the governor of New York when required.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2015 17:35 |
| Story ID: | 162011 |
| Location: | ANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 205 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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