Photo Story: Black Hawk training ops for CSTX 86-24-02

Photo By Scott Sturkol | A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter operated by an aircrew with the 5th Battalion, 159th General Support Aviation Battalion of Fort Eustis, Va., conducts operations on the cantonment area Aug. 12, 2024, at Fort McCoy, Wis., as part of training operations for the 87th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise 86-24-02 at the installation. The UH-60 Black Hawk has been the Army’s front line utility helicopter for the past 40 years, and it shows no signs of letting up, said service officials at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. The helicopter is a regular fixture every year at Fort McCoy, Wis., particularly during major exercises such as the Combat Support Training Exercise. Black Hawk crews support a wide variety of Guard and Reserve training on the post regularly. Now in its fourth decade of service, the Black Hawk was developed as a result of the Army’s requirement in 1972 for a simple, robust, and reliable utility helicopter system to satisfy projected air-mobile requirements around the globe. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

08.23.2024

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                              

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters operated by an aircrews with the 5th Battalion, 159th General Support Aviation Battalion of Fort Eustis, Va., conducted operations Aug. 8 and 12, 2024, at Fort McCoy, Wis., as part of training operations for the 87th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-24-02 at the installation.

The UH-60 Black Hawk has been the Army’s front line utility helicopter for the past 40 years, and it shows no signs of letting up, said service officials at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.

The helicopter is a regular fixture every year at Fort McCoy, Wis., particularly during major exercises such as the Combat Support Training Exercise. Black Hawk crews support a wide variety of Guard and Reserve training on the post regularly.

Now in its fourth decade of service, the Black Hawk was developed as a result of the Army’s requirement in 1972 for a simple, robust, and reliable utility helicopter system to satisfy projected air-mobile requirements around the globe.

More than 6,000 service members descended upon Fort McCoy at the beginning of August 2024 to train and build their Soldier skills in the 86th Training Division’s CSTX 86-24-02 from Aug. 3-17 at Fort McCoy.

The 86th Training Division, a tenant organization at Fort McCoy, conducts a CSTX annually at the installation.

The helicopters and their crews ferried troops all over Fort McCoy’s 60,000-acre space, and more.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

• Date Taken: 08.23.2024
• Date Posted: 08.23.2024 14:48
• Story ID: 479334
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US