Photo By Scott Sturkol | A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter and crew with the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation...... read more read more
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The roar of engines from UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters could be heard for nearly two weeks in August 2025 throughout Fort McCoy as the aircraft and their crews supported the 78th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 78-25-02 at the post.
CSTX 78-25-02 took place from Aug. 2-14 at areas all throughout Fort McCoy. There were eight Black Hawks and three Chinooks that operated from Fort McCoy were from the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment at Fort Knox, Ky.
According to the 78th Training Division in an article at https://www.dvidshub.net/news/546312/army-reserve-trains-tomorrows-battlefield-global-strike-and-global-medic-2025 by Capt. Jonathan Ferrer of the 78th entitled, “Army Reserve trains for tomorrow’s battlefield in Global Strike, Global Medic 2025,” it states more about the training the helicopters and crews supported.
“Led by the 78th Training Division, in coordination with the 412th Theater Engineer Command and the Medical Readiness and Training Command, CSTX sharpened skills across engineering, medical, sustainment, security, and logistics operations,” the article states. “The exercise replicated complex, high-intensity combat scenarios that challenged both technical proficiency and tactical decision-making, while integrating modern threats such as unmanned aircraft systems, cyber, and robotics.”
During the exercise, training officials said the helicopters supported troop movements across North Post and South Post at Fort McCoy and numerous special training events. Chinooks also supported a special exercise at Big Sandy Lake on South Post on Aug. 11 where Soldiers with the 647th Regional Support Group under the 416th Theater Engineer Command completed bridging operations during Global Strike 2025.
The CH-47 is the Army’s only heavy-lift cargo helicopter supporting critical combat and non-combat operations, according to the Army fact sheet on the helicopter. The CH-47 has an empty weight of 24,578 pounds and a maximum gross weight of 50,000 pounds. The helicopter also can lift intra-theater payloads up to 16,000 pounds in high/hot environments.
And according to the Army fact sheet for the Black Hawk, its mission is to provide air assault, general support, aeromedical evacuation, command and control, and special operations support to combat, stability, and support operations.
The UH-60 also is the Army’s utility tactical transport helicopter, the fact sheet states. The versatile helicopter has enhanced the overall mobility of the Army due to dramatic improvements in troop capacity and cargo lift capability over the years as well. 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.
Named after Native American war chief and leader of the Sauk tribe in the Midwest, Black Hawk, the first UH-60A was accepted by the Army in 1978 and entered service in 1979 when it was delivered to aviation components of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, the fact sheet states. Since that time, the Black Hawk has accumulated more than 9 million total fleet hours and has supported Soldiers in every major contingency operation the Army has executed, including Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and throughout the Middle East.
Today, the Army continues to integrate emerging technology enhancements into the Black Hawk fleet to increase the performance, reliability, availability, and maintainability of the platform through addition of technologies such as the integration of the improved turbine engine; upgrades to the airframe, including an improved troop seat for additional crash-worthiness; and a lightweight, composite all-moving tail.
According to the Army Program Executive Office for Aviation, today, the UH-60 Black Hawk makes up the Army’s largest rotary wing fleet. With multiple versions of the H-60 Black Hawk in service, the helicopter is considered the “workhorse” of Army aviation. Besides being the U.S Army’s primary tactical transport helicopter, approximately 1,200 H-60s operate in 30 partner and allied nations.
“For nearly half a century the Black Hawk has served remarkably as the primary medium lift, multi-role helicopter for the U.S. Army. With planned major upgrades on the horizon, the platform will be a key component of the Army aviation fleet through 2054,” Army Program Executive Office for Aviation officials said in a past news article.
Learn more about Army aviation by visiting the Army Program Executive Office for Aviation webpage at https://www.army.mil/peoaviation.
Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security planners said during August 2025 that the installation will have supported the training of more than 12,000 troops at McCoy during the month. That includes the many Soldiers who deployed to McCoy from the 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment.
Black Hawks and Chinooks from many different units, especially Army Reserve units, train regularly at Fort McCoy every year.
Learn more about the Army Reserve by visiting https://www.usar.army.mil.
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: | 08.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2025 18:15 |
| Story ID: | 546702 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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