Arctic Aviation Command Soldiers Support Denali National Park Service Base Camp Establishment

Courtesy Photo | A CH-47F Chinook helicopter assigned to 1st Battalion, 52nd General Support Aviation Battalion rests on the Kahiltna Glacier with Denali's snow-covered peaks in the background, April 14, 2025. The "Sugar Bears" conducted glacier landings and mountainous operations to establish the Denali National Park Service climbing base camp in one of the world's most demanding high-altitude environments. (U.S. Army photo)  

ALASKA, UNITED STATES

05.18.2026

Story by Maj. Ian Roth 

11th Airborne Division

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska — Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 52nd General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), 11th Airborne Division's Arctic Aviation Command, conducted a combined aviation mission to establish the Denali National Park Service climbing base camp on the Kahiltna Glacier in mid-May, partnering with the Alaska Army National Guard's 1-207th Aviation Regiment to deliver critical equipment and fuel to one of the world's most demanding high-altitude environments.

The multiship operation, which included two CH-47F Chinook helicopters from the 1-52 GSAB, known as the "Sugar Bears," and one CH-47F from the AKARNG's "Yetis," transported approximately 8,000 pounds of base camp equipment including solar panels, kitchen supplies, tents, and wooden flooring to the NPS climbing base camp on Denali's Kahiltna Glacier.

A key component of the mission involved the use of a Forward Area Refueling and Rearming Equipment kit aboard one of the Chinooks, configured as a flying fuel station. The aircraft carried approximately 5,000 pounds of fuel in an Extended Range Fuel System and transferred roughly 3,200 pounds of aviation fuel into base camp blivits, fuel bladders that will supply the NPS camp throughout the climbing season.

"Missions like this are exactly why we train year-round in Alaska's most demanding terrain," said Col. Russ Vanderlugt, commander of the Arctic Aviation Command. "Our Soldiers demonstrated the full spectrum of heavy lift capability, glacier landings, mountainous operations, aerial refueling, all executed with precision in adverse conditions. That is what it means to be America's Arctic Division aviation brigade."

"Exposure to Mt. Denali is an experience unlike any other opportunity afforded to Army Aviation, and makes us better pilots and crewmembers every time we get to train in the area," unit leaders noted following mission completion. "Mountainous operations, glacier landing training, and unique internal cargo configurations are cornerstones to being a combat-ready heavy lift company, ready to meet the needs of 11th ABN in our operating environment."

The mission required precise timing amid unpredictable Alaskan weather. Crews initially planned a three-day operation beginning April 13, but poor weather conditions pushed the mountain portion by one day. On the morning of April 14, units received a favorable weather outlook and launched following confirmation from National Park Service Ranger Tucker Chenoweth that the window may be the only viable one that week.

Approaching the mountain, flight crews encountered moderate whiteout conditions and building clouds around the surrounding peaks. Crews navigated up the Kahiltna Glacier, which is the clearest available route, and sequenced into the glacier landing zone one aircraft at a time, reflecting disciplined execution under challenging conditions. Upon landing, crews and NPS personnel offloaded all equipment over approximately one hour before departing via North Hunter Pass on return to Talkeetna.

The 1-52 GSAB serves as the Army's only high-altitude, Arctic-capable general support aviation battalion, providing heavy lift and aeromedical evacuation support to the 11th Airborne Division across Alaska's extreme cold weather operating environment.

• Date Taken: 05.18.2026
• Date Posted: 05.19.2026 13:51
• Story ID: 565564
• Location: ALASKA, US