Operation Deep Freeze LC-130 arrives at Hickam

A New York Air National Guard LC-130 Hercules sits while crews unload fuel and cargo here during a mission to Antartica in 2005. A LC-130 arrived Oct. 17 at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, en route to its first Operation Deep Freeze mission for the year. The LC-130 is equipped with ski-landing gear that allows the aircraft to land on ice or snow while airlifting supplies to remote locations throughout the Antarctic continent. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez) Download Full Image

10/19/2006 - HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) -- A New York Air National Guard LC-130 Hercules arrived at Hickam Oct. 17 en route to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to re-supply scientific research camps throughout Antarctica in support of Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, Operation Deep Freeze. 

The LC-130 is a modified ski-equipped C-130 that can land on ice and snowfields.

Operation Deep Freeze is a unique joint and total force mission that has supported the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program since 1955. The 2006 to 2007 operation kicked off in August with C-17 Globemaster III flights from ChristChurch, New Zealand, to McMurdo Station to bring in essential members and equipment to prepare the ice runway for the main C-17 and LC-130 operations.

Operation Deep Freeze is unlike any other U.S. military operation and is one of the most demanding peacetime missions due to the extreme adversity of the environment and the remoteness of Antarctica. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, most inhospitable continent on the globe, and Operation Deep Freeze provides a challenging opportunity to demonstrate the reach and flexibility of airpower, the capabilities of the joint force and the integrated support of active duty, Guard and Reserve servicemembers.

Main re-supply operations consist of C-17 supply flights between ChristChurch and McMurdo Station and LC-130 flights from McMurdo to South Pole and other camps throughout Antarctica. One C-17 based at Christchurch will fly missions as required each week while up to nine LC-130s, depending on mission requirements, will fly multiple daily missions daily from their hub, McMurdo Station.

Vessel re-supply operations consist of two Military Sealift Command vessels delivering fuel and supplies to McMurdo Station. In early January, prior to the MSC vessels' arrival, a Coast Guard icebreaker will cut a channel through miles of ice allowing the ships access to the McMurdo Ice Pier.

All deployed forces are scheduled to return to home station by the end of February 2007, depending on completion of airlift operations.

The U.S. military is uniquely equipped to assist the National Science Foundation in the accomplishment of its mission to explore Antarctica, and the 613th Air and Space Operations Center has the capability to provide joint operational and logistics support to the NSF around the clock. Through the 613th AOC strategic airlift, LC-130 field support airlift and other airlift as required; aeromedical evacuation support; emergency response; sealift; seaport access; bulk fuel supply; port cargo handling; communication and transportation requirements are coordinated.

Operation Deep Freeze involves active duty and Reserve C-17 support from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., LC-130 support from the New York Air National Guard, and other aircraft as necessary; U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, and the U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One to provide critical port services at McMurdo Station.

The Navy ran the first Operation Deep Freeze mission in 1955 for exploration and scientific research and began supporting the National Science Foundation's research in Antarctica in 1959. The operation has evolved into a huge logistical effort, moving passengers and cargo for the NSF's research facilities in Antarctica. Christchurch International Airport is the staging point for deployment to McMurdo Station, a key research facility for the USAP. 

(Courtesy of 13th Air Force Public Affairs)