Firefighters on the mission, page 10
Soldiers train in Romania, page 12
Volume 14, Number 3
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit #3071 Syracuse, NY
May-June 2005
Syracuse becomes Predator territory Hancock Field to operate unmanned aerial vehicles By Staff Sgt. Mike R Smith Guard Times Staff
Governor George E. Pataki shakes hands with a 174th Fighter Wing Senior Airman on May 9 following the announcement that a Predator mission is scheduled for the New York Air National Guard's Hancock Field in Syracuse. Photo by Lester Millman.
HANCOCK FIELD, Syracuse—One of the Nation’s newest, high-tech weapons systems will pursue its enemies from a Central New York Air National Guard base. Airmen at Hancock Field will soon operate a Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle squadron, announced Governor George E. Pataki, here, on May 9. The announcement came following a March 17 news conference declaring New York would receive a Predator UAV mission. Governor Pataki joined local and state officials, military leaders and Airmen outside an aircraft hanger, here, to support and celebrate the decision. “This new mission will not only ensure that the Airfield continues to play a significant role in the Air Force’s future for years to come, it brings with it the promise of new, high-tech jobs,” said the Governor. It’s anticipated that Hancock Field will be outfitted sometime after fiscal year 2009 with earlier personnel hiring and job training. Brig. Gen. Charles Ichles, deputy director, Air National Guard, said at a Washington press conference, June 7, that approximately See PREDATOR, page 3