Nevada Army Guard Chinook crew aid F-35 recovery efforts on endangered species land

The Nevada Army Guard’s CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet once again proved its worth last month in the recovery of a downed U.S. Air Force F-35 north of Las Vegas on federally protected land in the Mojave Desert.

“Our Chinook fleet’s geographical location in Nevada proves vital and reliable for response with heavy lift capabilities throughout the western U.S.,” said Col. Michael Bordallo, Nevada Army National Guard State Aviation Officer. “Our helicopters respond to a variety of missions here in the homeland and support several agencies throughout the region.”

Among those agencies: Fallon Naval Air Station, the Nevada Test and Training Range, and Nellis Air Force Base, along with support for Arizona, California, Idaho and Utah, Bordallo said.

After a U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II crashed March 30 during a routine training flight, Nellis Air Force Base requested support on U.S. Fish and Wildlife protected endangered species land that sits underneath Nevada Test and Training Range airspace. The pilot, from Nellis Air Force Base, ejected before the crash about 25 miles north of Indian Springs. The pilot suffered minor injuries.

During two trips in May, B Company, 1/189th General Support Aviation Battalion, Nevada Army National Guard, moved equipment to the crash site and eventually sling loaded wreckage out for minimal disturbance and transportation over protected federal lands. Several other agencies, including the 57th Fighter Wing, Nellis Air Force Base, Creech Air Force Base Logistics and Readiness personnel, the NTTR and federal contractors also supported recovery efforts.

“Our aircrew respond for these missions on a regular basis,” Bordallo said. “Their experience and proficiency underscore the integral, multi-use capabilities our Chinook operators around the current CH-47 community possess.”

Nevada currently has six assigned Chinooks but could expand to eight with the U.S. Army’s new eight-helicopter company fleet structure, Bordallo said.

“Most people don’t understand the demand our maintainers face,” said Bordallo, who visited the wreckage site with Air Force officers from the 57th Fighter Wing and U.S. Air Force Warfare Center.

Bordallo, a Chinook pilot, added: “I know I am biased, but nobody does heavy lift missions — similar to this F-35 recovery — as well as the Nevada Army National Guard.”