U.S. Army helicopters fly over Yukon to stand up new Combat Aviation Brigade

The United States Army helicopters flying over Whitehorse earlier in August were heading to Alaska to stand up a new Combat Aviation Brigade for the 11th Airborne Division, according to Lt. Col. John E. Landry, who works in communications for the army.

In his email response to the News inquiry, Landry said the first flights of the transfer involved a mix of Apache, Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters that the News reporters as well as other Yukoners and visitors witnessed above and at the Whitehorse international airport on Aug. 13.

The military activity on the ground at the airport and in the sky above the northern Canadian territory had some curious minds wondering on social media whether the flights were connected to an Aug. 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.

At the time, the army aircraft were travelling from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to support starting up the Combat Aviation Brigade, Landry said.

The 11th Airborne Division was activated during the Second World War and eventually deactivated in 1965, according to the division’s website. On June 6, 2022, it was reactivated.

Its mission is to carry out operations around the world and in the Indo-Pacific region and the Arctic and defeat adversaries in extreme cold weather, mountainous terrain and high-altitude environments through large-scale combat operations.

The website calls the 11th Airborne Division the “Arctic Angels.”

A Facebook post on Aug. 27 shows soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division firing FIM-92 Stinger missiles in Indonesia during a live-fire exercise.

Sergeant First Class Ian Morales, who works in public affairs for the 11th Airborne Division, told the News by email that the Yukon can expect to possibly see more U.S. Army aircraft transferring through.

Morales explained the aircraft in the Combat Aviation Brigade will be “instrumental” in allowing the maneuver units to traverse and insert into challenging terrain that’s not always accessible by land.

He couldn’t put a number on how many aircraft will move through as they are still determining what fits the need. He added that a Combat Aviation Brigade can contain 100 to 120 aircraft of different types.

Morales said the Arctic requires its leaders and soldiers to be ready and able to operate in harsh, fast-changing environments.

The new brigade will be added to the units already run out of the division: The 1st and 2nd infantry brigades, Arctic Aviation Command, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Northern Warfare Training Center and 9th Army Band. Two attached units are the 1-25th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion and the 1-52D General Support Aviation Battalion, according to the website.

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com.