NY Army Guard aviators to participate in Canadian Army Reserve Exercise

Soldiers from Rochester and Albany-area will train with 32nd Canadian Brigade Group north of Ottawa

Rochester, New York (08/14/2026) — Thirty-four New York Army National Guard aviation Soldiers based in Rochester and the Albany area will be heading to Canada for part of a two-week-long exercise on August 20.

The New York Army National Guard Soldiers will be part of a Canadian Army Reserve Exercise, Steadfast Warrior, which his being held at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa. The base is located outside Petawawa, Ontario, about 110 miles northwest of the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

The New York Guardsmen will provide helicopter support to the Canadian Soldiers conducting tactical training.

Bravo Company of the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, will deploy two CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Army Aviation Support Facility #2 at Rochester International Airport.

Twenty-one Soldiers from that unit, the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, and 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade will accompany the aircraft.

The CH-47F is a tandem-rotor helicopter with a crew of three and can carry 21,000 pounds of cargo or 30 personnel. It has a range of 400 miles with a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour.

Two LUH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters based at Army Aviation Support Facility #3 at the Albany International Airport in Latham, will also deploy. The aircraft are operated by Detachment 2 of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion of the 224th Security and Support Battalion.

The LUH-72 is a military version of the Eurocopter EC-145, which is normally used for non-combat duties, including search and rescue, law enforcement support, and medical evacuation.

The LUH-72 has a crew of two and can carry two stretchers or six passengers. It has a range of 426 miles and a maximum speed of 167 miles per hour.

Thirteen Soldiers from the 224th, the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, the 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, and the New York National Guard aviation office, who normally work at the Latham headquarters, will also deploy.

The New York National Guard contingent will fly to Ottawa to clear Canadian customs and then proceed to Petawawa, according to Major Jonathan Peralta, the liaison officer for the 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade.

The New York contingent has been asked to conduct air movement, air assault, logistics resupply, intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and casualty evacuation missions in support of the training exercise, he said.

The personnel from the Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade and the State Army Aviation Office will also get a chance to conduct expeditionary deployment operations, establish a forward command post, occupy tactical assembly areas, and perform surveillance, air movement and air assault operations, Peralta said.

The Canadian Army Reserve is Canada's equivalent to the Army National Guard. The part-time soldiers are based in armories located across Canada. Exercise Steadfast Warrior is designed to exercise the units of the 32nd Canadian Brigade Group.

It is a collective exercise with a culminating event for the Canadian reserve soldiers, Peralta said.

Participating in this exercise gives the New York Army National Guard Soldiers a chance to exercise their deployment skills and work with another NATO- allied Army, Peralta said.

It also gives the Americans a chance to build relationships with their Canadian counterparts, he added.

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