FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – A Marine CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter and a team of Air Force sling-load specialists air lifted eight decommissioned Army Stryker vehicles to the impact area here Jan. 22.

The Strykers, which will now serve as targets, came from several Army Stryker units, including the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. They were decommissioned as part of the Army’s Stryker modernization program.

The helicopter came from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772, a Marine Corps Reserve unit, and the Air Force team came from the 621st Contingency Response Group. Both units are based at Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Master Sgt. Christian Von Denes, a sling-load specialists with the 621st CRG, said the CH-53 is the only aircraft capable of sling-loading Strykers because of their weight. HMH 772 does not have any sling-load personnel, so the unit reached out to the 621st CRG to assist with this mission, Von Denes said.

“We work with them almost weekly doing sling-loads,” Von Denes said. “Typically, it’s just a concrete block, sometimes Humvees or tactical vehicles, and since we do work closely with them, they reached out to us asking if we’d like to be the sling-load team for the vehicles out here.”

The lifts required precision, Von Denes said, because the Super Stallion can lift 25,000 pounds, and the Strykers weighed between 24,000 and 25,000 pounds.

“We had to take extra precaution to ensure we’re doing everything correctly,” Von Denes said. “We inspected all the equipment very thoroughly, made sure that everybody’s safe and double-checked everything.”

The operation took place amidst sub-freezing temperatures and a few days after a snowstorm that left several inches of powdery snow on the ground. However, Von Denes said there was no issue with the weather or the snow.

“We knew it was going to be cold, and we knew there was going to be snow,” Von Denes said. “The first few picks were very snowy, but once the rotor wash started pushing the snow away, it was a little bit more bearable.”

Capt. Michael Shea, Fort Indiantown Gap’s Range Management Authority, said he contacted HMH 772 about moving the Strykers because Strykers are too heavy to be lifted by Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

The Strykers were stripped of most of their parts, including engines, transmissions and weapons systems.

“Our CH-47s can’t lift the Strykers, even just the hulls with as much weight as they have right now, so I essentially cold-called to the CH-53 unit at JB MDL and made contact … and we just started planning the operations,” Shea said.

Fort Indiantown Gap acquired a total of 15 decommissioned Strykers. The seven that weren’t air lifted on Jan. 22 will be moved to the impact area via ground transportation.

Shea said Fort Indiantown Gap’s impact area is always in need of new targets, so these vehicles will be put to good use.

“We’re always trying to expand the indirect field artillery capabilities of Fort Indiantown Gap’s impact area, so this is part of that,” Shea said. “We’re trying to open up more range and put more targets out there so the FA community can hone their skills.”

Overall, Von Denes said the operation was a very good joint training opportunity.

“This is a vehicle that we don’t typically deal with, but it refreshes our minds on how to do sling-loads,” Von Denes said. “There’s a lot of minor details that we have to work through in rigging the loads and going through the whole vehicle and inspecting everything.”

Shea agreed that the operation was beneficial to all involved.

“Overall, it was an awesome operation,” Shea said. “It was the first time 53s have flown Stryker hulls, and the first time in a long while we’ve emplaced new targets into the impact area. We’re just trying to make Fort Indiantown Gap a more effective place to train.”