New helicopter capabilities will enable Coast Guard logistical operations in the Arctic and ... [+] Antarctic U.S Coast GuardWith new icebreakers on the way, the U.S. Coast Guard is sending big MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters to sea. It is taking the first steps towards re-constituting a long-lost polar logistical support capability that it shed in 2005, when Coast Guard leaders disestablished the Helicopter Icebreaker Support Unit, better known as the Coast Guard Polar Operations Division (POPDIV). The Coast Guard knows big polar challenges are coming. While nobody expects the Coast Guard to assume fixed-wing support to the North and South Poles, in geographic terms, the Coast Guard is stepping in almost exactly where VXE-6 left off. Before any embarked Coast Guard helicopters head to the ends of the earth, helicopter crews will need to undergo some serious training.

Source: Forbes March 31, 2021 22:20 UTC