The 207th Aviation Troop Command (part of the Alaska Army National Guard) is the Guard’s aviation element that provides rotary- and fixed‑wing aviation support for state and federal missions across Alaska — including airlift, search-and-rescue, medical evacuations, disaster response, and training/aviation readiness. It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf‑Richardson and operates units and aircraft staged around the state to support remote communities and civil authorities.
For medevacs the 207th typically uses UH‑60 Black Hawk helicopters (UH‑60L in this mission) and other assigned aviation assets (the 207th’s force package includes UH‑60s and other fixed‑wing/rotary platforms depending on configuration). Black Hawks are configured to carry litters, medics or civilian EMS personnel, and limited medical equipment for en route care; crews can be augmented by local medics when needed.
Nighttime medevacs are flown under formal NVG (night‑vision goggle) procedures and aviation safety rules that control crew training, aircraft NVG compatibility, lighting, crew coordination, and higher risk acceptance compared with daytime flights; civil operators follow FAA NVG approvals. Practically, night medevacs require NVG‑qualified crews, NVG‑compatible aircraft lighting, mission risk assessment (weather, terrain, illumination), and often different landing/site selection techniques than daytime operations.
The Alaska Army National Guard accepts missions routed through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and coordinates directly with the requesting medical facility, local EMS (e.g., Bethel Fire Department medics on this mission), Alaska State Troopers and area hospitals; integration is routine because many rural Alaskan communities lack road access and depend on coordinated aviation support for urgent care.
This Jan. 21 evacuation flew from New Stuyahok to Dillingham in Southwest Alaska (the Black Hawk crew went ~180 miles to New Stuyahok and then transported the patient ~50 miles to Dillingham). In remote terrain, landing sites are chosen based on safety and accessibility: existing airfields or strips, cleared open areas (fields, beaches, gravel bars, roads), assessment of obstacles/surface conditions, weather and fuel/range considerations, and coordination with local agencies to prepare/mark the site.
The official report says the patient was transported to Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham and released to hospital staff; no further public medical-condition details were provided in the article.
Yes. The Alaska Army National Guard conducts regular NVG and medevac training and maintains aircrews across multiple sites (Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks, Juneau, Nome) to remain proficient for domestic/emergency response. They run ongoing readiness exercises, joint training with local rescue partners, and aviation courses to sustain night/remote medevac capability.