The 120th Airlift Wing of the Montana Air National Guard made its first cargo drop on its new drop zone near Power on April 6.
It’s a “long time coming,” said Brig. Gen. Trace Thomas, commander of the Montana Air National Guard, who previously commanded the 120th. He was a fighter pilot who transitioned to cargo pilots when the 120th converted from the F-15 to the C-130 in 2014.
Since the 120th switched to the cargo mission, officials have been looking for drop zone space.
The new drop zone is about 640 acres around Power purchased through state legislative action in 2025 for about $1.8 million.
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The unit has some drop training availability at the Great Falls International Airport, but that’s limited to small training bundles and scheduling around other air traffic.
The 120th still uses some drop zone space at Malmstrom Air Force Base, but with the Sentinel activity, that option is expected to phase out by the end of 2027, according to the Guard.
Additional drop zone training options include Fort Harrison in Helena and Limestone Hills Training Area west of Townsend, both of which also feature various training constraints.
“Achieving full mission capability has often required travel out of state. This new drop zone provides a training that is closer and more comprehensive to meet training requirements,” according to the Guard.
Thomas said that since the new drop zone is within 30 miles of the airport, airmen don’t have to travel all over the state picking up drop bundles and they hope to work with the Montana Army Guard for potential future personnel drops.
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As two C-130Hs approached the drop zone, with a large orange cone set up as the drop target, they were flying about 300 feet and 210 knots, or about 250-260 miles per hour, according to Maj. Michael Tcherneschoff, a C-130 pilot, who was at the drop zone explaining the operation for military and civilian observers.
“My dad’s on that plane,” a boy exclaimed as the planes approached.
Each plane was carrying three container delivery system, or CDS, bundles with four 55-gallon drums in each bundle.
For training, a drop zone on the crew checks to make sure the zone is clear and reports ground wind speeds to the aircrew so they can calculate their drop with wind speeds in the air, he said.
Tcherneschoff said it’s a great training opportunity for airmen since their other options have been limited.
The new zone, which they could use up to four or five times a week, lets them “prepare for anything.”
The 120th could be called for federal or state missions, like dropping hay bales for cattle in the winter.
He said typically they have someone on the ground to communicate to the aircrew that the drop zone is clear, but sometimes that requires pre-planned signals or colored smoke.
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The additional training space will be helpful, Tcherneschoff said, so they can do more runs and the task “becomes second nature to the crew,” in case of operating in hostile or less than ideal environments.
It will also be helpful as the 120th transitions to the newer J-model aircraft since the crew size will drop to four from six in the current H models, he said.
The Power drop zone property had been under consideration for about three years and was sold by a local family that farms in the area, according to the Guard.
The land was valued through a formal appraisal process and the purchase required legislative action.
In 2020, the 120th had been working to acquire property for a drop zone near Fort Benton.
No improvements have been made to the property at this point. It’s unsecured and will continue to be maintained under an agricultural lease-back with the sellers, according to the Guard.
120th officials have considered a pole barn for equipment storage, but there are no current plans to proceed with that project.
For now, the property will only be used for drop training and the Montana Army National Guard is another possible drop zone user, for airborne and airdrop training; but, there are no scheduled plans for Army drops.
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The drop zone may be made available to other military units in the future, with the 120th retaining priority training use, but that hasn’t been decided nor have cost structures for that potential use.
The drop zone is one of several ongoing projects for the 120th.
The $30 million fuel facility is underway and was contracted to MEB Construction Group. A ribbon-cutting is planned for August, followed by demolition of the existing facility later this fall, according to the Guard.
An unimproved landing zone is also planned at the Great Falls International Airport.
Design is about 95 percent completed and funding has been approved, but not yet allocated.
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An environmental baseline study is underway and will be followed by lease negotiations with the airport, with an anticipated no-cost lease amendment.
The project is expected to exceed $6 million and likely be executed through a contractor rather than RED HORSE support, according to the Guard.
The 120th is also planning a new main gate entry/alignment, which is being evaluated as part of the same environmental baseline study and a Montana Department of Transportation analysis is underway.
Project completion is expected for 2027-2028. It’s expected to exceed $6 million and is currently funded for design, according to the Guard.
