New Castle | September 21, 2009 - The $27.8 million construction project under way at the Delaware Army National Guard's Aviation Support Facility will allow the guard to house and maintain 14 BlackHawks coming to the state.

The project, scheduled to take 18 months, will add two new buildings and expand the existing facility. Once completed, it will provide three units of the guard with state-of-the-art aviation maintenance and storage facilities.

Gov. Jack Markell, the state’s Congressional delegation and the Delaware Army National Guard broke ground on the project at the Guard’s Army late last week.

“The fine men and women serving in Delaware’s National Guard are being called on to protect our homeland at an unprecedented level, and they are serving with distinction and honor,” Markell said. “”They volunteer to put their your lives on the line for our freedom, and we owe it to them to ensure they have the tools to do their jobs effectively.”

Immediately following the ceremony, the Delaware Army National Guard held a retirement ceremony for the UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, the last of which will be leaving the state mid-November.

The AASF supports three units: A Company, 3/238th Aviation Regiment, which deploys to Iraq with eight BlackHawks later this year; 121st Medical Company (Air Ambulance) and Det. 7, OSACOM, which flies a C-12 airplane.

The project includes construction of a nearly 50,000 square-foot addition and improving the existing shops and administrative space. This will provide the units with a new operations and maintenance hangar designed to work on the UH-60.

A new unheated storage facility will also be built. The 30,000-square foot building will house 14 BlackHawks and a C-12 airplane. Having the aircraft protected from the elements prolongs the life of the aircraft and reduces time and money spent on maintenance, said State Aviation Officer Col. Robert Davis.

The project is a boon to the state and the Delaware Army National Guard, said Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, adjutant general of the state National Guard.

"It means we will have the proper space and equipment to maintain our new helicopters," he said. "It will ensure that we can prepare soldiers and aircraft for deployments and emergency support of the state."