Interior residents warned of increased noise as Fort Wainwright begins artillery training

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Residents of Interior Alaska are being warned there will be more noise than usual coming from the Ft. Wainwright training area around the Richardson Highway from November 29 to December 2.

Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Wainwright will undergo artillery training south of the highway, at what is known as Firing Point 26.

Training will include the firing of 155 millimeter howitzers into the air that will head south across the Tanana River and land in the Alpha Impact Area. The howitzer is a long-ranged weapon that is capable of firing shells at flat directions and at high angles of ascent and descent.

This kind of training happens continually throughout the year, and is meant to keep the soldiers sharp. John Pennell, Media Relations Chief for the 11th Airborne Division at U.S. Army Alaska explained, “We have several weapons systems in the military, and all of them require proficiency for the soldiers who man those weapons systems, whether it’s an individual going out to the range with their individually-assigned weapon, or in this case, the crews who have to man the field artillery systems. It’s something that we have to maintain to be ready to do the job if we’re ever called on.”

The training will last from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily through the duration of the exercise, and the increased noise is expected to be intermittent.

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