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VIII. Transportation and Communications

Section VIII details the number and type transportation facilities and communications equipment for use within the Antarctic treaty area.

Surface, Marine, and Air Transportation Vehicles

McMurdo Station

Vehicle Number
Truck, (light and heavy) 95
Carrier, Personnel and Cargo (tracked and wheeled) 60
Trailer, (tracked and wheeled) 35
Front-end loader, bucket and forklift 42
Forklift, warehouse 20
Motor toboggans 120
Crane 3
Road grader 4
Roller 4
Tractor, crawler 41
Tractor, wheeled 2
Sweeper, magnet 1
Snow plane 5
Truck, fire, pumper 8
Trencher 1
Aircraft, LC-130 6
Helicopters, Aerospatiale AS-350B-2 3
Helicopters, Bell 212 1
Scraper 2
Backhoe 2

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Vehicle Number
Cranes 3
Excavator 1
Front Loader, tracked 7
Motor Toboggans 12
Personnel Carrier 2
Snow Plane 2
Tele-handler 1
Tractor Crawler 7
Trencher 1
Truck, light and heavy 4

Palmer Station

Vehicle Number
Front-loader (wheeled) 2
Motor toboggans 2
Boats, rubber (Zodiac) 16
Forklift, all terrain 1
Telescopic material handler 1
Vehicle, all terrain, 4-wheel 4

Description of Communications Facilities

Note: For information on frequencies, see Comms forms, Attachment A (link opens a PDF document in a new browser window).

No new communications related projects are planned at McMurdo, South Pole or Palmer stations.

Description of Airfields

McMurdo Station

  Air Facilities

  1. Williams Field - Two 10,000 ft.  skiways on ice shelf.
  2. Sea Ice Runway- Two 10,000 ft. runways (on annual sea ice)
  3. Pegasus Glacier Ice runway -1 x 10,000
  4. McMurdo helicopter landing pad.

  Crash Equipment

  1. Two Canadian Foremost Chieftains, 1200 gallons AFFF (each)
  2. Two Nodwell Flex-Trac equipped with 1350 lb. PKP, 200 gallon AFFF
  3. One Nodwell Flex-Trac equipped with 3,000 lb. PKP
  4. Seven 150 lb. PKP sled-mounted extinguisher on the flight line
  5. Two 3,000 lb. PKP sled-mounted extinguishers at the heli-pad
  6. One Tanker, 3,400 gallons of water.
  7. Two Pumpers, 750 gallons (H2O), 1000 GPM

  Navigation Aids

  1. Precision (course & glide slope) Approach Radar (PAR) and Approach Surveillance Radar (ASR) on primary landing runways, AN/FPN-36 radar.
  2. AN/TRN-26 TACAN.
  3. AN/URN-25 TACAN
  4. T-1109/GRT-22 UHF radio beacon.
  5. Terminal Approach Control Radar (GPN-27)
  6. Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)
  7. Mobile Microwave Landing System (MMLS).

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

  Air Facilities

14,000 ft. skiway

  Crash Equipment

Three 350 lb. dry chemical units

  Navigation Aids

  1. PAR and ASR radar, AN/FPN-36.
  2. AN/URN-25 TACAN.
  3. T-1109/GRT-22 UHF beacon.

Palmer Station

  Air Facilities

None.  Open field landings on glacier possible.

  Crash Equipment

None

  Navigation Aids

T-1109/GRT-22 UHF beacon.

Marble Point Camp

  Air Facilities

One helicopter landing pad.

  Crash Equipment

Three 150 lb. dry chemical units (PKP).

  Navigation Aids

None.