Here’s why 4 U.S. Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters are landing in Richland

A group of military helicopters will be flying into the Tri-Cities this weekend for a training exercise.

About 100 U.S. Army National Guard soldiers from the Broadsword Company 1-161 Infantry Regiment will kick off a weekend training exercise at the National Guard Readiness Center in Richland Friday.

Then on Saturday, two Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters will be making their way around the Tri-Cities before landing at the center to pick them up, said a news release from the National Guard.

From there they’ll be headed to the U.S. Army Yakima Training Center. The 327,000-acre Yakima facility is used for maneuver training, live fire exercises and more.

The helicopters are expected to be in the air early Saturday morning, and land at the Richland center around 9 a.m.

The Richland readiness center, at 2655 First Street, opened in late 2022.

It sits on a 40-acre site in the Horn Rapids area and is used by National Guard soldiers fulfilling their commitment to train one weekend a month and two weeks each year.

This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 3:20 PM.