Several Armed Forces and State Armed Corps were involved.
The last of the six basic mountain survival courses scheduled for the 2023-2024 winter season by the ended on Friday 8 March Command for Mobility and Support Forces, at the Montescuro Air Force Detachment.
Three months, from January to March, during which the instructional staff trained almost 200 military personnel of the Italian Air Force, Italian Navy, Coast Guard, Italian Army and Fire Corps, delivering lessons on cartography and tactical movement in mountain environments, techniques for creating makeshift shelters and water distillation, first aid basics, and knowledge useful for surviving in extremely harsh conditions in the event of an aircraft accident. At the end of the course, participants acquired the experiential, practical and theoretical techniques essential for reducing flight-related risks and increasing the probability of survival.
Pilots, flight crew and special forces from every branch of the Armed Force, including Air Force Riflemen and operators from the Grosseto Dog Centre, as well as the cadets of the Drago VI course of the Pozzuoli Aeronautic Academy, trained through an intensive programme of aerial winch recovery exercises carried out with HH-139 helicopters from the SAR Centres of the 15th Wing.
It Mountain Survival Centre, one of three located across the Italian territory, is the core of the Montescuro Aeronautico Detachment, responsible for the technical and logistical support of the annual courses, in which specialist personnel from the Unit are supported by qualified “Air Rescue” instructors. The Detachment is also equipped with facilities and assets relating to its other institutional tasks, including the Weather Station located at almost 1,700 metres above sea level, one of the highest in southern Italy, included in the World Meteorological Organization where specialist personnel carry out activities for recording atmospheric variables both visually and with digital instrumentation, data that are fundamental both for air navigation and for meteorology as these are sent in real time to the National Centre for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology (CNMCA). Furthermore, through the TBT Operations Room, the Detachment guarantees 24/7 air navigation assistance, also providing accommodation for the equipment of the Italian Army and the General Headquarters of the Harbour Master Corps.
