The mission was conducted by the 83rd SAR (Search and Rescue) Group of Cervia in synergy with the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps of Marche.

An HH-139B helicopter of the 83rd SAR (Search And Rescue) Group of the 15th Wing of the Italian Air Force, stationed in Cervia (RA), took off late yesterday evening, Monday 24 June, to rescue two climbers stranded on a cliff face on the Quinta Piccola of Monte Bove, in the province of Macerata.

The on-duty crew received the mission order from the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) of the Aerospace Operations Command in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), following a request for intervention by the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps.

The helicopter first headed to the locality of Frontignano (MC), where it embarked some Mountain Rescue technicians and medical personnel, and then headed to the intervention area, a very rugged area with a high rock face characterised, among other things, by dense vegetation. The lack of light made the rescue phases particularly challenging; indeed, the crew used Night Vision Goggles and a special camera (wescam) with which they were equipped.

Once the location of the two climbers had been pinpointed, the military crew carried out a complex operation to air-drop the rescue team at the nearest point to reach the two individuals and perform the rescue.

The two climbers, a man and a woman, one of whom was injured but conscious, were reached by mountain rescue technicians who lowered the woman to the base of the cliff to be tended to by a ground team, while the man, after being stabilised, was winched out and transported to Frontignano, where he was handed over to an ambulance for further medical attention.

The entire operation has, once again, highlighted the fundamental collaboration between the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps and the Air Force, the result of a consolidated agreement for search and rescue operations in difficult environments. The synergy between mountaineering and aeronautical expertise has once again proven crucial in guaranteeing the safeguarding of human life.

The HH-139B helicopter returned to Cervia (RA) base at first light, concluding a mission characterised by extreme operational difficulty and particular environmental conditions, once again demonstrating the effectiveness of the rescue machine in complex and difficult scenarios.

The 15th Wing guarantees, 24 hours a day, every single day of the year, the search and rescue of flight crews in distress, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, the urgent medical transport of patients in imminent danger to life, and the rescue of severely traumatised individuals, operating in complex meteorological conditions, both day and night.
From its establishment to the present day, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved thousands of lives, while during the summer they also carry out Forest Firefighting (AIB) activities as part of the assets provided by the Defence for this campaign. In addition to the 82nd SAR Centre of Trapani, the 15th Wing of Cervia also depends on, and is deployed throughout the national territory, the 80th SAR Centre of Decimomannu (Cagliari), the 85th SAR Centre of Pratica di Mare (Rome), the 84th SAR Centre of Gioia del Colle (Bari) and the 83rd SAR Group, located precisely in Cervia (Ravenna).

The Italian Air Force's flight units are capable of transporting patients, organs, medical teams, and ambulances, even in complex weather conditions. Hundreds of flight hours are carried out each year for these types of operations, not only by the helicopters of the 15th Wing of Cervia but also by the aircraft of the 31st Wing of Ciampino, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare, and the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa.