HH-139B a 77-year-old German national, Decimomannu military airport (CA) 80th Combat SAR Centre ( Search and Rescue ) of the 15th Wing rescued the woman in a matter of minutes using the winch Prefecture of Cagliari Rescue Coordination Centre Aerospace Operations Command 15th Wing Mobility and Support Forces Command Air Squad Command An Italian Air Force helicopter intervened this morning, Tuesday 18 October, to rescue [a person] struck by a severe illness while on board the cruise ship “Balmoral”, off the southern coast of Sardinia. The helicopter, one of the Armed Force's assets always ready for takeoff across the national territory also for this type of intervention, immediately took off from the [base], home of the Search and Rescue [centre] of the 15th Wing, rescuing the woman in just a few minutes using the winch, [coordinated by the] Prefecture of Cagliari, Rescue Coordination Centre of the [Air Force Operations Command] of Poggio Renatico (FE), the Air Force command and control centre from which all operational activities of this kind are managed. Once the rescue was completed, the military crew returned to the military base of Decimomannu, where they resumed search and rescue readiness service. The 80th CSAR Centre is one of the departments of the Italian Air Force that guarantees every single day of the year the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, and contributes to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, emergency medical transport of patients in life-threatening conditions and the rescue of severely traumatised individuals. Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved approximately 7,300 people whose lives were in danger. The 15th Wing operates under the Mobility and Support Forces Command (CFMS) of the Air Squad Command. Public Information Office Rome: 18/10/2022