The operation, carried out on the Ponza – Latina stretch in complex weather conditions, was performed with an HH-139B helicopter from the 85th SAR Centre of Pratica di Mare.  An air rescue operation carried out using an HH-139B helicopter from the 85th SAR (Search and Rescue) Centre in Pratica di Mare (RM) came to an end in the early hours of this morning. The operation, which was hampered by strong winds and poor visibility, took place along the Ponza–Latina route and enabled the urgent medical evacuation of a 74-year-old woman in a serious condition. The request for assistance was received by the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) of the Aerospace Operations Command (COA) in Poggio Renatico (FE), one of whose tasks is to manage this type of mission for the benefit of the community.  The crew of the military helicopter on standby took off from Pratica di Mare airport and headed first to Latina, where they picked up a specialist medical team from Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, required to assist the patient during the flight. The helicopter then reached the island of Ponza and, after considerable difficulty due to strong gusts of wind and poor visibility, landed at the Santa Lucia helipad on the island. Once on the ground, the woman was loaded on board, secured and transported urgently to the military airport in Latina, home to the Italian Air Force’s 70th Wing.  Upon landing, the patient was transferred by ambulance to the Santa Maria Goretti Hospital in Latina for the necessary medical treatment, whilst the helicopter returned to Pratica di Mare to resume standby duty.  The entire air rescue mission was carried out using special night-vision goggles, which enable flight crews to operate even in low-light conditions.  The 85th SAR Centre is part of the 15th Wing in Cervia, which provides round-the-clock search and rescue services for flight crews in distress, every single day of the year, whilst also public service activities such as searching for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, providing emergency medical transport for patients in imminent danger of death, and rescuing those with serious injuries, operating even in challenging weather conditions, both day and night. Since its establishment, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved thousands of people in life-threatening situations.?In addition to the 85th SAR Centre in Pratica di Mare, the 15th Wing in Cervia also oversees, spread across the whole country, the 80th SAR Centre in Decimomannu (Cagliari), the 82nd SAR Centre in Trapani, the 83rd SAR Group, based in Cervia itself, and the 84th SAR Centre in Gioia del Colle (Bari).