On the morning of 3 July, at the 36th Fighter Wing of Gioia del Colle (BA), the Italian Air Force exercise aimed at’training from military personnel to the recovery of pilots, aircrews, and personnel lost in mountainous or difficult terrain.
The aim of the activity was to simulate the rescue operations of personnel in difficulty following a flight incident and challenging conditions in inaccessible geographical areas, consolidating knowledge on survival techniques to be followed to cope with the criticalities arising from extreme environmental conditions.
The training allowed the staff involved to refine the techniques for using the equipment provided, simulating trials with increasing difficulty. After an initial theoretical phase carried out by the healthcare staff e parachutist, respectively of the 36th Wing and the co-located 84° SAR CentreSearch and Rescue – Search and Rescue relating to the 15th Wing of Cervia (RA), the training activity has entered its prime with the practical phase which saw the deployment of an HH-139A helicopter. At the end of the exercise, the Commander of the 36th Fighter Wing, Colonel Antonino Massara, praised the work of the staff in training, stating that “The personnel recovery exercise is an excellent testbed for evaluating the preparedness and physical efficiency of Air Force personnel: a synergistic team effort aimed at perfecting the performance of pilots and aircrews who constantly operate in service of the community.”. With the same opinion the Commander of the 84th SAR Centre, Lieutenant Colonel Ivano Sorrentino: “It was an opportunity to train the staff of the Research and Rescue Centres who, on a daily basis, alongside their primary institutional activities, make a tangible contribution to supporting the population, carrying out rescue missions in emergencies, urgent medical transport and fighting forest fires.”.
It 36th Fighter Wing of Gioia del Colle The Air Brigade (BA) is subordinate to the Combat Forces Command (CFC) in Milan, whose assigned mission is to acquire and maintain the operational readiness of all air defence, attack, and reconnaissance units. This includes ensuring the operational efficiency of weapon systems, equipment, and materials, as well as personnel training and the constant updating and optimisation of operational procedures, in compliance with the guidelines of the Higher Commands (SS.AA.). The CFC is subordinate to Air Squad Command – 1st Air Region which exercises the powers regarding the training, preparedness and operational readiness of its Squadrons, so that they acquire and maintain the expected levels of operational readiness. The 36th Fighter Wing is one of the 5 Squadrons of the Air Force that ensure National Air Defence and the service of Quick Reaction Alert of NATO.
The’84° SAR Centre It is one of the Departments of 15th Wing of the Italian Air Force which guarantees, every single day of the year, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as Search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, emergency medical transport of patients in life-threatening conditions and the rescue of seriously injured individuals, operating at night or in challenging weather conditions. Since its establishment, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved over 7300 people in life-threatening danger or in conditions of severe difficulty.
