Despite the adverse weather conditions, the intervention allowed the coordinates of the man’s phone to be identified.
In the late evening of yesterday, Friday 24 November, an HH-139B of the 83rd SAR Center (Search and Rescue), of the 15th Flight of Cervia, took off in search of a 65-year-old man who was missing in the Monte Torano area (Massa-Carrara), at the request of CNSAS (National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps) Tuscany.
The intervention, carried out despite adverse weather conditions and strong wind gusts, made it possible to locate the coordinates of the missing person’s phone thanks to the presence on board of the Artemis system, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies that cross-check various sources of geolocation and allow the helicopter’s infrared camera (FLIR – Forward Looking InfraRed) to precisely target the detected point.
The crew, which was unable to intervene directly due to the bad weather and the impassable terrain, promptly communicated the coordinates to CNSAS, with which the Armed Forces are cooperating continuously, which is continuing the search with teams of recovery on the ground.
The 15th Air Force of the Italian Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of life, and the rescue of seriously injured people, operating also in extreme weather conditions.
Since its establishment to date, the crews of the 15th Squadron have rescued more than 7,800 people in life-threatening danger. Since 2018, the Department has acquired the AIB (Fire Suppression) capability, contributing to the prevention and control of fires throughout the national territory as part of the inter-service deployment implemented by the Defense.
