Jedi ops over Sicily
Fast and flexible military Search and Rescue units who can respond quickly to emergencies, are essential for defence operations. Italy, with a majority of its borders connected with sea, is no exception and has a firm force in place at various locations with a complete coverage of the country. We took a closer look at one of the units, 82nd Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR) squadron at Italian Air Force (AMI) base Trapani, Sicily, where we spoke with Captain (Capt) Filippo Conforti, one of the units helicopter pilots, gave an inside view of the specialised rotary work out of Sicily.
“We provide regional military search and rescue capacity 24/7 throughout the year”, stated Capt Conforti giving a short overview of units’ mission. He further added, “For that reason, we have a flight crew and a ground team at Trapani air base on a permanent alert, essential to take off with our helicopter within 30 minutes after an emergency call to deploy”. Once airborne, the units HH-139 operates under
their “Jedi” callsign. It was in 2016 that the unit transitioned from the characteristic HH- 3 “Pelican” to the Leonardo built HH-139. The new helicopter is the military version of the popular AW- 139 and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6C67C turboshaft engines each providing more than 1500 hp and specified to carry a maximum of 15 passengers. Capt Conforti continued, “With a maximum flight time of approximately 3 to 5 hours, we can fly to destinations up to 120 nautical miles, spend some time on scene and can return safely to base”.
Unit structure
The CSAR flight operations at Trapani are carried out under the command of 37 Stormo (wing), which is also in command of the Eurofighters of 18 Gruppo. Formal hierarchy places all the Italian CSAR squadron under command of 15 Stormo having its home base at Cervia. The other CSAR squadrons includes 80th squadron at Decimomanu air base, 83rd squadron at Cervia air base, 84th squadron at Gioia del Colle air base and 85th squadron at Pratica di Mare air base. The strong bond between all the CSAR squadrons is underlined by the use of Warner Brothers cartoon figures in all their individual unit badges. This counts also for the Trapani based 82nd squadron insigna, with Tweety bird offering a helping hand to Sylvester cat, symbolising that they are there with SAR capacity for everyone in distress.
SAR or CSAR
We walked with Capt Conforti to one of their HH- 139 helicopters where he explained the crew composition of 4, being a commanding pilot and a co- pilot. In the cabin, you have the onboard operator, who manages the equipment such as the hoist. The last crew member is the rescue men/swimmer who also provides medical aid on nurse level. When an emergency call indicates a medical emergency, the 82 CSAR helicopter will pick up a doctor at the nearby hospital of Trapani or Marsala. The HH-139 cabin can contain 4 stretchers
to transport casualties. The military-civilian SAR duties of 82nd squadron includes regular cooperation with the mountain rescue unit CNSAS, the police and the firefighting forces of Vigili del Fuoco. Since 2018, the unit is also equipped with water-bambi buckets to assist with forest fires. During Combat SAR missions, a swimmer is not required and cabin space is used by Special Operation Forces (SOF) with their equipment for their work in a hostile environment. For CSAR missions, the HH-139 can be additionally equipped with a “Minimi” machine gun, mounted in the right door entry. Further Combat provisions are obtained with both sides supported by sniper rifles and an
Integrated Self-Protection System (ISSYS) to detect attacking guided weapons and immediately deploy automatic initiated protective measures. “To maintain our Full Operational Capable ( FOC) status and combat readiness for any requested deployment, we train vigorously. The region around Trapani air base is an ideal for these purposes, not only for sea ops training, but also the rough Sicilian mountainous landscape is perfect to practice in a wide variety of circumstances”, Capt Conforti informed us.
With the outbreak of pandemic Covid- 19, 82nd CSAR squadron also obtained an additional task. When needed the HH- 139 can be made available to transfer patients between hospitals, with a supplementary bio-containment cradle, the patient was isolated to secure a safe working area for the crew. Although the Covid-19 flights are relatively small in number, 82nd CSAR squadron has meanwhile logged more than 42,000 flight hours in its existence, of which 7500 in rescue missions, saving about 750 persons.