Air Force Special Forces 'SART' Conduct 5-Day Training

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Air Force's special unit, the Search and Rescue Team (SART), which rescues stranded pilots, is conducting training in the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province.

According to the Air Force on the 27th, the 6th Search and Rescue Flight Squadron is conducting a "Combat Survival and Mountain Rescue Training" from the 25th to the 29th of this month in the mountainous areas of Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon Province, with 33 air rescuers and three helicopters including HH-60 and HH-32 participating.

The main mission of the air rescuers is to rescue pilots stranded in mountains, rivers, seas, etc., after emergency ejection during air operations. They also perform missions such as emergency patient transport and civilian support during disasters and calamities. This training was conducted assuming a situation where a pilot who ejected in an emergency is stranded in a mountainous area. Among the air rescuers, 90% hold a Level 1 emergency medical technician certification, and 10% hold Level 2. Level 1 certification allows not only cardiopulmonary resuscitation but also emergency treatment for severe trauma.

The first phase of combat survival training, conducted from the 25th to the 27th, is divided into infiltration teams, stranded person teams, and opposing force teams. On the first day of training, the infiltration team infiltrated near the stranded area by HH-60 helicopter, then moved to the rendezvous area with the stranded person team while avoiding the opposing force. On the second day, the infiltration team, having met with the stranded person team, moved to a safe location secured from the opposing force and evacuated the stranded person team by boarding the HH-32 helicopter.

The second phase, mountain rescue training, is conducted to improve the air rescuers' response capabilities to various stranded situations that may occur in mountainous terrain. The air rescuers practice safe approaches for each type of stranded situation such as valleys, cliffs, and trees, as well as rappel rescue training for transporting stranded persons.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeong Han-cheol, commander of the Special Search and Rescue Battalion, said, "The mission and raison d'?tre of air rescuers is to rescue stranded pilots no matter when or under what circumstances," adding, "With the belief that we go wherever and whenever needed, we will devote ourselves wholeheartedly."