Rolph Klijn reports on the SAR meet 2023 at Nordholz NAS
In Europe, active SAR units gather once
a year on the occasion of an International SAR meet, which is organised
on a rotating basis by participating units or nations. A SAR meet
consists of a number of contests allowing the different teams to improve
their skills by learning from other competitors, whether they are
pilots, navigators, flight engineers, medics or divers.
A German Navy Westland Sea King
Mk.41 - 89+63 in a special livery "50 years Sea King" at Nordholz
Naval Air Base |
Galileo SAR Meet 2023 in Nordholz
Search And Rescue (SAR) is a service provided by all member states of
the United Nations and comprises the search for and the provision of aid
to persons, aircraft, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to
be, in distress or imminent danger. How this service has to be performed
is laid down in documents published by the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO),
two specialised bodies of the United Nations.
The implementation of those standardised rules and regulations, however,
usually takes place at the national level, hence the existing
differences in organisation, procedures and equipment. It is therefore
of paramount importance for SAR units to become acquainted with the
equipment, capabilities and operating procedures of other SAR providers.
This applies especially for SAR services of neighbouring countries as
they have to be ready and able to work together in case of major
accidents or disasters. That is why international SAR exercises and
meetings are organised on a regular basis.
Galileo Service:
The Galileo SAR service is comprised of
two components:
1. An automatic forward link distress alert
2. A unique return link alert that informs the sender that their message
has been received
Global Search and Rescue (SAR) operations quickly locate and help people
in distress. The SAR/Galileo service, launched on 15 December 2016 as
part of Galileo Initial Services, contributes to these live-saving
efforts by swiftly relaying radio beacon distress signals to the
relevant SAR crews by means of dedicated payloads on-board Galileo
satellites, supported by three ground stations strategically deployed
across Europe.
On January 21 2020, the SAR/Galileo Return Link Service (RLS) was
declared operational. Now, Galileo not only locates people in distress
and makes their position known to the relevant authorities, the
SAR/Galileo RLS provides an automatic acknowledgement message back to
the user informing them that their request for help has been received.
The exercise
A typical SAR meet lasts just a few days and is not organized along a
strict set of rules and procedures. During the exercise each unit is put
to the test on various specific tasks. This can be a test for the
pilots, to show their precision flying skills with the helicopter, for
example during the winching contest, while the navigators need to
accurately guide the pilots to an exact location at open sea or the
isolated spots near the coast or overland, and the rescue divers/medics
are put to the test during the survival test. Next to the test of the
daily "routine" the SAR meet is also a social gathering.
A
Dauphin flown by the Lithuanian Air Force's Sraigtasparniu Esk (Helicopter Squadron).
Helicopters of this small Air Force are rarely seen outside
their home country, making this
Dauphin a welcome sight. |
MFG-5
MFG 5 has been in the SAR business
since 1958, although it must be said that SAR is not the unit’s sole
task. SAR started out in July 1958 on the Bristol Sycamore. These rather
small machines gave way to the much larger Sikorsky H-34G from April
1963. The unit's current fleet of 21 Westland Sea King Mk.41 took over
from the H-34G's during April 1975.
After the recent move from Kiel to Nordholz, MFG 5 became the operating
organization of all the helicopters of the German Navy. It already
operated twenty-one Westland Sea Kings (to become the 1st flying Staffel)
and the twenty-two Westland Lynxes from MFG 3 (now 3rd flying Staffel of
MFG 5) already stationed at Nordholz) were transferred to MFG 5. The
fixed wing aircraft of the German Navy (P-3C Orion and Dornier 228)
remain with MFG 3.
The Westland Sea King Mk.41 was introduced into service in 1975. The
German Sea King Mk. 41 was the blueprint for all SAR Sea Kings used by
RNoAF, BAF and even the No. 202 Squadron RAF. In 1987 a modernizing
program was started to give the Sea King Mk.41 a limited offensive role.
The latest helicopter serving with MFG-5 is the Sea Lion the Naval
Transport Helicopter (NTH) variant of the NH90. It has been in service
since 2018, replacing the Mk41 Sea King helicopter, which has been in
service for nearly 50 years. Germany is intending to replace both its
Westland Sea King Mk 41s and its smaller Westland Lynx Mk 88s with two
sub variants of the NH-90 helicopter.
The last of 18 NH-90 Sea Lion naval multi-role transport helicopters to
be used by the German Navy was delivered on January 26, 2023. Bringing
the immanent phase out the Westland Sea King Mk.41 closer day by day.
The Sea Lion is the Naval
Transport Helicopter (NTH) variant of the NH90.
It has been in service since 2018 with MFG-5, replacing the
Mk41 Sea King. |
Sea Lion
The Sea Lion is a specific German Navy variant of the NH-90 helicopter
(by NH Industries) dubbed the “Naval Transport Helicopter (NTH)”
variant. It replaced the Sea King in German Navy service from 2018 and
is dedicated to search and rescue (SAR) missions. In addition, the Sea
Lion, like the Sea King before it, is used to transport cargo or people.
Its secondary roles include reconnaissance and situational awareness
thanks to its long-range sensors.
When fully operational, the NH90 Sea Lions will take on a wide range of
roles including search and rescue (SAR), maritime reconnaissance,
Special Forces as well as personnel and material transportation
missions. In addition to its land-based use, the Sea Lion will also
operate on Type 702 (Berlin class) combat support ships.
Sea Tiger
Besides the Sea Lion, the German Navy has also opted for the naval
version of the NH90 to succeed its 22 Sea Lynx Mk 88A on-board
helicopters that have been in service since 1981.
The German Navy is expected to receive a total of 31 ASW helicopters
starting from 2025. They will be known as the “Sea Tiger” in German Navy
service. Its special designation is “multi-role frigate helicopter” (MRFH).
It will be the German version of the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NH90
NFH) and closest to the French variant of the NFH (NFRS) known as Caiman
. |