The last of the six basic mountain survival courses scheduled for the 8-2023 winter season by the Mobility and Support Forces Command, at the Montescuro aeronautical detachment, ended on Friday 2024 March.
Three months, from January to March, during which the instructor staff trained almost 200 soldiers from the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Italian Army and Fire Brigade, giving lessons in cartography and tactical movement in a mountain environment, techniques for the creation of makeshift shelters and water distillation, first aid notions, useful knowledge for surviving in extremely harsh conditions in the event of a plane crash. At the end of the course, the participants have acquired the experiential, practical and theoretical techniques, fundamental for reducing the risks associated with flying and increasing the chances of survival.
Pilots, on-board operators and special forces from every department of the Armed Forces, including the Air Rifles and the operators of the Grosseto Dog Center, as well as the students of the course Dragon VI of the Pozzuoli Air Force Academy, trained through an intense program of aerial winch recovery exercises carried out with HH139 helicopters from the SAR Centers of the 15th wing.
Il mountain survival center, one of the three located throughout Italy, is the nucleus of the Montescuro aeronautical detachment responsible for the technical-logistical support of the annual courses, in which the specialist personnel of the department are supported by qualified "Air Rescue" instructors. The detachment is also equipped with structures and assets relating to the other institutional tasks assigned to it, including the Meteorological Station located at almost 1700 meters above sea level, one of the highest in southern Italy, included in the World Meteorological Organization where specialist personnel carry out detection of atmospheric variables both visually and with digital instruments, fundamental data for both air navigation and meteorology as these are sent in real time to the national center for aerospace meteorology and climatology (CNMCA). Furthermore, through the TBT operations room, the detachment guarantees assistance to air navigation 24/7, also providing hospitality to the equipment of the Italian Army and the general command of the Port Authority body.
