From the late afternoon of Tuesday 16 May, following a request from the regional Civil Protection and the Prefecture of Forlì-Cesena, the helicopters of the 15th Wing of Cervia have been in action to rescue citizens stranded in their homes or in flooded areas
The crews of the 15th Wing of the Air Force stationed at the Cervia base, a department specialized in air search and rescue activities, have been engaged since the late afternoon of Tuesday 16 May in relief activities for the populations of Emilia Romagna affected by the strong wave of bad weather.
The HH-139B helicopters of the 83rd SAR Group ( Search and Rescue– Search and Rescue) of Cervia, under the coordination of the Aerospace Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), are operating day and night at the request of the regional Civil Protection and the Prefecture of Forlì-Cesena to evacuate as soon as possible citizens stranded in the own homes or in flooded and isolated areas. So far, over 320 people have been rescued by Air Force helicopters, with special baskets and winches, also operating at night and in extreme environmental conditions thanks to the use of special night vision goggles.
The evacuation operations are still ongoing. For the need, the Rescue Coordination Center of the Aerospace Operations Command , which coordinates all the flight activities of the emergency military assets, ordered the readiness of 4 crews and 4 helicopters of the Air Force air rescue.
This type of intervention is one of those that the Defence, through specialized units of the Armed Forces identified from time to time on the basis of need, makes available to the community in the event of an emergency or calamity. Eight helicopters, a remotely piloted aircraft (APR), 16 dinghies, nine boats, satellites, two Eurofighter aircraft and two Tornado aircraft for reconnaissance activities: these are the means deployed by the Italian Defense following the meteorological events in Emilia-Romagna and Marches.
“ Assets of all kinds, from the Army , Navy , Air Force and Carabinieri are collaborating tirelessly with the Ministry of the Interior and with the Department of Civil Protection . The best representation of the state. Without colors, shirts, divisions. Ready to reach out ” , declared the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto , on the activity of the Armed Forces in support of the affected population.
Following the meteorological events that are taking place, causing serious damage and putting the lives of the populations involved at risk, Minister Crosetto immediately gave an indication to the Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone , through the Operational Command of Joint Forces Summit (COVI) , to provide all the necessary support to the Civil Protection and the Fire Brigade operating in the areas affected by the bad weather.
The 15th Stormo of the Air Force, equipped with HH-139 helicopters in versions A and B, guarantees the search and rescue of the flight crews in difficulty also contributing to public utility activities, such as rescue operations in the event of calamities or natural disasters, search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of life and rescue of seriously traumatized people, also operating in extreme weather conditions. It also integrates the National Air Defense device through operations to counter the threat from low and very low performance aircraft ( Slow Movers Interception– SMI) and support for the security of sensitive areas and objectives during large public events.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15th Stormo have saved more than 7500 people in danger of life. Since 2018, the Department has acquired the AIB (Forest Fire Fighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the inter-force device put in place by the Defence.
Axnes PNG Wireless Intercom System
Axnes - Grimstad, Norway – Axnes AS, a leading global provider of wireless communication solutions, received direct feedback from the Italian Air Force about the vital role the PNG Wireless Intercom System played in their helicopter Search & Rescue operations during the recent flooding of northeast Italy.
After rescue operations ended, the Italian Air Force contacted Axnes to praise the effectiveness and emphasis the necessity of wireless communications during hoisting operations on their AW139 helicopters. A series of floods happened in and around the cities of Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Faenza, Ravenna, and Rimini, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
The first floods occurred between 2 and 3 May 2023, killing two people. More severe floods took place on 16–17 May 2023, killing at least 15 people and displacing 50,000 others.
The Italian Air Force, along with many other first responders, were called out to rescue people trapped by the by the flood waters. Sorties were being flown day & night in an attempt to rescue as many people as possible. The Italian Air Force discovered many people stuck in higher floors of buildings after arriving in the afflicted areas
A crewmember from the Italian Air Force shared the following: “Many people were stuck in their houses, which means that we have to hoist our rescue swimmers in through the window, where they can assess the situation. Because of the power outages that followed after the flooding, it was pitch dark inside the houses, the helicopters’ search light could only help us so much. This is where our Wireless Intercommunication System started playing a pivotal role in the operation. The rescue swimmer could immediately inform the rest of the crew on board of the helicopter about the situation inside the house.
Our AW139s have the BST50 Base Station and CP50 Control Panel installed, and our rescue swimmers are using fully waterproof MP50 handheld Transceivers from Axnes, which is important in this particular situation, as most of the houses were flooded. We had to hoist in and out through the windows of the flooded buildings. By having the possibility to talk directly on the aircraft intercom, but wirelessly, we could coordinate our hoisting operations much more safely and effective. In fact, we could not have carried out this type of hoisting if we didn’t have wireless communication in place, especially not in the dark. The PNG system is also connected to our moving map system, making it very easy to see in the dark where our rescue swimmer was at. The Axnes PNG really gave us the means to safely carry out our hoisting operations in the heavily damaged area by the flooding.”
Klaus Frühwirth, CMO at Axnes replied: “We often hear that the PNG Wireless Intercom is a game changer for Search & Rescue crews but receiving some of the actual footage of the operation really is impressive to receive. We at Axnes prioritize on making crew operations safe to carry out, by providing clear, robust communication available through our PNG Wireless Intercom System. To get feedback in the way we do now, from the Italian Air Force, really is a strong motivator for us to keep improving our product to make the industry safer. We are humbled by the stories told by the Italian Air Force and we are honored that we can contribute to Search & Rescue operations like the one in North East Italy.
See also |
AW139M in
Aeronautica Militare Italiana 15° Stormo Aeronautica Militare Italiana Italian Air Force 
Axnes 
