Flares feature in spaceflight search and rescue training

25/02/2021

Flares have been used in airdrops as part of a spaceflight search and rescue program.

Alaska Air National Guard personnel completed four weeks of training for Exercise H20 in Hawaii, in February. They are honing their long-range search and rescue capability for the NASA human spaceflight program.

The Air Guard’s 176th Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson uses C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and pararescue personnel to travel the furthest distance in the shortest time during a life-threatening scenario.

Support for commercial spaceflight

Maj. Joseph Leman, exercise director and a C-17 instructor pilot with the 144th Airlift Squadron at the 176th Wing, explains,  “NASA needed support for commercial spaceflight, for SpaceX and Boeing sending their commercial capsules up. They wanted assistance in the event of a non-nominal landing occurrence with the launch or return, for recovery of their astronauts.”

He adds, “If astronauts splash down within 200 miles of the launch site, a rescue triad is on alert to respond. If the landing is beyond that radius, a C-17 becomes the aircraft of choice for the mission because we can go further and get there faster.”

During Exercise H2O, aircrews with the 144th Airlift Squadron completed airdrop training, swapping out pilots for each pass while airborne. They certified two pilots and also two loadmasters in rescue airdrop, and certified four pilots and two loadmasters on dropping illumination flares.

Illumination flares dropped

Lt. Col. Nathan Schauermann, commander of the 144th Airlift Squadron, says, “We practised one of the major pieces of water rescue with dropping the inflated boat. We also used night vision goggles during the night ops, our loadmasters dropped illumination flares and markers, we flew a three-ship formation flight, aerial refueled with a KC-135, got quite a bit of currency, but more than that, proficiency.’

When astronauts splash down into the ocean, recovery teams must be able to transport them to land quickly. In the event of a variety of contingency landings, pararescue forces, pre-positioned in key locations, are prepared to rescue the crew anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.

If this scenario were to occur more than 200 nautical miles from the launch site, a C-17 deploys and airdrops multiple watercraft and pararescue personnel, who extract the astronauts from their capsule, treat and sustain them for up to 72 hours.

Exercise H2O

Exercise H2O is accomplished annually. Sr. Master Sgt. Jeffrey Hamilton, 212th lead planner for Exercise H2O and pararescueman says, “Our primary goal for this training exercise was reinforcing and refining our rescue airdrop TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures) in support of human spaceflight. We got all of our training lines that were geared toward that accomplished except for one, due to weather, so it was a great success.”

Alaska and also Hawaii Air National Guard C-17s are proficient with rescue equipment and personnel day and night water drops and are supporting the NASA spaceflight program, and Alaska is able to deliver life-saving packages in extreme cold weather.

The photo shows Maj. Brock Roden, a combat rescue officer with 212th Rescue Squadron Alaska Air National Guard, conducting a freefall-parachute jump into the Pacific Ocean from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft near Kapolei, Hawaii, during Exercise H20. It is by Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead.