SAR service for aircraft in Germany
The SAR service for aircraft ( SAR: Search and Rescue , German: Suche und Rettung) is carried out by the German armed forces (army and navy ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure is responsible for this service - prescribed by international agreements on rescue services in air and sea emergencies - but it has delegated these tasks to the Federal Ministry of Defense . For emergencies at sea, however, this rescue task was primarily delegated to the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People. If necessary, further funds are provided by other authorities and organizations, e.g. B. by federal and state police, fire brigade, German Red Cross, water and shipping administration, customs, technical relief organization and mountain rescue service. A distinction must be made between the SAR services in Germany and air rescue , which uses the helicopter as a fast means of transport for general rescue services.
tasks
In the aviation sector, the SAR service is performed by the German Armed Forces (Army and Navy ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in accordance with the Chicago Agreement . The task was transferred from the Air Force to the Army as part of the Bundeswehr reform 2013 (transfer of capabilities).
The tasks of the SAR service of the Bundeswehr are:
- Search for aircraft in distress , locating the machine;
- Rescue of crew and passengers;
- Support of the sea rescue service in the German North and Baltic Seas ;
- Support of own and allied armed forces in emergencies.
In addition, tasks outside of the SAR are performed as part of urgent emergency aid, provided that military and SAR tasks do not conflict with this and sufficient capacities are available:
- Support of the civil rescue service;
- Parking of rescue helicopters to support the federal states in the event of a disaster.
In the event of an air emergency over sea, the SAR service for aircraft is supported by the maritime SAR service .
organization
For Germany there are two SAR areas (SRR = Search and Rescue Region ) with the control centers RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) Münster and ARCC Glücksburg , which are operated by the army (previously the air force) and the navy . The control centers are responsible for managing search and rescue operations in their area. The SAR area “Sea” in Glücksburg comprises the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg , the German territorial waters and islands as well as the area of the German continental shelf, the SAR area “Land” in Münster the German mainland area excluding Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg.
In the “Land” SAR area, there are three SAR commands in Holzdorf , Niederstetten and Nörvenich with SAR helicopters from the Army from the 30th Transport Helicopter Regiment (Niederstetten) . In the five commandos Laage , Diepholz , Erfurt , Malmsheim and Ingolstadt , operations were discontinued in 2009/2010. In the “Sea” SAR area, there are SAR commands on Heligoland and in Warnemünde ; Of these two branch offices, only one is currently manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the event of problems in the branch, an SAR helicopter (spare machine) is deployed from the location of Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (Nordholz). The RCC Münster also has a comprehensive network of 33 aeronautical radio stations, the ARCC Glücksburg has 13 aeronautical radio stations distributed over the SAR area. The SAR control centers and the SAR helicopters form the first-level facilities and resources that are always on standby.
Other funds mobilized if necessary are second-degree SAR funds. The federal states have set up SAR area search centers, usually at the ministries of the interior or the higher police authorities, which carry out search and rescue measures on the ground at the request of the SAR control centers. The city states of Bremen and Hamburg each operate a joint area search center with Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. In addition, the Bremen Sea Emergency Line of the maritime SAR service acts as an area search point for the North Sea and Baltic Sea areas. Troops can also be requested from the regional commandos. In addition, other operational resources of the Bundeswehr and allied armed forces, in particular air and sea vehicles, can be used. If urgent emergency aid (new: emergency aid) is required, the SAR control centers alert the responsible rescue control centers .
There is close cooperation and mutual assistance with neighboring SAR services in other countries.
SAR helicopter
SAR area Münster
The medical equipment of the SAR helicopters of the Army is roughly equivalent to that of a civil rescue helicopter (RTH), but does not fully comply with the relevant DIN / EN for RTH. Additional equipment may be required depending on the application. In Niederstetten, a second helicopter is kept ready for use especially for use in the mountains. It does not come with the full set of SARs.
Mountain rescue equipment
Another area of application for SAR helicopters is rescue from the mountains or difficult to access terrain. For this purpose, the transport helicopter regiment 30 (Niederstetten) has a specially configured SAR helicopter "SAR 64" at the Niederstetten military airfield . It is not equipped with the full SAR set for weight reasons. In contrast to many civilian rescue helicopters that are only available during the day, search and rescue operations by the SAR units can take place around the clock. If necessary, the crew is supported by the locally responsible mountain rescue service.
The SAR helicopter crews work very closely with the mountain rescue service on site. In addition to joint search operations, flights with rescue and search dogs are also trained in order to e.g. B. locate and rescue avalanche victims.
Glücksburg SAR area
The navy helicopters have different equipment. When rescuing at sea using SAR helicopters, the rescue winch plays a key role in picking up injured or sick people. Another special feature is that rescue missions at sea ( offshore ) often take place under very difficult weather conditions due to the lack of alternative rescue options. In this respect, SAR missions at sea differ significantly from air rescue and SAR missions over land.
crew
The occupation of SAR helicopters with functionaries in Germany is based on the respective mandate of the command.
In the naval aviation area , at least four people form the crew, including
- two helicopter operators,
- an Aircraft Operations Officer (LOPO) and
- an on-board mechanic with a medical qualification ( paramedic ).
Here are used Westland Sea King MK 41 helicopters.
In the Army, however, the SAR helicopters are regularly manned by three crew members:
Until the end of 2016, the crew consisted of a helicopter driver, an on-board technician (BT, master mechanic, also winch operator) and the air rescue master in accordance with the Air Force's crewing concept. In the case of medical operations as part of urgent emergency aid, an emergency doctor, e.g. B. be admitted to a nearby hospital. Bell UH-1 D helicopters are currently used as SAR helicopters by the Army Aviation Force . Helicopters of the type H135 were considered as the successor model until May 2015 . However, this decision was revised in October 2015. The final decision to continue the SAR service by the Bundeswehr based on international requirements was not made until the beginning of June 2016. Replacement procurement should be based on the capability requirements for the military SAR service. In addition, it would not have been possible to conclude a contract until the first half of 2017 and would have led to an "extended time lapse" of at least 11 to 19 months in procurement. Finally, in December 2018, following a tendering process, the Bundeswehr ordered seven H145 LUH SARs including new SAR upgrade kits from Air Ambulance Technologie, Ranshofen / Austria.
The H145 will completely replace the Bell UH-1 D, introduced in the 1970s, in their role as SAR helicopters by mid-2021. The service life of the UH-1D was extended in two steps until mid-2021. The technical support was transferred to the civil company RUAG. RUAG Aviation's tasks include all maintenance and repair work as well as engineering, modifications, upgrades, system integrations and logistics management. As part of the Structural Life Extension Program, RUAG Aviation eliminated typical signs of corrosion, wear and tear and aging on the Bell UH-1D. The H145 are technically serviced by the company Motorflug, a subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters, on a contractual basis.
The H145s are with the 15 H145M LUH SOF for the special forces in the helicopter squadron 64 of the Air Force and the 13 Eurocopter EC 135 of the International Helicopter Training Center of the Army, the third helicopter type from Airbus Helicopters , which contributes to a further standardization of the helicopter fleet in the Bundeswehr.
Operational readiness and limited de facto operational readiness
The helicopters at SAR commandos should generally be operational 24 hours a day all year round. During the day there is a lead time of a maximum of 15 minutes. Between sunset plus 30 minutes (8:30 p.m. at the latest) and 7:30 a.m., it increases to a maximum of one hour.
De facto, there was only one Sea King ready for action in 2015 for the German Baltic and North Sea. Many of the naval aviation helicopters remain on the ground due to technical problems. Germany has committed itself to ensuring sea rescue in international agreements; the lead responsibility lies with the Federal Ministry of Transport . The political consequence was that the Federal Parliament's Audit Committee would like to fundamentally re-regulate emergency rescue and that there should be a clear division of tasks between the Emergency Command and the civilian SAR tasks with one helicopter each for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea (DGzRS). In 2014, the Federal Police offered to help out with their helicopters in an emergency. But Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière withdrew this offer after two machines were destroyed in an accident and no replacements were obtained.
Bases in Germany
| Nickname | base | operator | location | Internet | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAR 10 | Naval aviation base Heligoland | marine |
|
data sheet | |
| SAR 24 | Naval base Warnemünde | marine |
|
data sheet | |
| SAR 41 | Nörvenich Air Base | army |
|
data sheet | |
| SAR 63 | Niederstetten Army Airfield | army |
|
data sheet | |
| SAR 64 | Niederstetten Army Airfield | army |
|
data sheet | |
| SAR 71 | Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg | air force | now Christoph 29 | ||
| SAR 72 | Merzbrück Airfield | air force | now Christoph Europe 1 | ||
| SAR 73 | Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz | air force | now Christoph 23 | ||
| SAR 74 | Nuremberg | air force | now Christoph 27 | ||
| SAR 75 | Bundeswehr Hospital Ulm | air force | now Christoph 22 | ||
| SAR 76 | Rheine | air force | now Christoph Europe 2 | ||
| SAR 77 | Jena-Schöngleina Airport | air force | now Christoph 70 | ||
| SAR 87 | Holzdorf Air Base | army |
|
data sheet | |
| SAR 93 | Neustrelitz | air force | now Christoph 48 |
Former SAR locations of the Bundeswehr are in italics .
Second degree SAR agent
In addition to the SAR helicopters, which are part of the 1st degree SAR funds, there are also 2nd degree funds. If required (e.g. extensive search areas), other suitable aircraft and operational resources of the Bundeswehr, other armed forces, the police of the federal states and the federal police, civil aid and rescue organizations, merchant shipping and civil aviation can be requested from the responsible SAR control center . This also includes the Lockheed P-3 Orion long-range sea reconnaissance aircraft , which can operate for several hours above the sea to locate the wreckage of sunken ships, or transport machines such as the C-160D Transall , which can perform similar tasks. Second-degree SAR funds also include helicopters like the CH-53 , which, like the Transall, can also be used as a large-capacity flying ambulance. A helicopter in Laupheim , equipped as a large-capacity rescue helicopter, is kept ready for major incidents with lead time. The medical staff is provided by the Ulm Army Hospital .
Alerting
The flight alarm service is operated by the air traffic control organizations in Germany. It is guaranteed for controlled flights, for flights for which a flight plan has been submitted and for flights that are otherwise known to the air traffic services. It is carried out in controlled and uncontrolled airspace. An automatic alarm can be triggered by an emergency radio beacon (ELT = emergency locator transmitter ), which is triggered by an acceleration sensor (crash). These alarms are received by the Mission Control Center of the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system and forwarded to the nearest control center. There is currently no general obligation to carry ELT in aviation.
In the event of observations by the population or overdue vehicles, an alarm can also be sent to a local rescue control center, the police or the fire brigade via the emergency number 112 , which then pass the alarm on to the SAR area search centers. The SAR helicopters are used at the SAR commands via the SAR control center in Münster for the mainland area and via the SAR control center in Glücksburg for the maritime area. The operations are also managed by the SAR control centers.
If other control centers or authorities need help from SAR units to carry out their own tasks, they should contact the responsible SAR control center.
See also
literature
- Holger Scholl: Air rescue . Stumpf and Kossendey, Edewecht / Vienna 2002. pp. 195 ff. ISBN 3-932750-77-2 .
- Mathias Grägel: Bundeswehr is renewing its SAR helicopter fleet. In: FliegerRevue , No. 5/2020, pp. 24–27
- M. Altmann: New H145 for the Bundeswehr. In: FliegerRevue , No. 9/2020, pp. 18-20
Web links
- Website of the military SAR service - SAR manual, annual reports, operational plans in the download area
- Website of the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People
- Bundeswehr Classix: Survival at Sea (1974) ( YouTube video)
Individual evidence
- ↑ SAR helicopters remain on the ground due to high repair costs - ddp report on www.pr-inside.com, accessed on April 27, 2010
- ^ Search and Rescue: SAR service in Germany since 1956. In: deutschesheer.de. Retrieved May 29, 2015 .
- ↑ Bad planning by the Bundeswehr: Germany is threatened with gaps in air rescue. In: Spiegel.de. Retrieved December 30, 2015 .
- ↑ Bundeswehr orders H145 for SAR service. In: Flight Revue . December 13, 2018, accessed December 13, 2018 .
- ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundeswehr-seenotrettung-109.html ( Memento from February 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive )