AKANG 176th Wing Rescue Triad conducts water rescue training in Alaska

WHITTIER — Alaska Air National Guardsmen from the 176th Wing’s 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons performed water rescue operations training in the Prince William Sound near Whittier from May 14 to May 16.

According to a press release, this training covered search and rescue, low and high-altitude parachute drops, emergency medical response, personnel recovery, and underway hoist.

HH-60G Pave Hawk aircrew of the 210th RQS, HC-130J Combat King II aircrew of the 211th RQS, and pararescuemen (PJs), survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) specialists, and geospatial intelligence specialists of the 212th RQS participated in the training.

According to the press release, the three squadrons make up the 176th Wing’s Rescue Triad and are considered one of the busiest search and rescue units in the Air Force.

Combat rescue officers, PJs, and SERE specialists are referred to as Guardian Angels, and they are experts in personnel recovery operations and they are trained to infiltrate behind enemy lines to extract isolated U.S. and allied personnel.

Pave Hawk aircrew members are trained to utilize the helicopter’s sensor suite to locate isolated personnel, and they’re equipped to insert Guardian Angels by landing or using the HH-60’s rescue hoist.

The Combat King crew is trained to use the propeller-driven aircraft’s advanced avionics to locate isolated personnel from higher altitudes and faster airspeeds than the HH-60, and it can insert Guardian Angels by low or high-altitude parachute drops.

The HH-60 is used as the main means of extraction since the all-weather helicopter can land in a variety of difficult locations, and crew members can utilize the rescue hoist when landing is not possible.

The HC-130 deploys refueling drogues from pods underneath the wings to refuel the Pave Hawk in flight to extend the range.

The Rescue Triad’s military mission can offer the Alaska residents and visitors with specialized civil SAR capabilities while standing alert in support of the 11th Air Force and Alaska NORAD Region.

According to the press release, Alaska has nearly 34,000 miles of shoreline which is larger than all the Lower 48 combined.

The press release indicated that water operations training sharpens the RQSs’ water-rescue abilities and their means of efficiently operating in the midst of Alaska’s harsh and unforgiving environment.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com