From 27 September till 1 October, the Galileo Search-And-Rescue (SAR) Meet 2021 was conducted at Koksijde Air Base (ICAO code EBFN), home base of 40 Squadron, which is responsible for helicopter rescue operations off the Belgian coast. With the participation of six helicopters and more than 100 crew members from multiple European countries, this exercise was marked as one of the larger versions of the meeting ever held. This year’s edition was organised in close cooperation with Galileo, the Global Positioning System of the European Union. The International Search and Rescue Meet is an exercise where search and rescue teams demonstrate their missions, assets, skills and procedures to one another. The aim of the exercise is to share experiences in order to learn lessons to make rescue operations even more efficient, safer and faster. The event circulates around three main pillars. A symposium in which each nation presents its assets and procedures. A flight of a challenging nature where skills such as precision, speed and agility of the entire crew are put to the test. Finally, a sports event that tests the cohesion of the crew, an important factor in rescue operations. At the end of the exercise, the best team receives the prestigious SAR Meet Trophy.
The Belgian 40 Squadron has a tradition of organising this SAR event. Nevertheless, the last edition dates back to October 2016. The transition of the Sea King rescue helicopter to the high-performance and ultra-modern NH90 NFH, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, were the reasons for this break. The 2021 edition counted on a very diversified and significant international presence of rescue squads. For example, the “40th” welcomed teams from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Norway, Finland, Great Britain, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, France and Slovenia. The Belgian Air Force 40th SAR squadron worked very hard to organise a unique international search-and-rescue meeting. Koksijde Airbase hosted 13 lifesaving teams and 9 rescue helicopters out of 12 European countries making the event the largest SAR meet in history.
Report by Joris van Boven and Alex van Noije.