Combat search and rescue
Encyclopedia
Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue
operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones.
A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force
of helicopters
, ground-attack aircraft, tankers and an airborne command post. The USAF HC-130, which was introduced in 1965, has served in the latter two roles.
there were several impromptu rescues that would now be described as CSAR.
In World War II the Luftwaffe (Seenotdienst
organization) operated armed camouflaged air-sea rescue aircraft.
During the Vietnam War
the costly rescue of Bat 21
led the US military to find a new approach to high-threat search and rescue. They recognized that if a SAR mission was predestined to fail, it should not be attempted and other options such as special operations, diversionary tactics and other creative approaches tailored to the situation had to be considered. Recognizing the need for an aircraft that could deliver better close air support
, the US Air Force introduced the A-7 Corsair. The military also improved the night capability of helicopters and area denial munitions.
During the Vietnam War, U.S. SAR forces saved 3,883 lives at the cost of 71 rescuers and 45 aircraft.
of the British Royal Naval Air Service
used his single-seat aeroplane to rescue his wingman who had been shot down in Bulgaria. His Victoria Cross
citation included "Squadron-Commander Davies descended at a safe distance from the burning machine, took up Sub-Lieutenant Smylie, in spite of the near approach of a party of the enemy, and returned to the aerodrome, a feat of airmanship that can seldom have been equalled for skill and gallantry."
On 21 April 1917, Captain Richard Williams of the Australian Flying Corps landed behind enemy lines to rescue a downed comrade.
, Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
, a USAF navigator with a background in ballistic missile technology and missile countermeasures, was the sole survivor of an EB-66 shot down during the Easter Offensive. He eluded capture by North Vietnamese forces until his rescue 11½ days later. During the rescue operation
, five aircraft were shot down, eleven US servicemen were killed and two men were captured. The rescue operation was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War
. It has been the subject of two books and the largely fictionalized film Bat*21.
(USAF) 24th Special Tactics Squadron
was involved in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
On June 2, 1995, a USAF F-16C
was shot down by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile
near Mrkonjić Grad
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
. The American pilot, Scott O'Grady
, ejected safely and was rescued six days later. The operation became known as the Mrkonjić Grad incident
.
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones.
A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
of helicopters
Military helicopter
A military helicopter is a helicopter that is either specifically built or converted for use by military forces. A military helicopter's mission is a function of its design or conversion...
, ground-attack aircraft, tankers and an airborne command post. The USAF HC-130, which was introduced in 1965, has served in the latter two roles.
History
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
there were several impromptu rescues that would now be described as CSAR.
In World War II the Luftwaffe (Seenotdienst
Seenotdienst
The Seenotdienst was a German military organization formed within the Luftwaffe to save downed airmen from emergency water landings...
organization) operated armed camouflaged air-sea rescue aircraft.
During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
the costly rescue of Bat 21
Rescue of Bat 21 Bravo
The rescue of Bat 21 Bravo, the call sign for Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, from behind enemy lines was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War. On April 2, 1972, the third day of the Easter Offensive, Hambleton was a navigator aboard one of two...
led the US military to find a new approach to high-threat search and rescue. They recognized that if a SAR mission was predestined to fail, it should not be attempted and other options such as special operations, diversionary tactics and other creative approaches tailored to the situation had to be considered. Recognizing the need for an aircraft that could deliver better close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
, the US Air Force introduced the A-7 Corsair. The military also improved the night capability of helicopters and area denial munitions.
During the Vietnam War, U.S. SAR forces saved 3,883 lives at the cost of 71 rescuers and 45 aircraft.
World War I
In 1915, during the First World War, Squadron Commander Richard Bell-DaviesRichard Bell-Davies
Rear-Admiral Richard Bell Davies VC, CB, DSO, AFC , also known as Richard Bell Davies was a British First World War fighter pilot and Royal Navy officer...
of the British Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
used his single-seat aeroplane to rescue his wingman who had been shot down in Bulgaria. His Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
citation included "Squadron-Commander Davies descended at a safe distance from the burning machine, took up Sub-Lieutenant Smylie, in spite of the near approach of a party of the enemy, and returned to the aerodrome, a feat of airmanship that can seldom have been equalled for skill and gallantry."
On 21 April 1917, Captain Richard Williams of the Australian Flying Corps landed behind enemy lines to rescue a downed comrade.
Vietnam War
In 1972, during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
Iceal Hambleton
Lieutenant Colonel Iceal E. "Gene" Hambleton was an officer of the United States Air Force, famous for being the subject of a long and costly search and rescue mission during the Vietnam War. During the rescue, he used the callsign "Bat 21 Bravo"...
, a USAF navigator with a background in ballistic missile technology and missile countermeasures, was the sole survivor of an EB-66 shot down during the Easter Offensive. He eluded capture by North Vietnamese forces until his rescue 11½ days later. During the rescue operation
Rescue of Bat 21 Bravo
The rescue of Bat 21 Bravo, the call sign for Iceal "Gene" Hambleton, from behind enemy lines was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War. On April 2, 1972, the third day of the Easter Offensive, Hambleton was a navigator aboard one of two...
, five aircraft were shot down, eleven US servicemen were killed and two men were captured. The rescue operation was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. It has been the subject of two books and the largely fictionalized film Bat*21.
Others
The United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) 24th Special Tactics Squadron
24th Special Tactics Squadron
The 24th Special Tactics Squadron is one of the Special Tactics units of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command .-Disposition:Based at Pope Air Force Base the 24th STS is among the premier Special Tactics Squadrons in the Air Force....
was involved in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
On June 2, 1995, a USAF F-16C
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
was shot down by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
near Mrkonjić Grad
Mrkonjic Grad
Mrkonjić Grad is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska entity. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina, between Banja Luka and Jajce.-Name:...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. The American pilot, Scott O'Grady
Scott O'Grady
Scott Francis O'Grady is a former USAF Captain and former United States Air Force fighter pilot who gained prominence after the June 2, 1995 Mrkonjić Grad incident, in which he ejected over Bosnia when his F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 while he was patrolling the no-fly zone...
, ejected safely and was rescued six days later. The operation became known as the Mrkonjić Grad incident
Mrkonjic Grad incident
The Mrkonjić Grad incident was the shooting down of a United States Air Force F-16C by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile near Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on June 2, 1995...
.
See also
- Non-combatant evacuation operationNon-combatant Evacuation OperationA non-combatant evacuation operation or NEO is an operation conducted to evacuate civilians from another country, generally due to a deteriorating security situation.-United States:...
(evacuation of civilians from an area of conflict)