Photo By Airman 1st Class Albert Morel | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel Magura, 52nd Operations Support Squadron, Survival...... read more read more
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SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Pilots assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron participated in Combat Survival Training (CST) led by 52nd Operations Support Squadron Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) specialists at Spangdahlem Air Base, Aug. 22, 2024.
CST aims to instill confidence in aircrew members and ensure their ability to evade capture and facilitate their rescue in the event of being isolated in contested territory.
“Training like this is important because the SERE skills and knowledge that the pilots have don't get used on a day-to-day basis,” said Staff Sgt. Samuel Magura, 52nd OSS SERE noncommissioned officer in charge of operations and training. “It's an opportunity for them to rehone what they already know about SERE, sharpen those skills and practice them in case they face isolation anywhere in the world.”
The day-long training consisted of an academic portion in the morning and a field exercise in the afternoon and evening, including equipment familiarization with a Combat Survivor/Evader Locator radio (CSEL). CSELs enable friendly forces to locate isolated personnel, communicate with rescue teams and navigate to and from specific points to afford a faster opportunity for rescue.
The German team also employed a drone that offered the search team a bird's eye view of the area and enhanced their capabilities with infrared vision.
While in the field, the trainees simulated ejecting from their aircraft into an austere location and were challenged to avoid search teams while they traveled to evacuation checkpoints.
“I was truly impressed with how swift and efficient the German search and rescue teams acted,” said Maj. Garret Wilson, 480th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot. “I will admit, my favorite part of these exercises is getting a first hand look at how our partners operate.”
Throughout the training, members of the 52nd Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog teams collaborated closely with local Polizei forces and the Trier, Germany search and rescue unit to locate the pilots, further strengthening their interoperability for potential future emergencies.
“This CST was different from previous ones because we're taking more modern, contemporary lessons learned,” said Magura. “We also just had a wider breadth of supporting agencies, such as our German counterparts, which was great.”
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2024 10:35 |
| Story ID: | 479303 |
| Location: | SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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