74 EFS conducts CSAR training with Bulgarian military

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Luke Kitterman
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  The 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron continued Combat Search and Rescue training during its micro deployment to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, this month.

The CSAR training involved 74th EFS A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft, assigned to the 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., integrating with a Bulgarian AS-532 Cougar helicopter to help locate, verify and extract surviving Airmen.

"Our ability to work with our allies ensures that if we were ever to have a combat search and rescue scenario for real, we are going to be well trained," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Thomas Ainscough, 74th EFS chief of plans. "It gives us a dedicated playbook to reference when we need to execute these complicated and dynamic missions. We will be used to working with each other to rescue that survivor."

For one CSAR training mission, the role of the survivor was played by Italian air force Capt. Roberto Manzo, a 74th EFS A-10 exchange pilot, who was simulating being located in enemy territory.

"There were threats for everyone involved in this scenario," Manzo said. "Ground threats surrounding my position pose a problem for the A-10 pilots, the helicopter crew and of course, me. We all have to work together to overcome those obstacles and make sure we don't have another person end up like me, the survivor. There are a lot of lives involved to get me home and that is why this training is so important."

The 74th EFS and the Bulgarian military conducted numerous CSAR training missions in February and will continue to do so with the goal of enhancing interoperability and perfecting the CSAR capability.