Four para
rescuemen and two combat rescue officers with Air Force Reserve Command’s 304th Rescue Squadron, Portland, Ore., helped save three mountain climbers and a dog trapped on Mount Hood Feb. 18. The climbers and their dog—roped together—had fallen through a snowy overhang on a ridge. The pararescuemen searched, sometimes in whiteout conditions, for more than 12 hours, using a directional antenna to pinpoint a mountain locator unit the climbers had activated, and marked a safe trail for follow-on rescuers. On Feb. 19, climbers and rescuers walked out to where they could ride down the mountain in a Snocat.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.