12/07/2023
On July 10, 2023, around 7 p.m., Commander Ronan's A400M took off for a search and rescue (SAR) mission off the coast of Guam.
It's 6:30 p.m., the three stretchers are secured to the floor of the plane, and the American and British medical teams have carried out the medical evacuation scenario for the exercise in which the A400M of the Pegase 23 mission is participating.
While the final straps are being adjusted in the cargo hold, the flight commander, Commander Ronan, receives an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast from the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia in the cockpit – a boat is adrift west of the island of Rota. The announcement echoes in the back of the plane : « End of the MEDEVAC exercise. Disembarkation of all passengers. Departure imminent for a SAR mission. » It will take less than ten minutes for the loadmasters to unload the plane and prepare for the search mission over the Pacific Ocean as night falls.
At 6:50 p.m., the plane is taxiing and will leave the ground shortly before 7 p.m.
The search and rescue (SAR) chain is in place near the side door, and the two loadmasters equip themselves with their night vision binoculars (NVB), harness up, and stand ready to open the doors on each side of the cargo hold.
The plane begins its search trajectory in a 70Nm by 25Nm area. With the side doors open, the eyes of the loadmasters and pilots from the cockpit scan the darkening waters. 20 minutes pass before a boat is spotted. Commander Ronan proceeds with radio identification and light signaling. « Vessel Horizon, this is aircraft CARVEX 55, please confirm that you have my aircraft in sight. We are currently orbiting above your position. » It's the right boat — the skipper confirms seeing the A400M's landing lights and hearing it above him. An engine failure condemned him to drift, with 11 people on board and the battery as their only power source.
The decision is made not to drop a SAR buoy ; the passengers are safe, the boat is not at risk of sinking, and the crew keeps sight of the drifting hull. The A400M positions itself above the distressed vessel, 500 feet above sea level, and maneuvers in racetracks to maintain visual contact and guide the rescue team from the Department of Public Safety, already en route.
The sea is rough, and the strong winds are not favorable. The Coast Guard Cutter, which announced a few minutes to reach the location, doesn't arrive and eventually turns back due to the challenging conditions. As the delay lengthens, U.S. civilian and military resources reorganize while the A400M tirelessly maintains its position above the boat.
The A400M and its crew maintained visual contact for five hours before being relieved, less than one hour from reaching the fuel limit, by an HC-130 from the Royal Canadian Air Force, also present in Guam as part of the Mobility Guardian 23 exercise.
When the A400M left the position around midnight, the eleven people were still safe, and a U.S. Navy MH-60 Nighthawk helicopter was en route to rescue them within the hour.
Upon descending from the plane, Commander Ronan, exhausted by the long hours of low-altitude flying and surveillance under NVB, confides : « It is in these moments that the mission takes on its full meaning. Thanks to the A400M, we were able to locate the boat in record time. » Lieutenant Felix, the co-pilot on the mission, recounts : « Over the radio, we could feel that the presence of the plane above them reassured the passengers on the boat. We set out for a training exercise with our partners, and we ended up rescuing real people. »
At the end of this long day, the cooperation developed since the arrival of the Airmen from the Pegase 23 mission in Guam was materialized by the rescue of eleven people through the joint efforts of U.S., French, and Canadian civilian and military resources.
