Each crew had to tackle a demanding and precisely defined series of tasks that tested their piloting skills, crew cooperation, communication, and spatial coordination. The tasks were as follows:
1. Precision Landing – The aircraft had to land as close as possible to a marked spot.
2. Rapid Transit – A flight to the operational area, where a rescuer was deployed by winch.
3. Load Manipulation – Using the winch, the crew had to move a slung object between two barrels and place it precisely without it touching the ground.
4. Hoist Precision – The helicopter crew had to use the hoist to place a circular object (a hoop) onto a barrel without dropping it.
5. Target Toss – Next, the hoisted rescuer had to throw a heavy medicine ball into a designated basket.
6. Hook Recovery – The final task required using the winch to hook an object on the ground that was fitted with an eyelet. This was a high-precision finale where millimetres mattered.
These tasks simulate a combination of real-world SAR scenarios, such as evacuations, material transport, cargo handling in complex environments, and personnel rescue.
Participants and Aircraft: A Mission-by-Mission Overview
Below is a detailed description of each crew’s performance, presented in sequence, including helicopter types, technical equipment, and rescue gear.
PZL W-3A Sokol (Czech Republic – Air Rescue Service, tail no. 0714)
This light, Polish-made helicopter demonstrated high manoeuvrability and excellent winch work during the rescuer deployment. The crew drew on years of experience from civilian missions with this reliable and highly controllable aircraft. In its SAR/HEMS configuration, the PZL W-3A Sokol is fully equipped for providing emergency medical assistance even in the most challenging terrain and weather conditions. It features a Lucas hoist with an 80-metre cable and a maximum underslung load capacity of 270 kg, enabling the safe recovery of individuals from the ground and inaccessible locations. For low-visibility or night operations, it is equipped with a 1600W Nightsun xenon searchlight, which significantly aids in locating injured persons and coordinating rescue efforts in the dark.
Medical equipment includes, among other things: an ECG, a suction unit, monitors, a resuscitation bag, vacuum splints, an emergency backpack, a defibrillator, a stretcher, a ventilator, and other essential instruments for pre-hospital care.
Mil Mi-17 (Czech Republic – Kbely Air Base, no. 0849)
The heavy military helicopter successfully managed the rescuer deployment, precise load guidance, transfer, and final hook recovery. Its powerful engines allowed for a stable hover, even in gusty wind and under a heavy load. This particular helicopter is one of two (along with no. 0848) that will replace the last retiring Mi-8S in the government transport flight, as it can be fitted with a cabin featuring bus-style seating. This conversion is scheduled for the end of October or early November this year.
Mil Mi-17 (Czech Republic – Flight Training Centre Pardubice, no. 0825)
The training version of the Mi-17 handled the competition tasks with surprising precision. The crew effectively managed load guidance and coordination with the hoisted rescuer. At the end of their display, the pilots performed a low pass over the spectators followed by a 180-degree turn with a significant pitch change.
Leonardo AW101 Merlin (Norway, no. 0265)
This 23-metre-long, three-engine behemoth handled the precision tasks with ease despite its size. The rescuer demonstrated both strength and skill—their medicine ball toss was one of the most accurate of the day. The helicopter is powered by three Rolls-Royce Turbomeca turboshaft engines and can carry up to 5 tonnes of load (personnel, cargo, or underslung). Its high-visibility colour scheme is perfectly suited for SAR missions.
Throughout the competition, crews from other nations also delivered top-tier performances. The winning team was the German Airbus H145 LUH SAR, which impressed with its precision piloting and flawless handling of its dual hoist, deservedly taking first place. The Slovak Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk also stood out, excelling in load transfers and hoisting operations with excellent team coordination and a standard hoist capacity of 270 kg.
The Belgian NH90 TTH was notable for its consistent, penalty-free performance, with its modern avionics assisting the crew in executing precise manoeuvres. The Spanish variant of the NH90 excelled in technical disciplines, such as transferring the object between the barrels. Among the lighter aircraft, the AS365N Dauphin in Lithuanian colours was a surprise performer, completing all tasks despite its smaller load capacity. The German Navy’s Sea Lynx Mk88A demonstrated excellent stability and brilliant hovering manoeuvres, particularly during slung load operations. The competition’s finale featured a Czech Mi-171Š (from the Náměšť nad Oslavou base, no. 9825), whose crew concluded the event with a professional performance backed by extensive experience from domestic and international missions, even in light rain. Another Czech W-3A participated as well, not competing but documenting and photographing the other helicopters. An Austrian crew also flew in with a Cessna C-182—the only fixed-wing participant—which remained on the ground throughout the event.
Galileo Satellites: Saving Lives
Galileo is Europe’s satellite navigation system, serving as a civilian alternative to the American GPS. It is designed to provide highly accurate positioning services independent of military systems, with applications ranging from everyday navigation to crisis situations. One of Galileo’s key features is its Search and Rescue (SAR) service, which is integrated with the international Cospas-Sarsat rescue system. This service not only enables the rapid detection of distress signals from personal locator beacons but also provides a return link confirmation, notifying the user that their call for help has been received and assistance is on the way—a unique feature not offered by other GNSS systems. The system incorporates atomic clocks and ensures global coverage with 27 satellites in low, medium, and high Earth orbits.
At the Galileo SAR Meet 2025, a new type of personal locator beacon that utilizes Galileo technology was unveiled. This modern device is smaller, lighter, and more accurate than its predecessors, making it ideal for use in challenging terrain, at sea, or in aviation. Its positioning accuracy is unprecedented, at around 20 cm.
Throughout the event, media interviews were conducted with crew members, rescuers, and squadron commanders, as well as with a rescued Norwegian fisherman who had firsthand experience with the Galileo system and a subsequent SAR helicopter rescue. YOU CAN READ THE INTERVIEWS HERE.
Photo credit for all images in the article and gallery: Ilja Petřík
Sources: Galileo SAR Meet 2025, 24th Air Transportation Base Prague-Kbely, Czech Air Force
