Air Rescue Service

Air Rescue Service was a separate USAF Command of Military Air Transportation Service (MATS) a major command of the United States Air Force.

Air Rescue Service was established in 1946 and served the USAF proudly during the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts. Rescue's worth was proven time and again &mdash; 996 combat saves in Korea and 2,780 in Southeast Asia. The crews, both fixed wing and helicopter had but one motto: "These things we do that others may live."

The structure and strength of rescue in the modern Air Force is a small shell of the force structure that served from 1946 through to the end of the Vietnam Era.

Origins
There is always a first. In the case of the Helicopter, the mainstay of the post WWII USAF rescue structure, it was Lt. Carter Harmon who made the first AAF helicopter rescue, in Burma behind Japanese lines on April 25-26, 1944. First Air Commando sergeant pilot Ed “Murphy” Hladovcak had crash landed his L-1 light plane with three wounded British solders on board. Taxing his YR4 helicopter to its performance limits, Harmon made four flights to the site, making the final hasty liftoff just as shouting soldiers burst from the jungle. He learned later the soldiers were not Japanese, but an Allied land rescue party.

In March 1946 the Air Rescue Service was established under the Air Transport Command to provide rescue coverage for the continental United States. By 1949, ARS aircraft covered the world’s transport routes.

Korea
During the Korean War, the increased use of helicopters on rescue missions became a dominant factor in saving lives. By the war’s end, ARS crews were credited with the rescue of 9,898 United Nation’s personnel; 996 were combat saves.

After the Korean War, the USAF Air Rescue Service resumed worldwide operations for rescue coverage and ARS Squadrons flew hundreds of humanitarian relief and rescue missions.

In 1966 the ARS was redesignated as the ARRS (Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service) to reflect its additional role of support for the U.S. space flights.

Vietnam War
The Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service peacetime force was not equipped, trained, or structured to meet the demands of war in Southeast Asia in the early 1960s. As lessons were learned the rescue capability increased during that war, ARRS crews saved 4,120 people — 2,780 people in combat situations.

The primary helicopter in the Air Force inventory was the HH-43B "Huskie" manufactured by Kaman Aircraft. It was designed for ease of control for assignment as part of each base operations aircraft. A fire and crash rescue concept was added by the manufacturer as an incentive for selection of that model helicopter. It was slow and un-armed having been procured for a local base recovery (LBR) mission which included the fire suppression concept whith an external foam bottle and firefighters as part of the crew.

During June 1961 the HH-43 helicopters, crews, and support personnel of the various major commands were re-assigned to Air Rescue Service as their single command structure. Standardized training and mission concepts were implemented.

As the Vietnam conflict esculated the rescue detachments from the contentinal bases were deployed to the Vietnam and South East Asia (SEA) with the new nickname “Pedro.” Its combat radius of only 75 miles was increased with added fuel drums strapped in the cabin and on arrival of the armored HH43F model used for an area crew recovery mission concept (ACR) with internal range extension tanks. The HH-43F units were staffed with USAF Pararescue personnel as part of the combat recovery team. Throughout the conflict both HH-43B and HH-43F helicopters flew deep into North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. HH-43s accounted for more lives saved than any other rescue helicopter in the Vietnam War. In July 1965 ARS received its first CH-3C, an aircraft considered an adequate aircrew rescue vehicle. The HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant" and HH-53B/C "Super Jolly Green Giant" helicopters were manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.. With the introduction of the Lockheed HC-130N/P and air-refuelable HH-3E in June 1967 and the delivery of the HH-53B (the first helicopter specifically designed for CSAR operations) later that year, both dual engined helicopters, Military Airlift Command, a multi-engine operator, considered that they had the right force structure for combat rescue operations in Vietnam.

Other aircraft that were on the rescue mission team included the low- and slow-flying forward air controller, or “Nail,” was a frequent rescue force component who served as on-scene commander until the A1E Sandys’ arrival, helping locate the downed crewman, marking his location with smoke for the Sandys and pickup helicopter, and directing aircraft ground attacks. In 1970 OV-10A "Broncos" began working with search and rescue forces, replacing slower unarmed O-1 Bird Dogs and O-2 Skymasters as FAC aircraft. OV-10s equipped with PAVE NAIL night observation equipment could locate survivors at night or in bad weather and helped development of rescue operations relying more on advanced technology than merely courage, firepower and tactics.

Current
Currently the USAF's air rescue mission comes under the 23rd Wing at Moody AFB, GA as of October 1, 2006. The two current operational groups are the 347th Rescue Group, at Moody AFB, GA and the 563rd Rescue Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. The 347th RQG has one HC-130P Squadron, the 71st Rescue Squadron (RQS), one HH-60 Squadron, the 41st RQS, and one Guardian Angel Pararescue squadron, the 38th RQS. The 563rd RQG has one HC-130P squadron, the 79th RQS, two HH-60 squadrons the 55th RQS at Davis-Monthan AFB and the 66th RQS at Nellis AFB NV. They also have two Guardian Angel Pararescue squadrons, the 48th RQS at DM and the 58th RQS at Nellis. Current assets include the HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopters, HC-130 Hercules aircraft and soon the addition of the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Wart Hog) fighter. The A-10s are scheduled for 2007 as part of current AF force realignments to be stationed at Moody AFB, GA as part of the 23rd Fighter Group. The 563rd RQG does not have A-10s under their group, but is colocated with the A-10s of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

These aircraft, which are designed for close-air support, are woven tightly into rescue operations. A-10s are involved in the combat search and rescue mission by neutralizing enemy threats to friendly survivors on the ground and can engage with a 30mm Gatling gun, unique only to A-10s. The gun allows the A-10 to fire on enemy targets with precision in close proximity to friendly forces. A-10s are to be used to escort the HH-60 helicopters and HC-130s during rescue operations.

The 23rd Wing will carries the heritage and banner of the renowned Flying Tigers, which fought against the Japanese in World War II. The unit earned fame by advancing tactically against Japan's multiple successes early in the war. Lost, however, is the banner and shield of the old "Air Rescue Angel". But the banner is still near and dear in the hearts of all Rescue personnel committed to our war cry "These things we do, that others may live".

Weblinks

 * U.S. Air Force: Aerospace Rescue and Recovery — Southeast Asia to Apollo