Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out

during war that are within or near combat zones. [1]

A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack
aircraft, aerial refueling tankers and an airborne command post.[2] The USAF HC-130, which
was introduced in 1965, has served in the latter two roles
The First World War was the background for the development of early combat search and
rescue doctrine, especially in the more fluid theaters of war in the Balkans and the Middle
East.
In the opening fluid stages of the First World War the Royal Navy Air Service Armoured Car
Section was formed with armed and armoured touring cars to find and pick up aircrew who
had been forced down. When trench warfare made this impossible the cars were
transferred to other theatres, most notably the Middle East. [citation needed]
In 1915, during the First World War, Squadron Commander Richard Bell-Davies of the
British Royal Naval Air Service performed the first combat search and rescue by aircraft in
history. He used his single-seat aeroplane to rescue his wingman who had been shot down
in Bulgaria. His Victoria Cross citation included "Squadron-Commander Davies descended
at a safe distance from the burning machine, took up Sub-Lieutenant Smylie, in spite of the
near approach of a party of the enemy, and returned to the aerodrome, a feat of airmanship
that can seldom have been equalled for skill and gallantry." [4] Like the search and rescue
efforts of the future, Davies' action sprang from the fervent desire to keep a compatriot from
capture or death at the hands of the enemy.
It was during the Mesopotamian campaign that British and Commonwealth forces began to
use similar tactics on a larger scale. Shot down aviators in hostile Bedouin territory were
often located by search parties in the air and rescued. [5]

A Sikorsky HH-53B refueling during the Vietnam War.

During World War II, the Luftwaffe (Seenotdienst organization) operated armed
camouflaged air-sea rescue aircraft.[6]
During the Vietnam War the costly rescue of Bat 21 led the US military to find a new
approach to high-threat search and rescue. They recognized that if a SAR mission was
predestined to fail, it should not be attempted and other options such as special operations,
diversionary tactics and other creative approaches tailored to the situation had to be

considered. Recognizing the need for an aircraft that could deliver better close air support,
the US Air Force introduced the A-7 Corsair, originally a carrier-based Navy light attack
aircraft, to replace the Air Force's A-1 Skyraiders, an aircraft that also was originally a
carrier-based naval attack bomber.
As a result of the Vietnam CSAR experience, the US military also improved the night
capability of helicopters and area denial munitions. [7]:36
During the Vietnam War, U.S. SAR forces saved 3,883 lives at the cost of 71 rescuers and
45 aircraft.[7]:46

Notable CSAR missions[edit]

World War One[edit]
On 21 April 1917, Captain Richard Williams of the Australian Flying Corps landed behind
enemy lines to rescue a downed comrade.[8][9]

Vietnam War[edit]
In 1972, during the Vietnam War, Lt Col Iceal Hambleton, a USAF navigator/electronic
warfare officer with a background in ballistic missile technology and missile
countermeasures, was the sole survivor of an EB-66 shot down during the Easter Offensive.
He eluded capture by North Vietnamese forces until his rescue 11 days later. During the
rescue operation, five US military aircraft supporting the CSAR effort were shot down,
eleven US servicemen were killed and two men were captured. The rescue operation was
the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the
entire Vietnam War.[10] It has been the subject of two books and the largely fictionalized
film Bat*21.[11]

Others[edit]

Pararescuemen return with a downed pilot from a successful rescue mission in southern Iraq (2003).

The United States Air Force (USAF) 24th Special Tactics Squadron was involved in
the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.[12] Timothy Wilkinson, a Pararescueman, was awarded the Air
Force Cross for his heroic actions during the battle. [13]
On June 2, 1995, a USAF F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6surface-toair missile near Mrkonji Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The American pilot, Scott
O'Grady, ejected safely and was rescued six days later.[14] The operation became known as
the Mrkonji Grad incident.

In 1999, members of the United States Air Force Pararescue unit successfully rescued the
pilot of an F-117 "stealth" attack aircraft who was shot down over Yugoslavia while on
a NATO-led mission. The pilot was retrieved 6 hours after the incident. [15]

Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR)

Personnel recovery has become an increasingly important mission
area receiving added emphasis among OSD policy makers and
throughout DoD. It is significant that recent world events requiring
military planning options also involved the deployment of combat
search and rescue forces. In each instance, recovery assets were
among the first to arrive in theater so they would be ready to support
combat operations. Additionally, soon after planning began during
recent crises, the White House staff requested the Joint Staff provide
their concept of personnel recovery for the contingency for review.
Presidential interest was high concerning the safety of US military
forces and our ability to recover them if necessary.
The USAF has been designated by DOD as the lead service for
Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR). To meet the requirements of a
lead service, the Air Force has equipped and trained specialized
rescue forces to conduct CSAR.
The Army does not have dedicated CSAR units or aircraft; however,
CSAR is a secondary mission for Army aviation, medical evacuation
(MEDEVAC) units, and watercraft units. Additionally, ground maneuver
units could be assigned to accomplish CSAR operations. The
MEDEVAC units are being equipped with PLSs and can conduct
CSAR operations in addition to MEDEVAC operations.
Naval organic battle group CSAR assets consist of selected CSARtrained crews within each carrier-based helicopter antisubmarine
warfare squadron (HS). Squadrons equipped with HH-60H helicopters

are trained to conduct day and night CSAR and naval special warfare
(NSW) operations in a hostile environment against small arms and
infrared (IR) missiles. HH-60H crews are specially trained in nap-ofthe-earth and terrain flight, flying in hostile environments, night flying
using night vision goggles (NVG), and NSW support.
The Marine Corps views CSAR as an implied tasking that should not
detract from primary functions. Marine Corps forces perform selfsupporting recovery operations and external CSAR support through a
concept known as TRAP. Marine air-ground task forces (MAGTFs) do
not routinely train to conduct the search portion of CSAR, particularly in
a medium or high air threat environment. The TRAP mission differs
from CSAR in that it usually does not involve extended air search
procedures to locate possible survivors.
The primary operational task of rescue is to locate, communicate with,
and recover downed aircrews and isolated personnel. This primary
task can be broken into three sub-tasks. Locating the aircrew or
isolated personnel (survivor) by visual or electronic search methods to
pinpoint the survivor's location and permit recovery. Communicating
with the survivor by radio or visual signaling to conduct authentication.
Recover the survivor to return the survivor to friendly control and
provide the survivor necessary medical assistance.
Additional, non-rescue specific, operational tasks that must be
completed to accomplish the primary rescue task include: (1) provide
personnel and equipment to train rescue mission ready personnel, (2)
operate efficiently during peacetime, (3) airdrop rescue personnel and
equipment, (4) configure rescue equipment for deployment, (5) provide
self-protection for rescue assets, (6) conduct medical evacuation
operations, (7) provide intelligence support directly to the rescue
aircrew, (8) respond to and prepare for rescue mission execution, (9)
control alert and airborne rescue missions, and (10) support rescue
sortie production.

The ability to return isolated personnel to safety is a moral and ethical

imperative. American and coalition war fighters can rest assured the Air
Force will come to get them, no matter where they are. Today's
battlefields are non-linear and non-contiguous, changing shape and
venue with speed that outpaces and out-reaches legacy aircraft. The
Air Force must have a more capable next-generation CSAR aircraft to
better support US and coalition personnel isolated from friendly forces
by distance, threat, weather and enemy action. The Air Force is
committed to leaving no one behind - a commitment that gives all
members of the joint and coalition team the confidence to perform vital
work in hostile and uncertain circumstances.
The USAF has a long history of excellence conducting Search and
Rescue operations in times of conflict and in times of humanitarian
need. In World War II, Army Air Forces (AAF) elements partnered with
the British to demonstrate the first US aviation rescue capability. After
the war, the AAF consolidated Search and Rescue operations and
training under an organization that in 1964 became the Aerospace
Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS). During the Vietnam era, ARRS
CSAR Task Forces saved 4120 personnel, 2780 of those in combat.
"Jolly Green Giant" rescue crews were highly regarded by their fellow
aviators and highly rewarded for their heroism. They earned two
Medals of Honor, 39 Air Force Crosses, and countless Silver Stars.
Since 1979, the Air Force has awarded seven Mackay Trophies - given
annually for the year's most meritorious flight - for rescue mission
flights. Air Force CSAR Airmen have rescued over 470 members of the
joint and coalition team in the Central Command AOR alone since
9/11. Finally, in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes, Air Force
personnel rescued 4544 Americans from the flood-ravaged Gulf Coast.
Thanks to decades of successful Combat Search and Rescue
missions, America's enemies understand our commitment to
recovering isolated friendly forces. Unfortunately, America's enemies
have also repeatedly demonstrated they intend to exploit captured

personnel to undermine American strategic objectives. Effective CSAR

denies the enemy the ability to exploit our courageous war fighters by
returning them to safety. While other services do personnel recovery,
the Air Force is the only service with forces dedicated entirely to
CSAR. Whether stranded by downed aircraft, surrounded by a hostile
enemy, or abducted by terrorists, isolated personnel know they can
rely on our Air Force CSAR professionals to do their job. Every day
CSAR assets conduct operations across the spectrum of conflict.
These dangerous missions are inherently high risk.
To accomplish the primary task, the US Air Force currently maintains
two operational systems, the HC-130N/P and the HH-60G. The HC130 provides long-range search capability in a no-to-low threat
environment, day or night. The HC-130 also provides a limited
command and control link for all rescue assets during a rescue
mission, and extends the range of the rescue helicopter by providing
in-flight air refueling. The HH-60 provides limited search and recovery
of the survivor in up to a medium threat environment, day or night. If a
survivor requires immediate medical attention and cannot wait for the
arrival of the recovery helicopter, threat environment permitting,
specially trained Pararescuemen (PJ) can be airdropped to the
survivor using parachute deployments. Once on scene, the PJ will
stabilize the survivors and prepare them for recovery.
The threat environments that rescue assets operate within can be
adjusted by the use of supporting aircraft. Supporting aircraft providing
air-to-air, air-to-ground, and Suppression of Enemy Air Defense
(SEAD) coverage can degrade the threat, either temporarily or
permanently, permitting rescue assets to enter the area and execute
the recovery. Rescue forces may be augmented by these supporting
systems depending on the threat environment, distance to the survivor,
and availability of assets.