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Military Profile
Portugal’s 751 Squadron
Portugal’s 751 Squadron has flown rescue
missions as long as 800 nautical miles
round-trip without refueling — a testament
to the squadron’s discipline, teamwork, and
training. Lloyd Horgan Photo
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Lloyd Horgan Photo
With a base in the Azores and responsibility for one of the
largest search-and-rescue regions in the world, Portugal’s
751 Squadron performs ultra-long-range, over-water SAR
missions with discipline and professionalism.
by Elan Head
Winter 2014
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Military Profile
Portugal’s 751 Squadron
Powered by three Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines (now solely supported by Turbomeca), Portugal’s Merlins have a maximum take-off
weight of 15,600 kilograms (34,390 pounds). Their maximum cruise speed is 150 knots, but 751 Squadron typically cruises at around 120 knots.
Jorge Ruivo Photo
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P
Portugal is, by some measures, a small country. With a
land area of around 35,500 square miles (91,900 square
kilometers), it is about the same size as the state of
Maine, and its population of 10.5 million is only slightly
larger than that of New York City. But its strategic position on the North Atlantic — and more than 1,000 miles
of coastline — has given it an outsized role in history,
and the names of Portuguese explorers are still being
taught to schoolchildren around the world.
More than 500 years after Vasco de Gama became the
first European to sail directly to India, the Portuguese are
still ranging far and wide over the Atlantic Ocean. Now,
however, it’s in a search-and-rescue (SAR) capacity, and
the ships have changed, too. Portugal provides coverage
for the largest maritime SAR region in Europe, an area of
roughly 2.3 million square miles that spans about a third
of the North Atlantic. To do so, it relies heavily on the
Portuguese Air Force’s 751 Squadron, which operates a
fleet of AgustaWestland EH101 (now AW101) Merlin helicopters from three bases, including one in the Azores.
Making the most of the 101’s three engines and extended range capability, 751 Squadron performs ultra-longrange missions over the open ocean — often at night, in
bad weather, with no options for an emergency landing.
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Round trips of 700 nautical miles are not uncommon, and
the squadron has flown as far as 800 nautical miles on a
single SAR mission without refueling. With no room for
error, these exceptionally long-range missions demand
the utmost from 751 Squadron’s aircraft and personnel.
But the squadron has delivered on its motto of “para que
outros vivam” — “so that others may live” — saving
nearly 3,000 lives since its founding in 1978.
In September of last year, Vertical 911 met with 751
Squadron at its headquarters at Base Aérea No. 6 in
Montijo, Portugal, riding along for a nighttime SAR
training mission in the waters around Lisbon. There,
we learned how the squadron’s pilots, flight crews, and
maintainers work together with discipline and professionalism, “going the distance” in a way that few other SAR
programs are asked to do.
Standing Ready
Portugal’s 751 Squadron is part of a national SAR
system that integrates Air Force and Navy assets to
provide comprehensive SAR coverage on land and at sea.
The system includes two general rescue coordination
centers and two maritime rescue coordination centers;
there is one of each in Lisbon, the nation’s capital and
The EH101’s spacious cabin provides
ample room for maneuvering during
rescues. Jorge Ruivo Photo
The squadron places a high priority on training. Pilots and
crewmembers routinely practice different types of shipboard and
open water rescues. Jorge Ruivo Photo
largest city, and one of each in the Azores, the
nine islands that form an autonomous region of
Portugal approximately 1,000 miles west of the
mainland. There is also a maritime rescue subcenter in Portugal’s other autonomous region,
Madeira, an island archipelago west of Morocco
and north of the Canary Islands. The system’s
aviation assets are likewise well distributed: in
addition to standing ready at its Montijo base
near Lisbon, 751 Squadron maintains helicopters
on SAR alert at Lajes, in the Azores; and at Porto
Santo, in Madeira.
Today, 751 Squadron takes on a variety of missions as required, including aeromedical evacuations, VIP and tactical transport, and SIFICAP
(fishing patrols; the acronym stands for “sistema
integrado de vigilância, fiscalização e controlo
das actividades da pesca”). However, SAR
remains its primary focus, as it has been since
the squadron was founded more than 35 years
ago. The squadron commenced operations with
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters, which it
flew until acquiring its EH101 fleet in 2005 (and,
indeed, for a short time afterward, due to issues
Winter 2014
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Military Profile
Portugal’s 751 Squadron
According to pilot Rodolfo Gouveia, flight planning is the biggest challenge associated with 751 Squadron’s missions, especially its ultra-long-range missions out
of the Azores. “We have to be very careful with the weight of the helicopter,” he said. “We have to watch winds and thunderstorms.” Lloyd Horgan Photo
with bringing the Merlins online). Although the Pumas
served the squadron well — logging 30,000 flight hours
and helping save 1,800 lives — the upgrade to the 101
brought with it a leap in capabilities. Perhaps the greatest improvement was the 101’s increased range, which
nearly doubled the squadron’s radius of action. “We also
gained a lot of space,” noted Rodolfo Gouveia, a 751
instructor pilot who began his career with the squadron
in the Puma before transitioning to the 101. “We can
bring more people, more equipment.”
There are 12 Merlins in the 751 Squadron fleet, replacing the 12 Pumas it operated previously. Six of these are
in a basic SAR configuration, equipped for a standard
five-person SAR crew that includes a winch/systems
operator, a rescue swimmer, and a flight nurse, in addition to an aircraft commander and co-pilot. Another
four aircraft are in a combat search-and-rescue (CSAR)
configuration, with a tail and blades capable of folding
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for shipboard operations, as well as a missile approach
warning system, radar warning receiver, chaff and flares
dispenser, three general-purpose machine guns, and
armor plating. With the exception of the folding blades
and tail, SAR aircraft can be configured as CSAR aircraft,
and CSAR aircraft can also be used for general SAR
missions (although the squadron tries to avoid sending
them to the Azores, as their extra weight makes them
less suitable for ultra-long-range missions). The squadron also has two aircraft specifically configured for the
SIFICAP role; these, too, can be used for SAR missions
as required.
The squadron currently has 26 pilots, 16 rescue swimmers, and 15 winch/systems operators in its ranks, all of
whom have received rigorous training for their in-flight
roles (as have the nurses on SAR missions, although
much of theirs takes place outside the military system).
Pilot training in the Portuguese Air Force is similar to
Pilot training in the Portuguese Air Force is similar to the
United States Air Force system, with new pilots undergoing basic
flight training before splitting off into fighter, transport, or
helicopter tracks.
the United States Air Force system, with new pilots
undergoing basic flight training (in Socata TB 30 Epsilon
airplanes) before splitting off into fighter, transport, or
helicopter tracks. Helicopter conversion training is done
in the Sudaviation Alouette III, and new pilots typically
have close to 300 total flight hours by the time they
join 751 Squadron. From there, they follow a program of
training and operational experience to achieve aircraft
commander status, which, according to Gouveia,
typically takes around two years.
Rescue swimmers are selected on the basis of
competitive physical and psychological exams,
then undergo a rigorous training course provided
by the squadron. According to Paulo Candeias, a
swimmer who has been with the squadron since
2006, the course generally takes around seven
or eight months to complete, and involves training in a range of basic life-saving skills, followed
by helicopter training in increasingly advanced
maneuvers. “The worst mission we can do is
when we’re going down to small ships in heavy
seas,” Candeias said, noting that such missions
require precision from everyone involved to avoid
injury. “It’s a complicated situation at night. . . . If
something happens to us, we can’t complete the
mission.” (Here, the squadron benefits from the
101’s auto-hover capability, which has allowed
it to complete difficult rescues it could not have
attempted with the Puma.)
Meanwhile, winch operators are drawn
from the ranks of maintenance supervisors,
so they’re intimately familiar with the aircraft
even before undergoing mission-specific training. Consequently, they’re available during SAR
missions to advise the flight crew in a technical
capacity — a form of backup that Gouveia said is
particularly welcome on long over-water flights.
Altogether, there are around 30 aircraft maintainers in 751 Squadron; like the pilots and rescue swimmers, they alternate time at the Montijo
base with shorter deployments in the Azores and
Madeira. The squadron’s maintainers are responsible for first-level maintenance, and for clearing
aircraft for flight. More advanced maintenance
and inspection services are provided through
AgustaWestland, which provides comprehensive
operational support to the squadron through
a Full In Service Support (FISS) agreement.
AgustaWestland works closely with the squadron
to maximize operational availability for the fleet,
working with local talent and suppliers whenever
possible. The manufacturer maintains an office
at Base Aérea No. 6 in Montijo, where it has also made
substantial investments in hangar improvements, spares,
and information technology infrastructure.
“We are very much an integrated part of the squadron,”
said Bill Hodson, general manager of AgustaWestland
Portugal. “We want to get involved, we want to get
results, and we’re increasing the reputation of the support capabilities that AgustaWestland can provide.”
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Winter 2014
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Military Profile
Portugal’s 751 Squadron
The EH101 creates a significant amount of downwash, a factor that must be accounted for during
rescue operations. Jorge Ruivo Photo
The 751 Squadron Merlins have a winch capacity of 272 kilograms
(600 pounds). There are two winches on each Merlin: a primary winch
and a back-up electrical winch. Lloyd Horgan Photo
Rescue swimmers undergo a rigorous training program
and maintain a high level of physical fitness for their
demanding roles. Lloyd Horgan Photo
The squadron’s helicopters are thoroughly washed
after over-water flights to prevent corrosion.
Lloyd Horgan Photo
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AgustaWestland has a 15-year support contract with the Portuguese Ministry of Defense, with changes to the contract negotiated every five years. 751 Squadron maintainers conduct first-level
maintenance on the Merlins, while AgustaWestland conducts all inspections, scheduled maintenance, and emergent work from 150-hour, six-month and higher-level inspections. The manufacturer maintains a significant presence at Base Aérea No. 6 in Montijo. Jorge Ruivo Photo
When Every Minute Counts
Like many military organizations, the Portuguese Air
Force has suffered budget cuts in recent years, forcing
751 Squadron to cut back on its flight hours (which are
now down to around 1,750 hours per year). The squadron
can’t turn down calls for help, but neither has it wanted
to sacrifice on training, which is so critical to ensuring
that high-stakes, time-critical rescue missions go off
smoothly. Rather than reducing its training requirements,
the squadron has been focusing on “getting more efficient” with training, said Gouveia. A good example of this
was the nighttime SAR training mission that Vertical 911
witnessed, which involved hoisting exercises to ships
and open water in the river and ocean around Lisbon.
Three pilots and two swimmers took part in the mission,
taking turns fulfilling their recency requirements over the
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Military Profile
Portugal’s 751 Squadron
course of a single, well-organized flight, rather than over
multiple flights.
The squadron estimates that around half of its total
flight hours are devoted to training exercises, and this
practice pays off when it counts. On an ultra-long-range
SAR mission, a crew will only have 30 minutes on station
at an absolute maximum — which is not much time when
conditions are difficult, as they often are. As Gouveia
put it, “You need to be disciplined, fast, and you cannot
make any mistakes out there.” That said, pulling off an
800-nautical-mile SAR mission owes as much to planning as execution. Flight crews study weather reports
and forecasts carefully before their missions, and plan
their cruise flight at altitudes that optimize fuel burn
(they can also save around 440 pounds/200 kilograms
of fuel per hour by shutting down the 101’s third engine
during cruise). SAR missions with a radius of more than
120 nautical miles are typically supported by one of the
Portuguese Air Force’s EADS C-295 airplanes, the crew
of which can gather advance information for the helicopter crew to further aid in planning and preparation. In
situations involving a medevac or rescue from a ship, the
C-295 crew can also brief the ship’s captain on steps to
take during the rescue operation.
This down-to-the-second planning can mean the
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difference between life and death, observed Paulo
Candeias, who recalled one memorable rescue of a lone
sailor on a boat in distress. Struggling on his own in
rough conditions, the older man had been swept overboard, by which point he was so fatigued he failed to
inflate his life vest. When Candelas reached him, he was
face-down in the water, no longer breathing. “It was a
matter of one minute more and he wouldn’t have been
saved,” Candeias said.
That’s not the only rescue that sticks in Candeias’ mind,
but there are too many to recount them all. The walls at
751 Squadron’s headquarters in Montijo are hung with
used life vests and survival suits, and each one of them
tells a different story: of a husband who would live to
see his wife again, or a woman who would live to see her
first grandchild. The common theme is that all of them
were rescued by the crews and aircraft of 751. Asked
what he likes best about his job, Candeias said it’s the
looks on people’s faces when he arrives to rescue them.
“My favorite part is when someone is thinking they don’t
have any possibility of being rescued, and then we arrive
and take them from the water,” he said. It’s moments like
these that define 751 Squadron and its purpose — para
que outros vivam, “so that others may live.”
Sunrise silhouettes a 751 Squadron Merlin. Since
its founding in 1978, the squadron has helped
nearly 3,000 people live to see another day.
Jorge Santos Photo