Aside from there combat dutys, Pararescue goes after the lost in the mountains of Alaska, the deserts of Arizonia, and were part of the response to hurricane Katrina, when there not busy doing Medavacs in hot LZs in A-stan. They'll let your guys have being the best in the toughest mountains. Odds are they have been known to train together anyway.
Really I just like spreading knowledge of the exploits of Pararescue. Of Americas elite forces they always seem to get the least credit. At least compared to SEALs, and Green Berets.
We have non-military rescue services here also. In most states, its the responsibility, of the state police, and the state resources agency (think Game Wardens another group who don't get enough credit)
They say the plane has crashed right on the ridge between the two peaks of Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden. They've found wreckage on glaciers on both sides of the mountain. I must say I have a very hard time believing they're gonna find any survivors. I doubt anyone survived the crash. And even if they did, the weather would probably have killed them by now.
And the latest is that the most of the pieces of wreckage they've found are on the west side. Rabot's glacier, the most extreme mountain terrain in Sweden. They've also said it was a heavy crash.
Originally posted by Risto:There is an alarm when you on dangerous altitudes, maybe that was plan of some kind of training though (or was there no training at the time?)
The plane was going to Kiruna, to pick up Swedish troops for the exercise. They did try to make it "real" by giving the plane escort.
Aaron: I'm sure they were quite aware of the fact that there was an almost 7000 feet mountain in the are they were flying in. I think it must've been some kind of technical error. There are reports that they didn't hold their safety margin of 1000 feet to the mountains though. But they definitely knew they were supposed to fly high.
