RAAF P-8A assists in civilian SAR mission
The Royal Australian Air Force’s new (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon aircraft has assisted in a search and rescue (SAR) operation approximately 50km south of Mount Gambier, Victoria, the RAAF announced on 17 May.
During a training mission from its RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, the P-8A Poseidon intercepted a mayday call from a distressed vessel, the MV Port Princes, on 16 May 2017. Port Princes was taking on water with four crew on board.
The P-8A assisted the rescue of the vessel's captain and crew by providing communications assistance and relaying real-time imagery of the event to the Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra.
This is the first SAR response completed by P-8A Poseidon since the aircraft’s arrival in Australia in November 2016. The aircraft is still undergoing test and evaluation activities before a formal introduction into service.
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