The 2025 edition of the Galileo SAR Meet took place from 4 to 8 August at Kbely Air Force Base in Prague, Czech Republic. Organised in cooperation with the European Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the event included the usual professional symposium focused on the latest developments in search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, and the SAR competition for participating crews.
The Galileo SAR service was officially launched on 15 December 2016 as part of Galileo Initial Services and the European Union Space Programme. Within that framework, the Galileo satellite system – commonly nicknamed “the European GPS” – has been used to shorten reaction times during search-and-rescue operations by quickly relaying radio beacon distress signals to the relevant SAR stations. In January 2020, the Galileo SAR system was upgraded to include the Return Link Service.
In addition, the Galileo SAR system is fully integrated into the international Cospas-Sarsat rescue network, ensuring the highest possible detection speed and location accuracy. According to official data, using the Galileo SAR system in response to a distress alert can reduce localisation time to ten minutes within a two-kilometre radius (compared to four hours and ten kilometres without the system).
Since its inception, the Galileo SAR programme has played an active role in supporting the training and operational integrity of European search-and-rescue units. One of such initiatives is the periodic gathering of SAR crews, known as the Galileo SAR Meet. The event aims to improve interoperability, deepen understanding of the Galileo SAR system, and provides updates on the latest developments in the SAR domain.
The first Galileo SAR Meet took place in October 2016 at Koksijde Air Force Base in Belgium. Similarly to NATO Tiger Meet, subsequent editions are usually organised by the unit that won the crew competition and was awarded the SAR Meet Trophy.
The previous edition of Galileo SAR Meet was held in August 2023 at Nordholz Air Base, home of Marineflieger (the German Naval Aviation). The 2023 SAR Meet Trophy was won by 243. vrtulníková letka (the 243rd Helicopter Squadron) from 24. základna dopravního letectva (the 24th Transport Air Base) of the Czech Air Force. In accordance with tradition, the organisation of the 2025 edition was therefore entrusted to the Czech unit, and it took place at the squadron’s home base in Prague-Kbely.
The 24th Transport Air Base, located in the north-eastern part of Prague, was officially formed in 2003. It comprises three squadrons equipped with Airbus A319CJ airliners, CASA C-295M/MW tactical airlifters and Let L-410 light transport aircraft, as well as Mil Mi-17 and PZL W-3A Sokół helicopters.
As the primary transport unit of the Czech Armed Forces, the base is responsible for the VIP transport duties, including the President, Prime Minister and other senior state officials, as well as visiting dignitaries. The base squadrons also provide troop and equipment transport within NATO, European and United Nations-led operations, conduct long-range medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions, and support national representation activities, such as transporting the Czech Olympic Team.
In addition, the base contributes to the national Integrated Rescue System, which includes permanent SAR duty carried out by the 243rd Helicopter Squadron.
The 2025 edition of the Galileo SAR Meet featured SAR units from seven European countries.
The German Armed Forces deployed two SAR teams: 7. Staffel (the 7th Squadron) of Transporthubschrauberregiment 30 (the 30th Transport Helicopter Regiment) “Tauberfranken” and Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (the 5th Naval Air Wing) of the German Naval Aviation.
The 30th Transport Helicopter Regiment is part of Heeresfliegertruppe (the German Army Aviation Corps) and, besides its military transport duties, is also integrated into the country´s search-and-rescue system. For this purpose, the Regiment operates three SAR air stations in Niederstetten, Nörvenich and Holzdorf, equipped with the Airbus Helicopters H145M LUH SAR (Light Utility Helicopter – Search and Rescue) aircraft.
The 5th Naval Air Wing, based at Nordholz, provides SAR coverage over the North and Baltic Seas. The unit operates Westland Super Lynx Mk 88A and NHIndustries NH90 Sea Lion/Sea Tiger helicopters. Although both the NH90 and the Lynx variants were initially expected to participate, only the Lynx took part in the Prague event.
Nevertheless, two other NH90 helicopters arrived at Kbely. The first was the NH90 NFH Caiman from 40ste Smd MAR/SAR (the 40th Heli Squadron) of the Belgian Air Component. Based at Koksijde, the squadron focuses on transport, anti-submarine warfare and the SAR duties.
Another NH90 came to Prague from Spain. Known locally as the NH90 TTH Lobo, the rotorcraft belonged to Escuadron 803 (the 803rd Squadron) of ALA48 (the 48th Wing) of Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (the Spanish Air and Space Force). Besides its usual military duties, the unit is also responsible for the SAR operations in the central and western parts of the country.
The AgustaWestland AW101 Mk 612 SAR Queen was one of the most interesting rotorcraft that took part in the 2025 edition of the meeting. The helicopter, already mentioned a few times on our site, was operated by No. 330 Squadron of Luftforsvaret (the Royal Norwegian Air Force) – for more information about the unit and its rotorcraft, please refer to one of our previous articles: RNoAF expands its SAR capability with new Tromsø AW101 base, The King is dead, long live the Queen! and AgustaWestland AW101 SAR Queen.
The Eurocopter AS365 N3+ Dauphin, a helicopter well known from the previous edition of the Galileo SAR Meet, arrived in Kbely from Lithuania. The rotorcraft was operated by Lietuvos karinės oro pajėgos (the Lithuanian Air Force) and has been part of the country’s SAR service since its re-establishment in 2013.
Vzdušné sily Ozbrojených síl Slovenskej republiky (the Slovak Air Force) participated in the event with one of its latest acquisitions, the Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter. The rotorcraft was operated by 1. vrtuľníková letka (the 1st Helicopter Squadron) of 51. krídlo (the 51st Wing), the dedicated Slovak military helicopter unit, being based in Prešov.
The list of international participants of the Galileo SAR Meet 2025 was closed by Austria, who sent in a Cessna C182P Skylane light aircraft. Operated by Austro Control, that popular light aircraft is used for patrol duties.
Obviously, the domestic participation was the strongest one. The Czech team included the Mil Mi-17 and the PZL W-3A from the 243rd Helicopter Squadron, the winner of the previous edition of the meeting; the Mil Mi-171Sh from 222. vrtulníková letka (the 222nd Helicopter Squadron) of 22. základna vrtulníkového letectva (the 22nd Helicopter Base) in Náměšť nad Oslavou; the Mil Mi-17 from Centrum Leteckého Výcviku (the Flight Training Centre) in Pardubice; and, finally, the AeroVironment Puma 3 AE, an American unmanned aircraft system, operated by 533. prapor bezpilotních systémů (the 533rd UAS Battalion) from Prostějov.
As previously mentioned, the 2025 edition of the Galileo SAR Meet included the SAR contest, in which the participating crews had to prove their experience and fight for the trophies. The live-fly part of the trial comprised of the navigation and hoisting challenges designed to test flying skills, crew coordination and adaptability to changing environment. The navigation tasks involved locating mock casualties in challenging terrain, carrying out precision landings and marker drops, and performing hoist operations – all of which simulated realistic SAR scenarios.
The hoisting challenge tested the teamwork of the entire helicopter crew – the pilot, the winch operator, and the rescue man. Each part of that challenge was carefully observed by judges who did not hesitate to impose penalties for every single mistake.
The third part of the contest, the rescue and the ground crew challenge, involved also firefighters and mountain rescue teams. This stage of the competition focused on interoperability and teamwork during complex rescue tasks that included climbing, first aid and medical evacuation.
The EUSPA symposium provided an opportunity for the SAR professionals from different countries to share their experiences, exchange insights and meet with industry representatives and related organisations.
The most eye-catching part of the meeting was the aforementioned hoisting challenge, which concluded with a media day and a spotter event. This gave both the journalists and the aviation enthusiasts the opportunity to visit the 24th Transport Air Base and follow the event on site.
It should be noted that the media and spotter day was perfectly organised by the base personnel. Visitors to the Kbely airfield not only had the possibility to watch the crews during the challenge but also to attend the static display of helicopters operated by the base squadrons and take a look at the newest developments in the search-and-rescue sector, including the unmanned aircraft systems.
The helicopter static display was also one of the ultimate opportunities to see the Czech Mi-8PS helicopter, used by the 24th Transport Air Base for VIP transport duties. The last rotorcraft of the type, the Mi-8 “0835”, had already reached the end of its service life and was retired a few months after the event (Czech Air Force bids farewell to its last Mi-8 helicopter).
The abovementioned exhibition of unmanned systems included the WingtraRAY drone surveying system, the Primoco UAV and the LIAZ SkySpotter 152, both designed and manufactured in the Czech Republic, as well as the Airboxer ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) platform.
The 2025 edition of the Galileo SAR Meet was won by the German H145M crew from Transporthubschrauberregiment 30 of the German Army Aviation Corps. They not only excelled in the navigation challenge, wining the Navigation and Search Trophy, but also became the overall winner of the meeting, receiving the 2025 SAR Meet Trophy.
The rescue challenge was won by the AW101 team from the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The 222nd Helicopter Squadron from Náměšť nad Oslavou won both the ground crew and the hoisting challenges.
According to the tradition, the next edition of the Galileo SAR Meet should therefore take place in Germany, at one of the air stations operated by the 30th Transport Helicopter Regiment.
More information about the Galileo SAR system can be found in our report from the 2023 edition of the SAR Meet – Developing the better and effective rescue operations – Galileo SAR Meet 2023.
More images from the 2025 edition of the Galileo SAR Meet:
