By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitkans may notice unfamiliar helicopters in the skies this week, flying alongside the Jayhawks from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka.
The Sitka air station is hosting a search and rescue training exercise Tuesday through Thursday.
“There’s going to be more helicopter activity,” said Lt. Jon Orthman, coordinator and project officer at the Sitka air station.
Among the aircraft joining in the exercise with the Sitka-based MH-60T Jayhawks will be an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and a CH-149 Cormorant from the Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron.
A Royal Canadian Airforce CH-149 Cormorant. (Photo provided)
Participants are USCG Air Station Sitka, Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron from Base Comox, USCG Air Station Kodiak, and U.S. Air Force 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron from Fort Wainwright.
The Dolphins are smaller than the Jawhawks, and the Canadian Cormorant will be recognized by its yellow color and red stripes, Orthman said.
He said the exercise is a professional exchange training event, giving Canadian and U.S. branches of service the chance to learn search and rescue techniques from one another, including how each approaches particular search and rescue scenarios.
“Before COVID we did this fairly regularly,” Orthman said. “We’re trying to get this relationship going again now that the borders are open again and we have the ability to do international cross training.”
Not all of the activity will be visible from town because some of the scenarios will involve search and rescues on the high seas, but the public should definitely notice an increase in air traffic, he said.
