Romania conducts aerial and maritime search and rescue training

Romania is conducting major training exercises to enhance its search and rescue capabilities across both mountain and maritime environments.

In the Bucegi Massif, a new comprehensive aerial rescue training program has launched for SMURD helicopter crews and Salvamont mountain rescuers. Organized by the Department for Emergency Situations and the General Inspectorate of Aviation, the program features expertise from REGA – Swiss Air-Rescue. Over the next three years, the initiative will provide regular training sessions to improve coordination, safety, and response times during mountain interventions.

Simultaneously, the inter-institutional maritime exercise ‘SAREX 2026’ is taking place in Romanian territorial waters east of Tuzla – Cap Aurora. Coordinated by the Romanian Naval Authority through MRCC Constanța, the exercise involves the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The drill utilizes IAR 330 Puma helicopters and various naval and terrestrial assets to simulate complex emergencies, including medical evacuations, person-in-peril searches, and shipboard fire responses.