The 11 SA330 Pumas have been on strength since 1974, but have undergone upgrades to SA330Ba standard with special SAR equipment.

A Puma is on alert sor SAR missions in Southwest France along the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean 24/7.

Pilots qualify for mountain flights and night SAR after 380 flying hours, after which the option of becoming a CSAR specialist can be chosen.

The Caracal's autopilot has an automatic hover mode and the flight engineer can take control of the aircraft above a landing area.

Introduced in 2006, the Caracal can carry 11 tonnes and offers a 250 nautical mile range.

The annual Combined Joint Personnel Recovery Standardisation Course trains participating nations in conducting multinational personnel recovery missions.