Around 10,000 people visited Koksijde Air Base in Belgium for an Open Door Day marking 80 years of the Belgian Air Force and 65 years of the country’s Search and Rescue Service.
Visitors were able to see more than 30 helicopters and aircraft through flying demonstrations, static displays and interactive activities, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space announced on Wednesday.
The event highlighted the Belgian Air Force’s NH90 NFH helicopters operated by the 40th Helicopter Squadron, which carries out search and rescue missions over the North Sea.
The Commission said Galileo — the European Union’s satellite navigation system — supports these operations by providing positioning, navigation and timing services.
How Galileo assists emergency searches
Galileo’s Search and Rescue service can help emergency teams locate distress signals in less than 10 minutes and narrow the search area from up to 10 kilometres to 2 kilometres or less, the Commission noted.
Galileo also includes a “Return Link Service” that automatically confirms to people in distress that their emergency signal has been received and their location identified.
The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) provides the Galileo Search and Rescue service, ensuring it is available and meets defined performance requirements.
