New team of Carpathian Pumas Detachment, in Mali

The troops of the Carpathian Pumas Detachment took over on Tuesday the missions from their colleagues who acted, between October 2019 - April 2020, in the first rotation of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Republic of Mali / MINUSMA, shows a release from the Ministry of National Defence (MApN). The second-rotation airmen who took over the mission for the following months performed reconnaissance and familiarization flights in the area of operations both during the day and at night and performed exercises according to the airborne medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) / casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) scenarios. Since October 2019, Romania has been contributing, for a year, to the international peacekeeping efforts with an Air Force detachment consisting of 120 staff and 4 IAR-330 Puma L-RM helicopters. In an environment with an extreme climate, in which mobility is difficult due to distances and almost non-existent infrastructure, the four IAR-330 Puma L-RM helicopters represent an essential capability to support the UN's efforts to stabilize the area. Between October 2019 and April 2020, the Carpathian Pumas detachment (rotation I) completed 195 combat missions (MEDEVAC / CASEVAC, reconnaissance, research and surveillance, patrolling, cargo and passenger transport), totaling 740 flight hours, reminds MApN. Two rapid deployments (lasting a maximum of 96 hours) were also carried out in support of UN operations in other sectors - Mopti and Kidal. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi; editor: Simona Iacob)