Inside the high-altitude rescue operations of Argentina’s Lama Squadron

The Lama Squadron is the only air unit in South America that has reached the highest peak on the continent and is one of the few helicopter units equipped for high-altitude rescue missions. Santiago Rivas explains how they can operate above 16,500ft.

No IV Brigada Aérea of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA; Argentine Air Force) is based in Mendoza, close to the highest part of the Andes, with Cerro Aconcagua – the highest mountain outside Asia – standing at 22,837ft just 100km to the west.

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