A South Korean Air Force unit conducted a cold weather training Thursday on rescuing downed pilots.
The Special Airforce Rescue Team (SART) held the drill at the Chopyeong Reservoir in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, with more than 20 members and HH-32, HH-47 and HH-60 search and rescue choppers, according to the Air Force.
SART's key mission is to save pilots after emergency aircraft evacuations in hostile territory.
It also supports disaster relief operations in various situations, including aircraft accidents and forest fires.
In the exercise, the team simulated rescuing pilots who made an emergency exit into a river or lake in winter, the Air Force said.
Teams have only around 15 minutes to rescue a downed person from subfreezing water, it pointed out.
"We carried out tough training in bad conditions so that we are ready to rescue pilots, the core of the Air Force's combat power," SART commander Col. Ryu Hyun-wook said, adding that his unit's slogan is "Saving pilots, even if our life is abandoned."