2005: A year of many firsts for the Air Force

2005 has been an exceptionally busy and exciting year for the Canadian Air Force. In this special issue of The Maple Leaf , we salute all members of the Air Force family, both military and civilian, on the ground and in the air, for another year of outstanding support to the Air Force and Canadian Forces’ mission and offer these highlights of 2005.

OPERATIONS

Training and deploying on operations is a fact of life in the more expeditionary Air Force of today, and 2005 was chalk full of exercises and deployments.

Op STRUCTURE – South East Asia

January 3 – Within seven days of the devastating tsunami that struck South East Asia, Air Force personnel across the country went above and beyond the call of duty to plan, build and airlift Disaster Assistance Response Team personnel, equipment and humanitarian aid to victims of the tsunami.

Op PLATEAU – Pakistan

October 18 – The Air Force delivered the first humanitarian aid to the people of Pakistan following the devastating earthquake there in October. Before it airlifted Disaster Assistance Response Team personnel later in the month, and co-ordinated the movement of DART equipment, a CC-130 Hercules carrying relief supplies landed in Pakistan within days of the quake and handed them over to Zahid Hamid (beige vest and white shirt), the Minister of State for Defence of Pakistan, under the watchful eye of David Collins (dark suit), Canada's High Commissioner to Pakistan and LCol Geordie Elms, the Canadian Defence advisor.

Op UNISON – United States

September 9 – The Air Force stepped up to help our American neighbours recover from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina last fall in a big way. The Air Force deployed various transport, tactical and maritime aircraft to support the overall CF contribution, which lasted approximately three weeks.

Op ATHENA – South West Asia

March 23 – A Canadian CC-130 Hercules, flying with the Theatre Support Element of Task Force Kabul, flew its 5 000th hour of airlift in support of Operation ATHENA, the Canadian commitment to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The Air Force has been supporting the campaign against terrorism since 2001.

Op CANOPY – Kashechewan

October 31 – A CC-130 Hercules aircraft from 8 Wing Trenton delivered a water purification unit and its operating team, including Cpl Keith Villeneuve of 86 Airfield Support Unit to the Kashechewan Reserve in northern Ontario after contaminated water was discovered. The detachment, comprising several Air Force personnel, produced enough potable water to meet the community’s daily needs during the operation.

Equipment

There was some outstanding news for the Air Force in 2005, including the announcement of new equipment and upgrades to existing kit.

February 18 – The second phase of the CF-18 Modernization Project kicked off at a special ceremony in Ottawa marking the next step in the $2.1 billion modernization upgrade of the Canadian fighter jet. The fighter jets will be equipped with a secure data and communications link that allows CF-18 crews to stay in constant contact with other jets, ground stations, and airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) to maintain awareness in their constantly evolving environment. New state-of-the-art colour display panels will provide pilots with improved access to flight data and communications. Their helmets will feature new visors that display readings from the instrument panel, so that pilots can maintain visual contact with a target and not look down. The aircraft will also be outfitted with a new missile countermeasures chaff/flare dispenser.

November 22 – A process to acquire at least 16 new aircraft, valued at between $4-5 billion, including a 20-year in-service support contract, commenced as part of the Tactical Airlift Project. The new aircraft will replace the older model CC-130 Hercules that have been in service (as seen here in 1964) since the early 1960s.

July 12 – The first CP-140 Aurora modernized with new electro-optics and infrared sensors rejoined the fleet at 14 Wing Greenwood after successful integration of this leading edge surveillance technology.

People

In the most recent issue of his newsletter to Air Force stakeholders, Crew Brief, the Chief of the Air Staff, LGen Steve Lucas, said “the Air Force is blessed with some of the most dedicated and highly skilled Canadians in its ranks.” Here are just a few of those individuals as we look back over their accomplishments in 2005.

The Air Force Association of Canada handed out its annual awards in October in Red Deer, Alberta. The awards recognize the “best of the best” in the Air Force. Sgt Deborah Hillier, an aerospace control operator, was named Air Person of the Year for her extraordinary efforts in ensuring the Dispatch Centre supports Wing operations.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presented Canadian Air Force member Maj Ghislain Sauvé, base construction engineering officer at CFB Borden, with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) on November 2. Britain gave the rare honour to Maj Sauvé for his engineering expertise while on exchange with British forces in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Maj Maryse Carmichael, the first female Snowbird in Canada, now posted to 3 Wing Bagotville, was named one of the top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in the category of Trailblazer by the Women’s Executive Network. An independent advisory board selected the winners in seven categories: Corporate Executives, Entrepreneurs, Public Sector Leaders, Trailblazers, Champions, Professionals and new this year, Future Leaders.

The Air Force Association of Canada named Sgt Claude Dasylva, a loadmaster with 435 Squadron Winnipeg, and a full-time civilian police officer, Air Reservist of the Year for his enthusiasm, reliability and deportment.

The first Aviation Systems Technicians to complete what has been dubbed the “new generation aircraft technician” course at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering are now out of school and on the job. The new approach to training will result in a higher ratio of personnel being available at any given time to support the increasing operational tempo of our modern Air Force. Here, top student of the new AVN Tech course, Cpl Brian Edmond (right) gets a few pointers from instructor MCpl Brendan Tanney inside the cockpit of a CT-114 Tutor aircraft.

Governor General Michaëlle Jean presented two Air Force search and rescue technicians from 9 Wing Gander with the Star of Courage in December at Rideau Hall. The two were recognized for risking their lives to save four fishermen whose fishing vessel capsized off Newfoundland last year. Earlier, fellow crewmembers from 103 Squadron received a Chief of the Defence Staff commendation for their role in the rescue.

Air Force Transformation

2005 was a landmark year for the Air Force and the CF. There was the release of the Defence Policy Statement, the announcement of $12.8 billion in new funding to the defence budget over the next five years, the launch of both Air Force and CF Transformation, and as previously mentioned, the promise of new kit on the horizon. All of these pieces when added together point to a transformed CF, capable of delivering on the mission as never before. Here are but a few examples of Air Force transformation at work.

LCol Mike Hood, former commanding officer of 429 Squadron, 8 Wing Trenton, salutes in preparation for his squadron’s closeout ceremony this past summer. Fighter, Transport and Maritime Patrol squadrons were consolidated at 3 Wing Bagotville, 8 Wing Trenton and 14 Wing Greenwood in the first visible step in the transformation of the Air Force. 433 Squadron, 429 Squadron and 415 Squadron have merged with 425, 436 and 405 Squadrons at Bagotville, Trenton and Greenwood respectively. This consolidation resulted in more robust squadrons and provided necessary people to create the CF Aerospace Warfare Centre.

A new centre of excellence, which will transform the way air power is used in a more integrated CF, officially opened its doors in Trenton in October. The Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre, a think tank of sorts, will be the engine of change for the Air Force. Commanding Officer, Col Jim Cottingham, (centre), Deputy Commanding Officer, LCol Bob Blair (right) and senior non-commissioned member, Sgt Ruth Wilson, after the opening ceremonies in Trenton.

The Air Force has stepped up its involvement in what is perhaps the most visible sign of capability transformation across the CF – uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV). A new 60-person Tactical UAV Flight formed of personnel from 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron from Edmonton and 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada (5 RALC) from CFB Valcartier, conducted trials of Tactical UAVs last October in Wainwright, in preparation for their operational employment. The Air Force has also created a new section within the Directorate of Air Requirements to identify future UAV requirements of the CF.

For more on these and other stories, visit the Air Force web site. This site is updated daily with features and news of Air Force operations, equipment, people and other issues that affect the Air Force.