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Two CH-146 Griffon helicopters from 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron hover over
Otto Fjord, Nunavut. RCAF/Captain Ray Connelly Photo
Among its many operational commitments, 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in St-Hubert, Que., recently participated in Operation Nevus, conducted in the High Arctic, to support maintenance work on Ellesmere Island.
This year, two helicopters, with three crew members each, left St-Hubert for Canadian Forces Station Alert in Nunavut, stopping in the villages of Puvirnituq and Arctic Bay along the way. A team of six technicians joined them on board a CC-130 Hercules.
The squadron’s mission included transporting the specialists who maintain the transmissions antennas linking communications between Alert and Eureka, both on Ellesmere Island, so the communication link between the Canadian High Arctic and the government of Canada in Ottawa remains intact and usable.
In the past, helicopters and their crews generally made the 4,000 kilometre trip on a CC-177 Globemaster aircraft. This time, the crews travelled on their CH-146 Griffons.
Challenges and Accomplishments
This self-sufficient deployment posed several challenges for both the aircraft and their crews, but the crewmembers’ high degree of professionalism enabled them to rise to the occasion.
“Our unit has some of the most experienced Griffon pilots in Canada,” said Major Sylvain Bélanger, the squadron’s operations officer.
While the 438 Squadron has participated in close to a hundred operations since 1934, Operation Nevus holds a special place in the Wildcats’ hearts.
“Our Arctic expertise keeps growing, so we are always better able to meet the challenges of this environment,” said Major Martin Pesant, deputy commanding officer of the squadron.
Equipped with CH-146 Griffon helicopters, 438 Squadron supports a variety of missions, taskings and operations locally, across Canada and abroad. With reservists making up 50 per cent of its strength, 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron embodies the “Total Force” concept, wherein members of the Regular and Reserve Forces work in symbiosis to achieve the operational objectives of the RCAF.
Operation Nevus is conducted under the operational command and control of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, through Joint Task Forth North. 438 Squadron is part of 1 Wing, which is headquartered in Kingston, Ont.
