COLD LAKE, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - March 17, 2016) -
Editors Note: There are three photos associated with this press release.
Royal Canadian Air Force crews, support personnel and technicians are deployed to Exercise PUMA STRIKE at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida from February 28 to March 23, 2016.
Quick Facts
- Approximately 220 personnel, 21 CF-188 Hornet fighter aircraft and a CC-130T Hercules air-to-air refuelling aircraft are deployed to NAS Key West.
- Exercise personnel and equipment come from a variety of locations across Canada.
- 4 Wing and CFB Cold Lake: 401 and 409 Tactical Fighter Squadrons, 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron (CF-18), 10 Field Technical Training Squadron, 42 Radar Squadron, 1 Air Maintenance Squadron, 4 Wing Telecommunication and Information Services section, Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment and 22 Canadian Forces Health Services Centre.
- 17 Wing Winnipeg: 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron (CC-130T).
- The CF-188 Hornet pilots will be conducting CF-188 Fighter Pilot Course training, as well as mandated Combat Ready Training which includes Basic Flying Manoeuvres, Air Combat Manoeuvres, Air Combat Tactics, and Air-to-Air Refueling missions.
- Up to 19 staff and students from 10 Field Technical Training Squadron will deploy as part of the exercise, in order to enable students to receive hands on aircraft servicing experience.
- Although training and operations are still conducted year round in Cold Lake, under typical winter weather conditions, it could take several months to achieve the same level of training Exercise PUMA STRIKE will accomplish in just over three weeks.
- Exercise PUMA STRIKE will be conducted with the assistance of our partners in the United States Navy. This added advantage helps keep the Canadian fighter force well positioned for future coalition operations at the request of the Government of Canada.
Quotes
"4 Wing Cold Lake's mission is to generate agile, mission-ready, combat-capable, integrated air power. Training deployments like Exercise PUMA STRIKE enable us to succeed at that mission by exercising planning, deployment, employment and re-deployment phases of an operation at a new operating location and in a new environment. In addition, we have deployed personnel from most of our units at 4 Wing to ensure all receive appropriate training to function as a team and to maximize the training opportunity."
Colonel Eric Kenny, Commander 4 Wing Cold Lake
"This deployment is a vital piece to the overall readiness and force generation of the RCAF's Fighter Force capability. This exercise allows us to bring together our fighter jet and air-to-air refuelling capabilities to conduct intensive training with our Allies in a deployed environment. It also underscores our commitment to ensuring RCAF personnel are prepared to serve Canada at any moment."
Major-General Dave Wheeler, Commander 1 Canadian Air Division
Links
To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/CK07-2016-0154-050.jpg
Contact Information:
Lieutenant Mathew Strong
(780) 840-8000 Ext. 8121
Cellular: (780) 813-0210
mathew.strong@forces.gc.ca
