8 Wing CFB Trenton will be contributing to a large-scale operation in Europe.
Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force departed Canadian Forces Base Bagotville for an air deployment this week as part of Operation REASSURANCE, Canada’s contribution to NATO’s deterrence and defence activities.
The deployment will last six weeks and includes participation in two major multinational exercises: COBRA WARRIOR 25-2 in the United Kingdom and TARASSIS 25 in Estonia.
Operation REASSURANCE is Canada’s largest international military commitment, involving land, maritime, air, space, and cyber elements to strengthen NATO’s collective defence posture in Central and Eastern Europe.
The air component of exercise COBRA WARRIOR and TARASSIS includes;
Eight CF-188 Hornets from 3 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Bagotville
One x CC-130H Hercules aircraft from 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, 19 Wing, based out of 17 Wing Winnipeg.
Approximately 160 RCAF personnel.
Transaltlantic escort done by one CC-130J Hercules for search and rescue and one CC-150T Polaris for refueling, both from 8 Wing CFB Trenton
For the first half of the deployment, Air Force members will be primarily stationed at Royal Air Force (RAF) Waddington for Exercise COBRA WARRIOR 25-2, the UK’s largest air exercise.
The exercise aims to train allied forces in high-intensity tactical air warfare operations within a simulated combat environment.
Following that mission, 80 RCAF members will continue their deployment to Estonia to participate in Exercise TARASSIS 25, which focuses on inter-allied cooperation, Agile Operations Employment and Agile Combat Employment concepts and operational readiness in a European context.
The operation started in 2014 and is Canada’s largest current international military operation.
(BROCK ORMOND)
