| 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron | |
|---|---|
| 435e Escadron de transport et de sauvetage | |
 | |
| Active | 1944–1946, 1946–present |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Type | Tactical and strategic transport, aerial refuelling, search and rescue |
| Part of | 19 Wing Comox |
| Garrison/HQ | CFB Winnipeg |
| Motto | Certi provehendi (Latin for 'Determined on delivery') |
| Battle honours | |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lieutenant-Colonel Joshua Leveque[3] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Douglas Dakota,Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar,Lockheed C-130B,Lockheed CC-130H Hercules |
435 Transport and Rescue Squadron (French:435e Escadron de transport et de sauvetage), nicknamed"Chinthe Squadron", is aRoyal Canadian Air Force strategic transport,aerial refuelling andsearch and rescue unit based atCanadian Forces Base (CFB) Winnipeg in the province ofManitoba, Canada. The squadron flies fourLockheed CC-130H Hercules aircraft. In addition to being the only provider of tactical fighter air-to-air refuelling in Canada, the squadron is a provider of primary search and rescue response for the largest search and rescue region in Canada, controlled fromCFB Trenton.[4] The squadron keeps an aircraft on constant readiness to deploy, with airborne search and rescue technicians (SAR techs) standing by to respond within 30 minutes of notification during weekdays and 2 hours at other times.[4] The Trenton Search and Rescue Region, also covered by424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, extends fromQuebec City to theRocky Mountains, and from theCanada–United States border to theNorth Pole, covering most ofCentral, Western, andNorthern Canada.[5]
No. 435 Squadron RCAF was formed on 1 November 1944 inGujarat, India, during theBurma Campaign, flying theDouglas Dakota in support of theFourteenth Army. After war's end, the unit was relocated to England, where it provided transport to Canadian Army units in Europe. Deactivated on 1 April 1946 in England and re-activated three months later atRCAF Station Edmonton, the squadron relocated a few miles north toRCAF Station Namao in 1955, flying theFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar.
The unit was re-equipped with the C-130B Hercules in 1960 and upgraded to the C-130E in 1966. Due to the Chrétien government's budget cuts and the resultant closure of the airfield at CFB Edmonton, the squadron was moved to 17 Wing Winnipeg in 1994, operating from Hangar 16, a recognized federal heritage building since 2007.[6]
More recently, the squadron took part inOperation Southern Watch in Iraq,Operation Allied Force in Kosovo,Operation Noble Eagle domestically, andOperation Mobile during the 2011 Libyan civil war. The squadron has also participated in several exercises and support missions, and was the first Canadian unit to land a plane inJacmel shortly after the devastating2010 Haiti earthquake.[7]
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1Aircraft administered and serviced by the RCAF but crewed by theRoyal Canadian Artillery. 2 Non-standard code as unit using OW added L. Letters normally denoted parent Command, aircraft type (LLiberator transport, DDakota etc), unit, and individual aircraft. 3 VC .svg) XXA where VC was the civil code used by the RCAF replacing CF-, XX was the unit code and A was the aircraft ID letter4 XX nnn where XX was the unit code and nnn was the last 3 digits of the serial number. Unit code was replaced with "RCAF" in 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||