The 430th Tactical Helicopter Squadron will be tasked with assisting in Operation LENTUS (A new window).
It will be our turn there to fly helicopters. We are responsible for providing the majority of helicopter personnel
, summarizes Lieutenant-Colonel Alexandre Dubois.
members of Act Thus, it will be able to transport food to the isolated municipalities due to the numerous blocked roads.
The military can also be called in to transport people who need medical care.
Canadian soldiers prepare their equipment for the mission.
Photo: Radio Canada / Hadi Hussein
We especially anticipate transportation tasks, but we will help provincial authorities to perform all kinds of tasks
, identifies Lieutenant Dubois.
The soldiers are scheduled to arrive Friday evening in western Canada to be deployed on Saturday morning in the Abbotsford region. The group will consist mainly of pilots and technicians, but also of a small number of field soldiers.
« They are really experts at driving helicopters in all kinds of environments. »
So three Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters will be loaded onto a massive C-17 transport plane for the flight to British Columbia.
These are the green helicopters you see flying over Quebec regularly
Lieutenant Dubois explains.
One of the Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters for the mission.
Photo: Radio Canada / Hadi Hussein
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Soldiers involved in the deployment will not be too confused, as members of the 430th Squadron went to training in the Okanagan region last year for this type of mission.
We’ll be in a somewhat mountainous environment, so this is a workout we’ve already done
, argues Lieutenant Dubois.
Valcartier soldiers are expected to be deployed to British Columbia for approximately 30 days. Duration of stay may vary depending on the situation on the ground.
With information from Hadi Hussein