The first of the Canadian military’s long-awaited new search-and-rescue aircraft is now on-call in B.C.
The fixed-wing CC-295 Kingfisher officially took to the skies on Thursday.
But the medium-range plane — which is equipped with sensors capable of spotting people and objects from about 40 kilometres away — has already been used to search for missing boaters in Finlayson Arm two weeks ago and near Port Alberni in March.
The first Kingfisher, based at 19 Wing Comox, has reached “SAR alert” status, which means the air force will have the plane with trained crew ready to respond to emergencies on the west coast and across B.C. and the Yukon.
The planes will receive “tasking orders” from the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria.
Ordered nearly a decade ago, the twin-propeller planes replace Canada’s aging fleet of Buffalo search-and-rescue aircraft.
“Canadians should feel assured that as of [Thursday], a fully capable and crewed CC-295 Kingfisher will be available 24/7, 365 days a year throughout Canada’s western territories and waters to support SAR activities,” said a statement from the Department of National Defence.
A $2.4-billion contract for 16 new Kingfisher aircraft was awarded to Airbus in late 2016 with costs covering 11 years.
The first six years were for acquisition, transition and set-up, and the following five years were for in-service support, with an option to extend the contract by another 15 years up to 2042.
The first planes were expected to be operational in 2020, but delays because of the pandemic pushed back the rollout and hiked the cost to $2.9 billion.
The initial deal with Airbus included a new training facility, plus $2.3 billion to maintain the planes for 15 years.
Five of the planes are now at 19 Wing Comox, where a simulator-equipped training facility for 418 Squadron was built to prepare pilots, crew, technicians and maintenance personnel, said a public affairs spokesperson. Each of the Kingfisher planes is crewed by six personnel with several on the ground for support.
Once the planes are given the green light in Comox, the other Kingfishers are expected to be rolled out at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia, 17 Wing Winnipeg and 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario.
Five are expected to be operational this year and in 2026.
The Kingfisher fleet’s full operating capability, however, isn’t likely to be achieved until 2029 or 2030, when the planes, personnel and maintenance facilities are in place at various bases, according to the military.
Lieut.-Gen. Steve Boivin, commander for Canadian Joint Operations Command, said having the first Kingfisher ready for callouts at 19 Wing Comox marks the beginning of a new era for SAR operations in Canada.
“The addition to our SAR capability will significantly enhance our ability to respond to Canadians in need and save lives,” he said Thursday.
The Kingfisher is equipped with advanced navigation, communication, data management and sensor technologies. Using integrated sensors and infrared cameras, crews will be able to locate persons or objects — such as downed aircraft — from about 40 kilometres away, even in low-light conditions.
That’s expected to increase the overall effectiveness of searches, DND said. It’s anticipated that on-scene search time will be reduced with the use of the enhanced sensors and the aircraft will be more reliable and available more often than current fleets.
The Kingfisher will also use communications systems that will allow search-and-rescue personnel to share real-time information with partners on the ground.
The planes have a wingspan of 26.7 metres, or about 88 feet, and a length of 24.45 metres (80 feet), with a maximum speed of 468 km/h and a range of 4,500 kilometres.
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