435 "Chinthe" Transport and Rescue Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1944-1946, 1946-present |
Country | Canada |
Branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Type | Tactical and strategic transport, aerial refueling, search and rescue |
Part of | 17 Wing Winnipeg |
Motto(s) | Certi Provehendi (English: Determined on delivery) |
Battle honours | Burma 1944-45 |
Website | airforce |
Commanders | |
Commander | Lieutenant-Colonel Brent Andrews |
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 a Royal Canadian Air Force strategic transport, aerial refueling and search and rescue unit based at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The squadron flies eight Lockheed CC-130H Hercules aircraft. In addition to being the only provider of tactical fighter air-to-air refueling in Canada, the squadron is a provider of primary search and rescue response for the largest search and rescue region in Canada, controlled from CFB Trenton. 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. The Trenton Search and Rescue Region, also covered by the 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, extends from Quebec City to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Canada–United States border to the North Pole, covering most of Central, Western, and Northern Canada.
No. 435 Squadron RCAF was formed on 1 November 1944 in Gujarat, India during the Burma Campaign, flying the Douglas Dakota in support of the Fourteenth 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 at RCAF Station Edmonton, the squadron relocated a few miles north to RCAF Station Namao in 1955, flying the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar.