Canadian military helicopter crashes during NATO exercise
At least one person is dead after a Canadian military CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crashed in the Ionian Sea between Italy and Greece early Thursday morning while taking part in an exercise as part of a NATO operation in the Mediterranean.
In his daily briefing in Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that one fatality had been recovered and that another five are still missing.
“All of them are heroes. Each of them will leave a void that cannot be filled,” he said. “On behalf of all Canadians I want to offer my deepest support to their families, their friends, their shipmates and their fellow CAF members.”
The helicopter had been operating on board the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton as part of Operation Reassurance of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) when the incident occurred early on Thursday morning, the CAF said.
The SNMGs are a multinational, integrated maritime force made up of vessels from various allied countries that help to establish a NATO presence and strengthen deterrence. There are some 915 CAF personnel deployed on Operation Reassurance, making it Canada’s largest international military operation.
According to local Greek media, the helicopter crashed in international waters about 80 kilometers off the island of Cephalonia. An Italian and a Turkish frigate were reported to be taking part in the search and rescue operation, finding debris and one body identified by Canada’s chief of the defense staff Gen. Jonathan Vance as Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough.
Another five crew members are missing.
Trudeau said that he had spoken with Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan and confirmed that rescue efforts were underway to find the rest of the crew of the helicopter.“Search and rescue efforts are currently underway,” CAF tweeted Thursday morning, adding that the military has “contacted all primary family members of those who were on board the CH-148 still
Cyclone helicopter that was involved in an accident in the Mediterranean Sea.”
Canada’s fleet of Cyclone helicopters replaced the country’s aging fleet of Sea Kings after 54 years of service in 2018. They are tasked with surface and subsurface surveillance as well as search and rescue missions, while providing air support and tactical transport for national and international security efforts.
Manufactured by Sikorsky, the helicopters carry a crew of four, including two pilots, tactical operator and sensor operator, with space for several passengers.
The Canadian military only began to use the helicopter in 2018.