CC295 Kingfisher capable of search and rescue missions across the Canadian wilderness

The Royal Canadian Air Force continues developing its tactics and procedures for the CC295 Kingfisher aircraft, which can operate over the vast areas of Canadian wilderness, in all weather conditions.

Specifically designed to perform search and rescue missions, the aircraft is equipped with integrated sensors that allow the crew to locate people or objects from more than 40km away, even in low-light conditions.

The CC295 Kingfisher aircraft is also able to transport search technicians, as well as paramedics, divers, and rappel masters, along with all the equipment needed for carrying out a rescue.

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The aircraft processes the information brought in through its mission system, says Major Simon Brochu, Deputy CO, from 418 Squadron, RCAF.

He said that was where "we can fuse all that information, whether it's the camera, the radar and then all our maps, they're overlaid as well".

"So we can insert search patterns and do our best to find people in distress."

The CC295 Kingfisher aircraft joined the Search and Rescue fleet four years ago, replacing the Buffalo which was retired in 2022.