At about 10:45 a.m. on May 28, the sound of turbo prop engines could be heard over the airfield of 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta. as a C-130 Hercules from New Zealand and a C-160 Transall from Germany flew over head, filled with soldiers from Canada, Germany and France.
Approximately 78 parachutists jumped from the aircraft into Drop Zone Cougar, named for 410 Tactical Fighter “Cougar” Squadron, marking the first time a two-ship international drop has been done in Canada since 1995.
The jump was unique because Canadians were using French parachutes and jumping under the direction of French jumpmasters. Conversely, the German soldiers jumped with Canadian parachutes under the direction of Canadian jumpmasters, while French soldiers jumped using German parachutes under the direction of German jumpmasters.
Afterwards, the soldiers gathered at Camp Moose Meadows where senior officers of each country presented jump wings to each paratrooper.
