Overview

No matter where their duties take them, the men and women of the Canadian Forces know they can rely on the CH-146 Griffon helicopter to get them there and back safely. From rescuing civilians in the high Arctic to airlifting supplies in Kosovo, Canada’s Utility Transport Tactical Helicopter (UTTH) has served faithfully.

In service in Canada since 1995, the Griffon is used at home and abroad for search and rescue (SAR) missions, surveillance and reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and counter-drug operations. The helicopter has also played a key role in many national and international humanitarian relief operations, including those for Manitoba’s Red River flood (Operation Assistance) in 1997; Eastern Canada’s ice storm (Operation Recuperation) in 1998; and the United Nations effort to stabilize Haiti (Operation Halo) in 2004.

When it became part of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing, deployed on Operation Athena, the Griffon utility tactical transport helicopter helped reduce the risk of exposing personnel to ambushes, land mines and improvised explosive devices by providing increased protection to movement of troops by transport helicopter and road convoys.

The Griffon is used at home primarily to support Army training, and other tasks including search and rescue missions. The Griffon is equipped with a hoist that enables it to extract people and cargo from almost any terrain. The Griffon can be equipped with a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) system and a powerful searchlight, helping it to navigate and search in low-visibility conditions.

The aircraft can carry up to 13 people (two pilots, a flight engineer and 10 passengers) and has a maximum gross weight of nearly 5400 kilograms. Part of its heft comes from the armour that lines both the floor and the crew seats. Despite its weight, the Griffon can reach speeds up to 260 kilometres per hour.