A new snowbird has been seen at Canadian Force Station Alert.
On Wednesday, April 14 a CC-177 Globemaster III of 429 (Transport) Squadron conducted its first flight to CFS Alert, the most northerly, permanently inhabited location in the world.
The crew, led by aircraft commander Major Jean Maisonneuve of the Transport and Rescue Standardization and Evaluation Team based out of 8 Wing Trenton, Ont. brought the aircraft in just before 8:30 a.m. local time and was greeted by CFS Alert Commanding Officer Major Steve Power.
The CC-177 Globemaster III, which came into service in the Canadian Forces in 2007-2008, is used for a wide range of strategic and tactical missions for Canada’s Air Force. It provides everything from the rapid delivery of troops and cargo transport, to oversized combat equipment from coast to coast to coast and to anywhere else worldwide.
"This flight assures greater ability to operate in and resupply the far North," said Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. "The CC-177s have proven their strategic value to the Canadian Forces over and over again, first internationally and now domestically."
CFS Alert provides support to Environment Canada and Arctic researchers, maintains signals intelligence facilities, and geolocation and High Frequency and Direction Finding facilities to support search and rescue and other operations.
