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Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

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Search and rescue responsibilities of the Royal Canadian Air Force

The Royal Canadian Air Force is responsible for the Canadian Armed Force’s aeronautical search and rescue (SAR) response infrastructure. This includes maintaining a locator beacon registry and ensuring SAR aircrews and aircraft are mission ready when an emergency happens.

A helicopter is parked on a field and two search and rescue personnel walk towards it carrying a crate filled with supplies.
Caption

A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and its crew from 442 Search and Rescue Squadron evacuating people out of Merritt, British Columbia, after heavy rain triggered mudslides in November 2021.

Photo credit: Corporal Parker Salustro, Canadian Armed Forces

Crew members prepare an airdrop from an open aircraft ramp over the ocean, handling cargo and safety gear.
Caption

Master Corporal (MCpl) Leo Coombs (left) and MCpl Joseph Garvais (right) from 14 Wing Greenwood prepare to throw a self-rescue kit training aid during the multinational Advanced SAR Exercise (ASAREX) at Ponta Delgada, Portugal, on July 10, 2024.

Photo: Corporal Dluhozima, Canadian Armed Forces

A helmeted crew member looks out from a helicopter over rugged, forested mountains under a cloudy sky.
Caption

Canadian Armed Forces members from across Canada and members from the United States (US) Navy, US Coast Guard and US Air Force participate in SAREX 2024, a multinational SAR exercise conducted at and around 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, on September 10, 2024.

Photo: Aviator Annie-Claude Pellerin, Canadian Armed Forces

A yellow and red search and rescue helicopter with tiger stripes is parked on rocky terrain with mountains in the background.
Caption

A CH-146 Griffon helicopter from 439 Squadron painted to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Canadian Air Force, lands in the rugged mountains near Comox, British Columbia, on September 10, 2024. Canadian Armed Forces members from across Canada and members from the United States (US) Navy, US Coast Guard and US Air Force participated in SAREX 2024, a multinational SAR exercise conducted at and around 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia.

Photo: Aviator Annie-Claude Pellerin, Canadian Armed Forces

A yellow and red search and rescue helicopter flies against a clear blue sky with its side door open.
Caption

A CH-146 Griffon helicopter from 8 Wing Trenton during a multi-nation SAR training exercise on October 24, 2024.

Photo: Aviator Makala Rose, Canadian Armed Forces

A search and rescue parachutist in orange gear jumps from an aircraft into the sky above clouds and green terrain below.
Caption

A SAR technician exits a 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron CC-130H Hercules at altitude during a practice free fall jump over the skies at Key West, Florida, during SAREX 2025 on March 10, 2025.

Photo: Corporal Raj Dhagat, Canadian Armed Forces

A yellow and red Canadian search and rescue aircraft is parked on a lit tarmac at night with its propellers still.
Caption

413 Transport and Rescue Squadron technicians conduct post-flight checks of a CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft upon its arrival at Lajes Air Force Base, Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal, for the Advanced SAR Exercise 2025 on September 5, 2025.

Photo: Master Corporal Simon Arcand, 14 Wing Imaging

Two yellow search and rescue aircraft and one grey military transport plane are parked on a runway near a hangar.
Caption

A CC-130J Hercules and two CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft sit on the tarmac at 19 Wing Comox during SAREX 2025, a national SAR exercise at 19 Wing Comox on September 22, 2025.

Photo: Corporal Raj Dhagat, Canadian Armed Forces

A yellow search and rescue aircraft sits on the tarmac at sunrise with an airport control tower in the background.
Caption

A sunrise next to a CC-295 Kingfisher during SAREX 2025, a multinational SAR training exercise held at 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, on September 24, 2025.

Photo: Master Corporal Trevor Pomarenski, Canadian Armed Forces

A yellow and red search and rescue helicopter landing on a sandy beach with the ocean in the background.
Caption

A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-149 Cormorant helicopter comes in for a landing at Air Force Beach in Comox, British Columbia, during the SAR exercise held at 19 Wing Comox on September 26, 2025.

Photo: Sergeant Owen W. Budge, 19 Wing Comox Imaging

Most requested

Services and information

SAR aircrews and aircraft

Located across Canada and ready to respond when the call comes in

Canadian Mission Control Centre

Timely information sharing during an emergency

Canadian Beacon Registry

Registered 406 MHz beacons help responders find people in distress

Page details

2025-12-03