Multinational exercise PACIFIC SKIES 24 lands at 5 Wing Goose Bay
July 18, 2024 - Royal Canadian Air Force
Author: Captain Meagan Duncan, 1 Canadian Air Division Public Affairs
Caption
Sergeant Thomas Warren, [centre, seated] a loadmaster instructor from 426 Transport Training Squadron and Captain Olivier Dupuis [left], a CC-330 pilot from 437 Transport Squadron Ottawa detachment, work with French Air and Space Force members onboard a French A330 MRTT during an air-to-air refueling flight with French Rafales and CF-18s on June 29, 2024 over 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Photo credit: MCpl Krista Blizzard, 5 Wing.
Aviation enthusiasts in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador have their eyes on the skies this summer! 5 Wing Goose Bay was very busy recently when approximately 37 military aircraft transited through the area on their way to exercises in Alaska and the Indo-Pacific.
Aircraft from our NATO allies in Germany, France and Spain began their PACIFIC SKIES 24 deployment in June, stopping in Goose Bay from June 26 to July 2. Some aircraft will return to Europe via 5 Wing throughout July and August, while other aircraft are carrying on to exercises in Hawaii, Japan, Australia, and India, completing their circumnavigation of the globe before returning home to Europe later this summer.
Caption
This German Air Force fighter pilot was once posted to 5 Wing Goose Bay as a child with their military family. The pilot attended the former school on base and dreamed of being a pilot, soaring in the big, open skies of Labrador. Flying into Goose Bay on June 27, 2024, made those childhood dreams come true!
Photo credit: MCpl Krista Blizzard, 5 Wing.
5 Wing was proud to host our NATO allies and was the only stop in Canada for most of these aircraft. Given its strategic location on the northeast coast of Canada, Goose Bay is a common stopping point for transatlantic flights, allowing crews to rest after the long flight from Europe, so they are equipped to carry out their mission.
During the peak of their transit, at the end of June, approximately 37 aircraft and close to 500 personnel were at 5 Wing. Some of the aircraft included German Tornados, Spanish Eurofighters, and French Rafales, as well as large transport aircraft (A400) and refuelers (A330).
One of the French Air and Space Force multi role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft, an A330 Phénix, as well as an A330 from the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit conducted an air-to-air refueling flight with the French Rafales during their brief stay at 5 Wing. Two CF-18s from 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, also participated in the training flight as this was a great opportunity to strengthen our working relationship with our NATO allies and improve our interoperability.
Caption
Brigadier General Guillaume Thomas, French Mission Commander, is welcomed to 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador by Maj Quickfall, Commander of Operations Support and MWO Leblanc, acting Wing Chief Warrant Officer during Pacific Skies 24 Exercise on June 27, 2024.
Photo credit: MCpl Krista Blizzard, 5 Wing.
Several RCAF members from 8 Wing Trenton were onboard the French A330 to observe and to learn. “It was a valuable experience,” stated Sergeant Thomas Warren, a loadmaster instructor from 426 Transport Training Squadron. “The French crew was very hospitable and eager to showcase their capabilities and discuss their training procedures.”
The MRTT aircraft that the French use is the same type of aircraft that is currently being acquired by Canada as the CC-330 Husky, as part of the modernization efforts of the Royal Canadian Air Force. This training flight allowed our CF-18s to work with that type of aircraft and is a step towards being better prepared when our new CC-330 Husky becomes fully operational.
Caption
Twelve German Luftwaffe and Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon EF-2000 arrive at 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, on June 27, 2024, as part of Pacific Skies 24 Exercise.
Photo credit: MCpl Krista Blizzard, 5 Wing.
With only approximately 80 Canadian Armed Forces members at 5 Wing, this will surely be a busy summer for the small base. There are a lot of Defence Team members and Serco employees behind the scenes making this all possible too, including cooks, cleaners, and air traffic controllers. However, 5 Wing Goose Bay is not busy only during the summertime. Year round, they are proud to support a variety of military training and operations for the Canadian Armed Forces, our Allies and NORAD, truly living up to their motto, “Working Together.”