RCMP acquire two new Black Hawks
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have leased two new Black Hawk helicopters for border control missions
The helicopters became operational on 17 January. The RCMP stated that they will be used to “patrol, detect, and respond to both north and southbound threats at the Canada–US border, ultimately preventing illegal crossings of people, goods, and drugs”.
The helicopters were acquired through two chartering contracts worth a combined CA$5.3 million.
The aircraft join the RCMP’s existing fleet of nine helicopters, six of which provide border surveillance and support.
They are expected to greatly improve the police service’s detection and response capabilities.
The RCMP’s Emergency Response Team has been providing operational and training support to crew as part of the onboarding of the new Black Hawks.
The Polish Armed Forces received two new Black Hawks from an order of four in November 2024.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.