427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS) (french: link=no, 427^e Escadron d'opérations spéciales d'aviation, 427 EOSA) is a tactical helicopter unit that provides aviation support to

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM; french: links=no, Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada; COMFOSCAN) is a command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations that are ...

. The squadron is based at

CFB Petawawa Garrison Petawawa is located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by the Canadian Army. Garrison facts The Garrison is located in the Ottawa Valley in Renfrew County, northwest of Ottawa along the western bank of the Ottawa ...

, Ontario with a fleet of

Bell CH-146 Griffon The Bell CH-146 Griffon is a multi-role utility helicopter designed by Bell Helicopter Textron as a variant of the Bell 412EP for the Canadian Armed Forces. The CH-146 is used in a wide variety of roles, including aerial firepower, reconnaiss ...

helicopters. It was founded during the Second World War as No. 427 Squadron

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

History

427 Squadron started as a bomber squadron formed at

Croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...

, England on 7 November 1942 and spent its wartime entirely in England as a part of

No. 6 Group RCAF No. 6 Group RCAF was a group of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) heavy bomber squadrons in Europe during the Second World War, between 1942 and 1945. The group operated out of airfields in Yorkshire, England. History No. 6 Group was a Royal Cana ...

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

. 427 flew

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...

Mk IIIs and Mk Xs from its first operational mission on 14 December 1942, a minelaying sortie to the

Frisian Islands The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denma ...

, until May 1943 when it was relocated to

Leeming, North Yorkshire Leeming is a village in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. Geography Leeming lies a mile east of the current A1(M) road, south of the larger village of Leeming Bar and north of the small hamlet of Londonderry. Nearby is the ...

. Re-equipped with

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...

Mk V aircraft, the squadron flew intensely until early 1944 when it replaced its inventory with Halifax Mk III aircraft. This fleet saw the greatest number of missions and in slightly more than a year's time they were then replaced by

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

bombers prior to the end of World War II. The Lancasters were used for

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

repatriation until the end of May 1946. 427 was stood down on 1 June 1946. The squadron was reformed on 1 August 1952 at

RCAF Station St. Hubert Canadian Forces Base St. Hubert was a Canadian Forces Base in the city of Saint-Hubert, Quebec. The base began as a civilian airfield in the 1920s and was later also used by RCAF auxiliary (reserve) squadrons, beginning in the mid-1930s. It beca ...

(a suburb of modern-day

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Quebec, Canada) as 427 Fighter Squadron, flying

Canadair Sabre The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until ...

s, and was transferred to No. 3 (Fighter) Wing at

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...

in March 1953. Selected as the first European RCAF squadron to receive the

Canadair CF-104 Starfighter The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being ...

for the nuclear strike role, the squadron was stood down from its day-fighter role on 15 December 1962 and reformed as 427 (Strike-Attack) Squadron two days later. On 1 February 1968, unification integrated 427 into the new

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. The squadron was again disbanded on 1 July 1970. 427 came back into existence as 427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron at

, where it remains today. The squadron has also taken an active role in humanitarian efforts such as the January 1998 ice storm in eastern Canada, where the squadron deployed eight aircraft to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and Kingston, and the November 1998 mission to help the victims of

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motion ...

. With only 24 hours' notice, four 427 Squadron

s deployed to

La Ceiba La Ceiba () is a municipality, the capital of the Honduran department of Atlántida (department), Atlántida and a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part ...

, Honduras. Once in the country, Griffon crews airlifted medical teams into communities cut off by the hurricane. For the next six weeks, the squadron ferried supplies and aid workers to many isolated towns and villages. On 1 February 2006, command of 427 was transferred to

, as it took on a full-time role of special operations aviation support. Shortly thereafter, it was renamed 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS). Qualified tactical aviators selected by 427 SOAS must complete SOTAC (Special Operation Tactical Aviation Course), which runs for approximately four months. The squadron has a dedicated concrete helipad, measuring , at

Petawawa Heliport Petawawa Heliport is located northwest of Petawawa, Ontario Canada. It is mostly used as a heliport A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain ...

Aircraft flown by 427 Squadron

Historic aircraft

* Vickers Wellington Mk.III (November 1942 – March 1943)Kostenuk, 1977, p.124 * Vickers Wellington Mk.X (February 1942 – May 1943) * Handley Page Halifax Mk.V (May 1943 – February 1944) * Handley Page Halifax Mk.III (January 1944 – March 1945) *

Mk.I/III (March 1945 – May 1946) * Canadair Sabre Mk.2 (September 1952 – June 1953)Kostenuk, 1977, p.186 * Canadair Sabre Mk.5 (May 1953 – September 1955) * Canadair Sabre Mk.6 (September 1955 – December 1962) *

(December 1962 – 1970) *

Cessna L-19 Bird Dog The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy ...

(January 1971 – ) *

Bell CH-135 Twin Huey The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. It is a member of the extensive Huey family, the initial version was the CUH-1N Twin Huey (later CH-135 Twin ...

(1992 – July 1997) *

Bell CH-136 Kiowa The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-Helicopter rotor, rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related t ...

* Mil CH-178 (2010 – 2011)Mi-17V-5s leased from Russia for use in Afghanistan.

Current aircraft

(December 1996 – current)

Battle honours

Battle honours in small capitals are for large operations and campaigns and those in lowercase are for more specific battles. 427 Squadron was awarded the following

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

s, which are carried on their standard:

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links

* {{Canadian Special Forces Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Helicopter units and formations Canadian Special Operations Force Command