430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron is a unit of the

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. ...

under the

Royal Canadian Air Force 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 environm ...

. It operates

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 ...

s from

CFB Valcartier Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebe ...

, near

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

History

No. 430 Squadron RCAF was a unit of the

formed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as the "City of Sudbury" squadron in 1943. Initially created as an army co-operation squadron, 430 was redesignated as a fighter reconnaissance unit later that year. The unit was stationed in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, and flew photo reconnaissance missions in support of planning for the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. After D-Day, missions included before-and-after photography of attacks on

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug and in Germany ...

launch sites and support for ground forces. 430 Squadron was disbanded in Germany in August 1945.430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
Retrieved 2013-10-29 In the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

period, the squadron was reformed in November 1951 at RCAF Station North Bay, flying the Canadair F-86 Sabre. It was given the nickname ''Silver Falcon.'' ''430 Fighter Squadron'' went to 2 Wing

RCAF Station Grostenquin RCAF Station Grostenquin, also known as 2 (Fighter) Wing or 2 Wing, was a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) station located five km north of the town of Grostenquin in the Moselle department, Lorraine, northeastern France. It was one of four RCAF w ...

near Grostenquin, France in September 1952. The squadron was located at Grostenquin until deactivation in September 1962. ''430 Fighter Squadron'' was reactivated at 3 Wing Zweibrücken, West Germany in February 1963, and transitioned to 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 ...

. The squadron moved to 1 Wing Lahr, West Germany in February 1969 until it was disbanded in May 1970. The unit reformed again in 1971 as a French-language

tactical helicopter squadron at Valcartier and known officially as 430^e Escadron tactique d'hélicoptères. There it operated the

Bell CH-136 Kiowa The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related to the Model 206A ...

and the

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 ...

in support of 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. The unit transitioned to the

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 ...

in 1994.

Operations

The squadron was deployed as part of the

United Nations Mission in Haiti The United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) was a peacekeeping operation carried out by the United Nations between September 1993 and June 1996. The Mission was reestablished (''MINUSTAH'') in April 2004, after a rebellion took over most of Hait ...

(UNMIH) and also provided core personnel to the Rotary Wing Aviation Unit of the

Multinational Force and Observers The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO generally operates in and around the Sinai peninsula, ensuring free navigation through ...

on peacekeeping operations in the Sinai.

Aircraft

* Curtiss Tomahawk Mk. I & II * North American Mustang Mk. I *

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Gri ...

Mk. XIV *

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) unt ...

References

430 Squadron History
Retrieved 2016-04-14

External links

430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron official website
{{RCAF Squadrons Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations established in 1951 Military units and formations disestablished in 1962 Military units and formations established in 1963 Military units and formations disestablished in 1969 Military units and formations established in 1971 1943 establishments in Canada 1945 disestablishments in Canada 1951 establishments in Canada 1962 disestablishments in Canada 1963 establishments in Canada 1969 disestablishments in Canada 1971 establishments in Canada 1943 establishments in Quebec 1951 establishments in Quebec 1963 establishments in Quebec 1969 disestablishments in Quebec 1971 establishments in Quebec Military units and formations of Canada in World War II