408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron

408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
408e Escadron tactique d'hélicoptères
Active1941–1945, 1949–present
CountryCanada
BranchRoyal Canadian Air Force
RoleTactical helicopters
Part of1 Wing Kingston
Garrison/HQCFB Edmonton
Motto(s)For freedom[1]
Battle honours
  • English Channel and North Sea, 1941–1943
  • Baltic, 1941–1943
  • Fortress Europe, 1941–1944
  • France and Germany, 1944–1945
  • Biscay Ports, 1941–1944
  • Ruhr, 1941–1945
  • Berlin, 1943–1944
  • German Ports, 1941–1945
  • Normandy, 1944
  • Rhine
  • Biscay, 1942–1943
  • Afghanistan[2]
Websitecanada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/squadrons/408-squadron.html Edit this at Wikidata
Insignia
Identification
symbol		Canada goose in profile
Aircraft flown
TransportCH-146 Griffon

408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (408 THS) (French: 408e Escadron tactique d'hélicoptères) is a unit of 1 Wing, Kingston. It is co-located with 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton.[3]

Equipped with 16 CH-146 Griffon helicopters, it rotates a high combat-readiness level with 400 Squadron (CFB Borden, Ontario) and 430 Squadron (CFB Valcartier, Quebec). Its primary role is in support of contingency operations and vanguard brigades requiring tactical helicopter resources.

No. 408 Squadron's mandate also includes supporting United Nations and NATO peacekeeping operations, land force training, and support to other government departments. For example, 408 Squadron's eight Griffons were assigned to support the Canadian contingent in the Balkans in 1999. Their job was to ferry small teams of paratroopers, infantrymen, and tankers to certain areas to check out water reservoirs, power grids, suspected weapons caches, minefields, and mass grave sites.

  1. ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London [u.a.]: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 82. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^ "South-West Asia Theatre Honours". Prime Minister of Canada. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  3. ^ Government of Canada, National Defence (25 February 2013). "408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron | Royal Canadian Air Force". www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca. Retrieved 17 April 2020.