Regular Black Hawk helicopter flights will target all illegal activity along the Canada-U.S. border. (Submitted photo/RCMP)

By paNOW Staff

Detection and response

RCMP Blackhawks take to the sky

Jan 23, 2025 | 1:00 PM

The illegal crossing of people, goods and drugs will be that much harder at the Canada-US border with the addition of two Black Hawk helicopters added to the RCMP’s existing fleet of nine.

The Black Hawks became operational on Jan.17 and are being used to patrol, detect, and respond to both north and southbound threats. Six of the helicopters in the fleet have cameras capable of thermal imaging, and one is capable of hoisting operations. The two chartering contracts worth a combined total of $5.3 million were secured through Public Services and Procurement Canada Standing Offers.

Two Black Hawk helicopters will complement the RCMP’s existing fleet of nine. (Submitted photo/RCMP)

In a press release, the RCMP said the addition of Black Hawks greatly increases the RCMP’s detection and response capacity, offering rapid deployment and providing coverage in between ports of entry.

“The Black Hawks are being deployed on a daily basis based on operational needs,” the release read. “To protect operational integrity, the RCMP cannot provide more specific information on where the Black Hawks are based, nor where they will be deployed at any given time.”

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However, on Monday the RCMP in Manitoba announced that regular Black Hawk helicopter flights targeting illegal activity started patrolling the area around the 49th parallel on Sunday.

The RCMP’s Emergency Response Team has been providing operational and training support as part of the onboarding of the chartered helicopters.

The new additions are part of Canada’s $1.3 billion investment to bolster security at the border and strengthen the immigration system. It comes as Donald Trump begins his second term as US president. His first term was marked with a huge surge in irregular border crossings from the US into Canada.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com