A procurement saga more than 16 years in the making came to an end today with the arrival in Comox, British Columbia of the Royal Canadian Air Force's new search and rescue plane. The first of 16 C-295 fixed-wing "Kingfisher" aircraft purchased by the Canadian Forces was unveiled officially at the military base in the West Coast community. A Canadian Forces CC-115 Buffalo aircraft prepares to land at Chilliwack Airport in Chilliwack, B.C., on February 28, 2014. "The transition to the new fixed-wing search and rescue fleet is a tremendous opportunity for us and one that we take on with determination and pride," he said. The military originally planned to have the KIngfisher flying missions by the end of this year, but defence officials suggested that might be too tight a timeline even before the pandemic.

Source: CBC News September 25, 2020 20:54 UTC