Canadian special forces spy plane unit sees staff exodus

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A lack of leadership and training opportunities sparked an exodus of most of the specialists needed to operate a new fleet of military surveillance aircraft, an internal Canadian Forces investigation found.

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Canadian special forces command had six sensor operators that had been assigned to work the various high-tech systems on the CE-145C Vigilance aircraft.

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But those personnel in Trenton were left largely on their own, with no training program or overall direction from the special forces headquarters in Ottawa or their home unit, 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, in Petawawa, according to records viewed by the Ottawa Citizen.

“There is perceived and real lack of support from both the unit and HQ,” , noted the internal military investigation completed in May 2023. That, combined with the continual delays in the delivery of the new planes, prompted four of the operators to either leave the military or transfer out of special forces. “The impact of losing 4 (sensor operators) is going to be felt for some time,” the investigation concluded.

While the numbers of sensor operators are small, their role is highly specialized. They operate the surveillance equipment on the planes which are capable of intercepting cell phone and other electronic transmissions as well as tracking individuals on the ground.

The three Beechcraft King Air planes, based at CFB Trenton in Ontario, are going to be used by Canadian special forces and, potentially, other government departments on missions overseas and in Canada.

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Canada signed a $188-million deal with the U.S. government for the aircraft which were to be delivered by spring of 2022. But delivery of the three planes was only completed in June 2024.

Morale of the pilots who were to fly the new planes also suffered and the officers in charge of the Trenton group were provided with little support to change things around, according to the investigation.

Those interviewed for that report pointed to the hypocrisy of the special forces leadership who pushed the view that people were more important than equipment. “It has become a running joke in (the unit) since the sentiment is that the opposite is true,” the investigation noted.

Maj.-Gen. Steve Hunter, head of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), did not respond to questions from the Ottawa Citizen.

But DND spokesperson Alex Tétreault acknowledged in an emailed response that “427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron had turnover in the Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator trade when the members arrived at the squadron ahead of the airframe.”

He noted the sensor operator positions are now filled and staff are developing their skills on the new planes.

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Tétreault said the aircraft are expected to be operational in the summer of 2025.

The investigation, conducted for the special forces leadership, recommended a “modest amount of unit and HQ resources” be used to help improve the situation and prioritize training. It warned that if changes weren’t made then future recruiting and training for the sensor operator positions would suffer.

Neither Hunter nor Tétreault provided details on what changes, if any, were brought in to deal with the ongoing problems.

Some of the earlier training for the CE-145C Vigilance aircraft crews has been controversial. In 2022, the Ottawa Citizen revealed that Canadian special forces were operating the mystery aircraft that flew over Ottawa during the convoy protests in late January and February.

The U.S.-registered King Air aircraft was airborne over Ottawa on Jan. 28, Jan. 29, Feb. 3, Feb. 10 and Feb. 11, 2022, according to data collected by Steffan Watkins, an Ottawa researcher who tracks movements of vessels and planes.

The flights coincided with the large-scale protests in downtown Ottawa.

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DND acknowledged the aircraft was being operated by Canadian special forces as part of a training mission on Feb. 10, but stated the flight had nothing to do with the protests.

The Ottawa Citizen later reported the flights took place despite a military directive that was supposed to prohibit such activities. Canadian special forces leaders reasoned they didn’t have to follow the military directive since the surveillance plane they were using was owned by a private defence contractor, according to a DND statement issued at the time.

Conservative MPs raised questions in the House of Commons about whether the Liberal government had authorized illegal surveillance of the protesters.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the flights were part of military training, but said the plane was not involved in surveillance of demonstrators.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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