On September 6, 2024, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, and General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, participated in the 24th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany hosted by United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.
Minister Blair announced that this week, Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) pilots arrived in Canada to begin fighter-lead-in-training (FLIT). Canada has taken over leadership of the FLIT element of the UDCG Air Force Capability Coalition (AFCC) – backed by an investment of $389 million over five years in F-16 pilot training for Ukrainian personnel. This package of support includes the launch of advanced pilot training. As part of our support to the AFCC, Canada will also be providing critical equipment and other support to Ukrainian air bases and fleets.
Minister Blair also announced that Canada will donate and transport 80,840 additional CRV-7 rocket motors and 1,300 warheads to Ukraine. This follows Canada’s initial delivery of 2,160 CRV-7 rocket motors, as pledged earlier this year. The additional 80,840 rocket motors are being prepared for shipment to Poland and will arrive in the coming months. The decommissioned rocket motors were previously used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on CF-18 fighter aircraft. Canada will also be donating 970 surplus C6 machine guns as well as 10,500 surplus 9mm pistols from our inventory.
In response to a specific request from Ukraine, Minister Blair also announced that Canada will donate decommissioned chassis from 29 M113s and 64 Coyote LAVs, formerly used by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). These surplus vehicles, no longer operational in the Canadian Army, will be repurposed or used for spare parts by Ukraine.
Minister Blair also provided the following updates on other Canadian donations:
An initial set of Armoured Combat Support Vehicles built by Canadian workers in London, Ontario has arrived in Europe, and training for the AFU on the vehicles is underway. Following training, the 10 ambulances will be delivered to Ukraine in September. The additional 40 vehicles (of the Troop/Cargo variant) will begin arriving in spring 2025 with full delivery by the end of 2025.
Training with the AFU on Teledyne FLIR Skyranger drones donated by Canada will begin in Ukraine this month.
In August, Canada delivered approximately $200,000 worth of IT equipment to support Ukraine’s cyber capabilities.
While in Germany, Minister Blair also visited the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine (SAG-U) in Wiesbaden, where he met with CAF members and American officers. SAG-U is currently transitioning to NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which will be comprised of approximately 700 personnel from NATO Allied nations – as announced at the NATO Summit in Washington earlier this summer.
Since 2022, Canada has committed $4.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. Canada will continue to support Ukraine until its victory.
Quick Facts
The UDCG was created by the United States Secretary of Defense in April 2022 to allow Allies and partners to synchronize donations, consult, and coordinate military assistance to Ukraine, and build up the capabilities of the AFU. Convening monthly at the ministerial level, the UDCG now brings together more than 50 countries.
Canada is a member of the UDCG’s Armour, Air Force, and Drone capability coalitions.
Since February 2022, Canada has committed over $19.5 billion in total assistance to Ukraine, including $4.5 billion in military assistance. This includes Leopard 2 main battle tanks, armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, small arms, M777 howitzers and associated ammunition, high-resolution drone cameras, winter clothing, and more. Canada is also contributing to multinational efforts to train pilots and maintainers to support Ukraine’s F-16s.
Since the launch of Operation UNIFIER, the CAF has trained more than 42,000 members of the AFU. Canada has announced the extension of this mission until March 2026, so the CAF can continue to respond to Ukraine’s training needs.
Canada continues to train AFU members under Operation UNIFIER, with approximately 300 CAF members currently deployed in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Latvia in various roles.
Since late March 2022, the RCAF has been transporting Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, allies, and partners. To date, the RCAF has transported over 19 million pounds of military donations.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
