Trudeau to Obama: RCAF to Leave Bombing Campaign

Article written by CNN's Jethro Mullen 

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister-Elect in a 2013 photo in
Washington D.C. 

(CNN)Canada's new leader-in-waiting says he intends to follow through on his campaign promise to pull the country out of the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.

Justin Trudeau, who led the Liberal Party to a stunning victory in elections Monday, said he has already told U.S. President Barack Obama of his plans.

"He understands the commitments I've made around ending the combat mission," Trudeau told reporters Tuesday, without giving a time frame for when Canada's airstrikes would stop.

Trudeau is expected to take office in the coming weeks, replacing Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who sent Canadian warplanes to carry out airstrikes against ISIS.

Canada's bombing raids started hitting the Islamic extremist group's positions in Iraq in November 2014 and expanded into Syria in April.

As of last week, Canada's six CF-18 Hornet fighters in the region had flown 1,048 sorties in the anti-ISIS operation, according to the military, which didn't specify how many of the flights involved airstrikes. Other aircraft have conducted hundreds of refueling and reconnaissance missions.

For a full list of Canada's OPERATION IMPACT Airstrikes, see here. 

Canada to 'engage in a responsible way'

Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada would remain "a strong member of the coalition" against ISIS but would "engage in a responsible way."

His party wants to provide more humanitarian aid in Iraq and Syria and for the Canadian military to take part in a larger training  role rather than bombing missions, CNN partner CBC reported.

The White House statement on the phone call between Obama and Trudeau didn't mention the Canadian leader's intention to withdraw from the air campaign. It said the two leaders "committed to strengthening the countries' joint efforts" on combating terrorism and other issues.

Other nations that have taken part in the U.S.-led coalition's airstrikes against ISIS include Australia, France and Britain as well as Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

As of early October, the coalition had carried out more than 7,000 strikes, nearly two-thirds of them in Iraq, according to the Pentagon. The U.S. military has conducted close to 80% of all the strikes.

Russia's First Airstrikes Against ISIS in Syria

(This article was written by the Associated Press)

The airstrikes targeted ISIS positions, vehicles and warehouses that Russia believes belong to the militants, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. Islamic State is also referred to as ISIS.

A Russian SU 25 SM Ground Attach Aircraft during a Training Exercise in March 2015. Photo: National Post/Getty Images

Russia’s upper chamber of parliament earlier on Wednesday gave the green light to President Vladimir Putin’s request to send Russian troops to Syria.

Putin said the Russian air force will be supporting the Syrian army in its offensive operations.

Russia is “not going to plunge into this conflict head-on,” Putin said, and Moscow will help Syrian President Bashar Assad’s army as long as their offensive operation lasts.

Putin also said he expects Assad to sit down and talk with the Syrian opposition about a political settlement.

Russian lawmakers voted unanimously Wednesday to allow Putin to order airstrikes in Syria, where Russia has deployed fighter jets and other weapons in recent weeks.

Putin had to request parliamentary approval for any use of Russian troops abroad, according to the constitution. The last time he did so was before Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.

The vote comes after Putin’s meeting Monday with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, where the two discussed Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria. Speaking after his meeting with Obama, Putin kept the door open for airstrikes but ruled out ground action.

Putin and other officials have said Russia was providing weapons and training to Assad’s army to help it combat IS. Russian navy transport vessels have been shuttling back and forth for weeks to ferry troops, weapons and supplies to an air base near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. IHS Jane’s, a leading defence research group, said last week that satellite images of the base showed 28 jets, including Su-30 multirole fighters, Su-25 ground attack jets, Su-24 bombers and possibly Ka-52 helicopter gunships.

The Islamic State group has captured large parts of both Syria and Iraq.

(This article was written by the Associated Press)

RCAF Looks to Former US. Presidential Helicopters for SAR

Rescue'es could soon be rescued by Helicopters that once carried the President of the United States, as the RCAF looks at ways of bolstering the number of Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters it has available on a regular basis.

Former U.S President George W. Bush began a replacement program for the Marine One helicopters, which fly either the VH-3D Sea King or the VH-60N Whitehawk. The VH-71 Kestrel was selected as the appropriate replacement.

The Lockheed Martin VH-71, in testing in Owego, New York. File Photo. 

By February 2009, the program cost had risen to over $13 billion for 28 helicopters, and President Barack Obama looked at cancelling the program. The US Navy came to the same conclusion, and in June 2009, cancelled the program, after investing more than $4.4 billion and accepting delivery of 9 VH-71's.

Shortly after the US Navy cancelled the program, it sold the 9 helicopters and more than 800,000 spare parts to the RCAF for $164 million. The RCAF initially intended to strip the 9 VH-71's for spare parts for its AugustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant SAR helicopters. The VH-71 was a variant of AugustaWestland's AW101, as is the CH-149 - so they use similar parts.

RCAF CH-149 Cormorant over Nova Scotia. Photo: DND

Officials at DND and the RCAF are now saying that the $4 billion dollar aircraft purchase was a steal for the RCAF and 7 of the 9 are airworthy and it does not make sense to strip them down for spare parts. With several of the CH-149's heading into a retrofit for their (mid-life) renewals, the RCAF wants to bolster the number of SAR helicopters it has available, and the 7 VH-71's can help. The remaining 2 VH-71's are/were test airframes and therefore are no longer airworthy and cannot be converted.

If the RCAF moves forward with this plan, the VH-71's will need some retrofitting. Including having side sliding doors installed, and an upgrade to the cockpit, so it is closer to the CH-149. An AugustaWestland spokesman said, the company has always supported converting the VH-71's into SAR helicopters, and would be happy to help the RCAF in its retrofit.

Canada currently has 14 SAR Cormorant helicopters, and the 7 VH-71's would increase that total to 21, which would help for increased coverage in the Arctic.

The RCAF is still studying the option, and breaking down the cost effectiveness of the plan.