As the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ramp up border patrols in a bid to strengthen security and respond to America’s growing pressure to stop illegal border crossings and drug trafficking, a Black Hawk helicopter is now patrolling the border in Alberta.
The RCMP said the flights along the U.S.-Canada border began Tuesday. Similar such flights have already begun in Manitoba.
“The range and speed of the Black Hawk allows it to be deployed very quickly to any location along the Alberta border; providing the RCMP with an enhanced rapid-response capability within the province,” said Asst. Commissioner Lisa Moreland with the RCMP Northwest Region.
“The Black Hawk is without a doubt an additional and very important air asset that has been brought in to help keep our border with the United States secure.”
A RCMP Black Hawk helicopter over the Coutts Border Crossing in southern Alberta on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
Supplied by RCMP
The helicopter will patrol the Prairie border to search for, and target, all illegal activity along the border region.
RCMP said this includes searching for people who illegally cross over into Canada between border crossings and for the human smugglers who facilitate those journeys.
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RCMP said the Black Hawk will also be used to detect and stop smuggling and trafficking of contraband such as illegal drugs into, and out of, Canada.
The helicopters will have police officers on-board who can respond to any spot near the border where illegal activity may be taking place.
The helicopters can also be used to help direct Integrated Border Enforcement Team officers, who patrol the Alberta border in vehicles on the ground, to any suspicious activity.
A RCMP Black Hawk helicopter near the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
Supplied by RCMP
In an interview with Global News earlier this month, the chief superintendent and director general of serious and organized crime and border integrity for the RCMP said the force has been assessing the force’s border capabilities since 2023, which was what allowed them to move quickly on leasing the Black Hawks.
Mathieu Bertrand said the RCMP already had an existing number of nine helicopters, six of which were for patrolling the border, but the Black Hawks will increase their speed.
Police added the Black Hawks allow those on board to fast-rope down without the helicopter needing to land, giving them the ability to extract and hoist to remove people as well.
The range of the Black Hawks depends on fuel, with the standard amount allowing them to travel about 590 km, though the range can be extended to more than 2,000 km if auxiliary tanks are added.
The helicopters are part of Canada’s plan to beef up patrols of the U.S.-Canada border.
The government is deploying a range of other security measures as well, such as using drones and surveillance towers, and acquiring new technology such as x rays, mobile x rays, and handheld chemical analyzers.
Global News has previously reported that a senior government source had said Trudeau was ready to beef up border security by buying new helicopters for patrol. A national security source had said at the time that the RCMP has sought helicopter capabilities for the border for years.
In December 2024, the federal government said it is proposing a joint strike force and an “around the clock” aerial surveillance unit for ports of entry as part of its plan to tackle issues at the U.S.-Canada border amid growing pressure from Trump.
The planned North American joint strike force was one of several announcements that came from the government’s fall economic statement, which saw $1.3 billion announced for added border security measures.
With Parliament prorogued until March 24, that new spending can’t be passed but measures that can be accomplished without legislation can still go ahead.
Alberta RCMP said people who live near the U.S. border may hear and see the helicopter on a regular basis. RCMP said this will be normal police operations and there’s no cause for any public safety concern.
—with files from Sean Previl and Uday Rana, Global News
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Black Hawk helicopter flights begin along U.S. border in Alberta
