EXCLUSIVE: A first look at Black Hawk helicopters to patrol Canada’s borders – The National

When it comes to enforcing Canada’s security along the 9,000 km border, “things are moving fast,” says the RCMP’s head of serious and organized crime and border integrity.

In an exclusive Global News, The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson was given the first access to the Black Hawk helicopters that are being packaged and readied for use on Canada’s border patrols as part of an effort to bolster that security and respond to growing U.S. pressure to stop illegal border crossings and drug trafficking.

Mathieu Bertrand, 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 is what allowed them to move forward quickly with leasing the Black Hawks.

He added that 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.

“Things happen quickly on the border,” he said. “As you can imagine on a 9,000-kilometer border, there are some situations where we have to move our resources, we have to move our resources quickly. These choppers give us that ability.”

The RCMP had confirmed to Global News this week that two of the Black Hawk models would be operational starting Friday, with Staff Sgt. Rob Tan of the RCMP’s emergency response team tells Global News they would be conducting border patrols between Canada and the United States starting Sunday.

Get the latest national news

For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.

“We will do surveillance, in coordination with our assets on the ground, enforcement of border integrity and take all the actions that need to be taken,” Tan said.

2:26
Canada deploys Black Hawk helicopters at Canada-US border: McGuinty

“A lot of the harsh environments and places we can’t reach conventionally, we’ll be able to observe them and deploy in those areas.”

However, Tan added that the Black Hawks allow those on board to quickly rope down without the helicopter having to land, allowing them to pull out and hoist to remove people as well.

He said officers have undergone training in preparation for using the helicopters, which will also allow for more people to operate on board or to have more people if enforcement is needed.

The capacity of the helicopters is an advantage, according to Sgt. Matthew Wells, National Emergency Response Team coordinator for the RCMP.

He said the range of the Black Hawks depends on fuel, with the standard amount allowing them to travel about 590 kilometers, although the range can be extended to more than 2,000 kilometers if auxiliary tanks are added.

“By extending that reach, we can now move everyone we need and all the equipment we need in one helicopter, what would normally take two, three, four trips with one helicopter or multiple helicopters,” said he. “We can do the same task and mission with one helicopter.”

In December 2024, the federal government said it was proposing a joint strike force and a “round-the-clock” air surveillance unit for ports of entry as part of its plan to tackle problems at the US-Canada border amid mounting pressure from Trump.

And in recent weeks, several provincial governments have announced their own responses, including Quebec, which has said it is ready to deploy 300 officers to the border if illegal crossings into the United States increase.

Asked about border crossing by people entering the U.S. and if the RCMP could arrest them, Bertrand said border protection can’t just be done on “one side,” but having Canadian law enforcement “present” at the border is an advantage.

“By being present at the border, we can deter criminal activity from entering the United States,” Bertrand said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the aircraft’s range.

© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.