Ramstein Air Base – 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.
“The UDCG is a testament to the unity and commitment of Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the crucial capabilities it needs to fight for its sovereignty and security. What happens in Ukraine will help determine the trajectory of global security. Canada’s support for Ukraine remains unwavering and we will continue to do what it takes to help Ukraine win this war.” – Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence