424 Transport and Rescue Squadron

424 Transport and Rescue Squadron (French: 424e Escadron de transport et de sauvetage), nicknamed "Tiger Squadron", is a Royal Canadian Air Force strategic transport and search and rescue unit based at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton in the Canadian province of Ontario. The squadron is the primary provider of search and rescue response for the Trenton Search and Rescue Region, which extends from Quebec City to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Canada–United States border to the North Pole, covering an area of over ten million square kilometres in Central, Western, and Northern Canada. The squadron operates the Lockheed CC-130H Hercules transport aircraft and the Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopter. Pararescue specialists, known as Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR Techs) are on constant standby to deploy within 30 minutes of notification during weekdays and 2 hours at other times.

History
No. 424 Squadron RCAF was formed on 15 October 1942 in Topcliffe, England as a bomber squadron. On 1 January 1943 it joined No. 6 Group RCAF and took part in night bombing raids on Germany until 16 April 1943. It was then transferred to North Africa for attacks on Italian targets for three months and stationed in Tunisia during that time. Returning to the United Kingdom it was equipped with Halifaxes for a year and after January 1945 with Lancasters. During this period it was also known as No. 424 (Tiger) Squadron. The squadron disbanded on 15 October 1945 and was reactivated a year later at RCAF Station Hamilton as an auxiliary light bomber squadron, then deactivated again in 1964. On 8 July 1968, during the unification of the Canadian Forces, the squadron was reactivated as 424 Communications and Transport Squadron, operating from Hangar 9 at CFB Trenton. The squadron has received sixteen battle honours and has flown more than 14 different types of aircraft during its history.

On 27 October 2011, the squadron acknowledged the death of Sergeant Janick Gilbert, a Search and Rescue technician who perished while participating in a rescue mission in the waters of Nunavut.