Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre
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Located at 8 Wing Trenton, the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre (CAAWC) is the Functional Centre of Excellence for the Canadian Army’s (CA) myriad of environmental domains including jungle, cold weather and complex terrain, as well as technical domains such as airborne, patrol pathfinder, helicopter insertion, and aerial delivery. CAAWC offers over 20 different courses from Basic Parachutist to Arctic Operations to Aerial Delivery. On average, CAAWC qualifies over 600 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members per year while supporting parachute production for the CA and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). CAAWC manages the Air Drop Systems Technician trade, formerly known as the Rigger trade, as the CAFs Parachute Depot.
CAAWC is the only CA Training Establishment with an operational mandate. It is responsible to have a two member liaison team on two hour notice to move, and a 12 member parachute team on 12 hour notice to move to force generate for contingency plan SOTERIA. SOTERIA is a joint contingency operation aimed at preserving life following a major air or major sea accident in the Arctic. It involves parachuting into an incident site with survival equipment, supporting the efforts of the lead Search and Rescue Technicians, and providing shelter and sustenance to survivors.
CAAWC also holds the Airborne Trials and Evaluations Section (ATES) which develops, tests and evaluates all equipment related to airborne and air transport operations in support of the CA. These trials range from parachutes and helmets, to procedures and materiel for rigging of Air Drop or Air Transportable equipment. ATES also receives requests from the RCAF and the Canadian Special Operations Command to conduct air-land related trials.
With augmentation from regular and reserve units including the Canadian Rangers, CAAWC is the home of the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team (CAFPT), also known as The SkyHawks. CAFPT performs world class parachute acrobatics at venues across Canada and internationally, from May to October each year. As a vital part of the CAF’s Op REGENERATION, make sure you follow The SkyHawks on social media, and visit one of their incredible shows.