Canadian Army: always in the shadows and on the sidelines
Geographically, Canada is almost a mirror image of Russia, located on the other side of the North Pole from it. The same huge territory, while also almost completely empty and frozen. The population also mostly lives along the southern border of the country.
BEHIND THE BIG NEIGHBOR'S BACK
After the collapse of the British Empire, Canada was immediately "inherited" by the United States. Ottawa is a member of NATO and the informal Anglo–Saxon union (" Washington promotes a smaller brother ", "HBO", 16.07.21). It is part of the North American air defense system NORAD, participates in all Washington's overseas campaigns. The construction of the Canadian Armed Forces throughout the history of the country as an independent state (and not a dominion of the British Empire) was based on the import of military equipment from the United States and from the former metropolis. The country also has its own fairly developed military-industrial complex, which, however, mainly produces equipment under foreign licenses, and not according to its own projects.
During the Cold War, Canada's tank fleet consisted of British Centurions and German Leopards-1s totaling up to 500. There were over a thousand American M113 armored personnel carriers (including command and staff vehicles (KSM), carriers of anti-tank missile systems (ATGMs), etc.), as well as about 200 combat reconnaissance vehicles (BRM) "Links" created on their basis.
76 units of 155-mm self-propelled artillery units (ACS) M109 and 57 guns M114 were received from the USA. In Canada itself, under the American license, more than 200 units of 105-mm M101A1 guns were produced under the name C1, of which 96 were later upgraded in Holland according to the C3 variant. More than 70 pieces of 105 mm guns were also purchased in the UK and Italy. Ground-based air defense was limited to hundreds of British portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) "Bloupipe".
The basis of combat aviation consisted of more than 1.5 thousand American F-86, F-101, F-104 and, finally, F-5 fighters; a significant part of them were assembled in Canada itself. At the end of the 1980s, 138 F-18A/V Hornet were received (in the US Navy, these aircraft were used as deck planes, Canada received them in the "land" version). Anti-submarine aircraft P-3 "Orion", transport aircraft C-130 "Hercules" and helicopters CH-47 "Chinook" were also purchased. Canada itself produced for itself and for export a series of DHC light and medium transport aircraft, as well as turboprop aircraft engines.
The Canadian Navy even had aircraft carriers and light cruisers built by the British during the Second World War. The last aircraft carrier was withdrawn from the Canadian Navy in 1970. Also British-built (type "Oberon") were Canadian submarines (PL). Destroyers of the Iroquois type, frigates of the St. Laurent, Restigouche, Mackenzie, and Annapolis types were built in Canada itself, although with foreign weapons. Currently, all these ships have been decommissioned and disposed of or sunk (as targets or artificial reefs), only two Oberon-type submarines have been turned into museums.
"PIRANS" FOR EVERY TASTE
Of particular note is Canada's cooperation with Switzerland in the production of armored personnel carriers. It began in the late 1970s and continues to this day. On the basis of the family of Swiss wheeled armored personnel carriers "Pirana" Canadians have created their own family of wheeled combat vehicles.
At first, from 491 to 496 AVGP armored personnel carriers were produced under a Swiss license in Canada (from 269 to 274 Grizzly armored personnel carriers themselves, 195 heavy-armed combat vehicles (BMTV) with a 76-mm Cougar cannon, 27 Husky engineering vehicles). There were no export orders for these vehicles, already in the 21st century, 100 Grizzlies and five Huskies were sold from the Canadian Army for African Union/UN peacekeepers in Darfur, 44 Cougars, 98 Grizzlies and five Huskies to Uruguay.
Then, based on the Pirana-2, the LAV-25 APC was created in Canada. He joined the Canadian Army in variants of the BRM "Coyote" (203 vehicles) and the Bison armored personnel carrier (199, including KSM, engineering, self-propelled mortars, etc.; currently, all "Bison" have been converted into auxiliary variants).
Australia received 261 cars (including auxiliary ones) under the name ASLAV. As many as 2653 LAV-25 cars (also including auxiliary and BMTV) were bought by Saudi Arabia. The US Marine Corps acquired 748 LAV-25 vehicles (again, including auxiliary and special vehicles).
Finally, based on the Pirana-3, 651 LAV-3 Kodiak vehicles were produced for the Canadian Army. Of these, 494 are in the armored personnel carrier version (including 181 with the capabilities of the KSM), 71 are carriers of the Tow ATGM (33 of them were later converted into armored personnel carriers), 47 are artillery reconnaissance vehicles, 39 are engineering.
The program of modernization of 616 such machines into the LAV-6 variant is now being completed. 105 machines were built for New Zealand under the name NZLAV. Under the name "Striker" LAV-3 entered the US Army in the amount of at least 4466 units (according to other sources – 4507). Another 928 such cars are bought by Saudi Arabia. Production of 360 ACCV vehicles related to the LAV-6 has begun for its own army, but the first 39 of these armored combat vehicles (BBM) were urgently transferred to Ukraine in 2022. As a result, together with the "Pirans" produced in Switzerland itself, Canadian cars occupied a very significant part of the world market of wheeled classic armored personnel carriers.
In addition, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Canada bought 20 GDF-005 anti–aircraft guns and 36 unique ADATS ATGMS/SAMs (on the M113 chassis) from Switzerland. However, this uniqueness turned out to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage of the complex: no other army in the world has acquired it.
Already in the 21st century, Canada bought 100 Leopard-2 tanks (80 A4 vehicles in the Netherlands, of which 18 were converted into combat repair and evacuation vehicles (BRAM), 20 A6 vehicles in Germany) and a number of engineering vehicles based on the same tank, as well as about 80 South African RG-31 armored vehicles and 37 American 155-mm M777 howitzers (of which four went to Ukraine in 2022). In addition, to replace the M113 and early Pirana-based vehicles, 500 American armored cars were purchased, as well as about 60 Cougars of the MRAP class (not to be confused with the aforementioned Canadian Cougar).
Various high-precision weapons are being purchased in the United States for the Air Force, heavy C-17 transport aircraft have been purchased. It is planned to purchase 65 F-35 fighters, but so far no such aircraft has even been manufactured for Canada. Therefore, another 18 F-18A/B were purchased in Australia to maintain the fleet at the minimum acceptable quantitative level. The Canadian Air Force receives Spanish C-295 transport aircraft, multi-purpose European EN–101 helicopters (locally called CH-149) and new modifications of transport Chinooks.
The Canadian Navy underwent a complete rearmament in the 1990s and early 2000s. The British Navy abandoned four Upholder-type submarines, so the newly built boats were sold to Canada (as the Victoria type). In Canada itself, 12 Halifax-class frigates (with American armament) and Kingston-type minesweepers were built. It is planned to build 15 frigates similar to the British pr. 26. A series of ice-class patrol ships "Harry De Wolf" is being built, but they carry purely symbolic weapons.
Ottawa took a fairly active part in the Afghan War. Losses in equipment amounted to at least 11 LAV-3 and one RG-31. Three Leopard-1 tanks may have been lost.
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES TODAY
The ground forces are formally divided into five divisions. The 1st Division (headquarters in Kingston) does not have a zone of responsibility and is not a real combat unit, formally subordinated to the Joint Operations Command, and not to the ground forces.
The 2nd Division (Montreal) has the historically "rebellious" province of Quebec as its area of responsibility. It includes the 5th Mechanized Brigade, the 2nd group of Canadian Rangers, the 34th and 35th reserve Brigades.
The 3rd Division (Edmonton) has a zone of responsibility in the west of the country. It includes the 1st mechanized Brigade, the 1st, 4th groups of Canadian Rangers, the 38th, 39th, 41st reserve brigades.
The 4th Division (Toronto) has the center of the country as its area of responsibility. It includes the 2nd mechanized Brigade, the 3rd group of Canadian Rangers, the 31st, 32nd, 33rd reserve brigades.
The 5th Division (Halifax) is responsible for the defense of the Atlantic coast. It includes the 5th group of Canadian Rangers, the 36th and 37th Reserve Brigades. Like the 1st Division, it is not a real combat unit.
The Joint Task Force (North, headquarters in the city of Yellowknife) is responsible for the defense of the Arctic territories, includes several groups (actually companies) of Canadian rangers. It is subordinate to the Joint Operations Command, which also includes a special forces regiment and a squadron of CH-146 helicopters.
The tank fleet includes 82 Leopard-2 tanks (42 A4, 20 A4M, 20 A6M), up to 66 obsolete Leopard-1S2 tanks are in storage.
581 BBM LAV-3/6/ACSV are in service. There are also 149 BRM "Coyote" (up to 54 more in storage), 78 Swedish Bv206 armored personnel carriers, up to 140 American M113A3 armored personnel carriers (upgraded in Canada itself into MTLV and TLAV variants), 500 TARV vehicles (American M1117). There are also 195 auxiliary vehicles based on the Bison armored personnel carrier. Up to 74 South African RG-31 Nyala armored vehicles, up to 58 American MRAP Cougar class armored vehicles in the engineering version, as well as early versions of the Pirana armored personnel carrier (up to 130 Cougars, up to 60 Grizzlies, up to 15 Huskies) and M113 (up to 855, as well as up to 124 BRM "Links").
All 61 M109A4 self-propelled guns have been withdrawn from combat. There are 156 towed guns (33 M777 (155 mm), 28 LG1 pieces, 95 C3 pieces (105 mm)) and 210 mortars (81 mm). 52 Tow ATGMs are in service (including 38 on the LAV-3 APC) and 435 ATGMs "Eriks".
The BBC organizationally consists of two divisions. The 1st Canadian Air Division includes the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 17th, 19th, 22nd air wings, including all combat and support aircraft. The 2nd Canadian Air Division includes the 15th and 16th air wings, they are armed with training aircraft.
The only combat aircraft of the Canadian Air Force is the F/A-18 "Hornet" (local designation CF-188). Currently, 64-71 F/A-18A (three more in storage) and 23-27 combat training F/A-18B (up to four more in storage) are in service.
Anti-submarine aviation includes 15 CP-140 aircraft (two more CP-140A aircraft are in storage at the American base–Davis-Monthan warehouse).
There are six tanker aircraft - two SS-150 (created on the basis of the European airbus A-310), four KS-130N.
Transport aviation includes three SS-150 aircraft, five SS-177 (American C-17 heavy aircraft), 25 American SS-130 Hercules (17 J, eight H; up to 10 E in storage), two Beach-350, five Spanish SS-295, four SS-144 (two C (CL-604), two D (CL-650); two B (CL-601) in storage), four CC-138 (one more in storage); five CC-115 in storage. The last three types are medium–sized Canadian-made transport aircraft.
Training aircraft – four ST-142, 17 ST-155 (English "Hawk"), 22 ST-156 (American T-6; two more in storage as sources of spare parts), 26 ST-114 (up to 43 more in storage), up to 13 German "Coffin-120", seven American "Beach-C90", 31 French-German "Alfa Jet".
Multipurpose and transport helicopters – 90 CH-146 (Bell-412; up to seven more in storage), 14 CH-149 (European EN-101), 27 CH-148 (American H-92), 14 CH-147F (American Chinook; another one in storage, and also two CH-147D).
The Canadian Navy has four Victoria-class submarines, 12 Halifax-type frigates and Kingston-type minesweepers, one Harry De Wolf ice-class patrol ship (PC). Of these, the Atlantic Fleet consists of one submarine, seven frigates, one PC, six minesweepers; the Pacific Fleet consists of three submarines, five frigates, six minesweepers, respectively.
The overall potential of the Canadian Armed Forces, of course, is very insignificant. But as an "appendix" to the general Anglo–Saxon, it is quite sufficient.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
