Canadian CF-18 jets regroup in Romania

Six CF-18s alongside hundreds of military personnel in the Canadian Forces arrived in Romania with the mission to assist NATO forces in Eastern Europe.

‘There is a lot of uncertainty about what we're going to be doing over there,’ Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin said right before departing for Romania.

‘We're going to go to Romania. When we get there, it's going to be day-to-day flying like we do in Bagotville, except it's going to be training with Romanian and other NATO countries from day to day. And then we'll see. We're not sure how long we're going to be staying, but we'll be staying until the government tells us it's time to come back,’ Blondin added.

The pilots of the CF-18 are trained to engage in air defense, air superiority, aerospace testing and tactical support missions. They engage aerial targets as well as grounded targets.

Other vehicles accompanying the CF-18s are a C-17 cargo plane and two Airbuses, one carrying fuel and the other personnel. An estimated 200 to 250 military staff will be eventually deployed for this NATO mission in Romania.

‘We are sending out a message to Russia and we are reassuring our allies that we are taking steps and making a point consistent with what NATO has been saying, the actions so far are unacceptable by Russia and we are sending out a very clear message,’ declared Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson.

As NATO reinforces its troops in Romania, Ukraine’s bordering country, the situation in Ukraine is worsening by each passing day, the government gradually losing control over its cities in favor of insurgents who claimed city halls, police stations and other government buildings in at least 10 cities.