Operation Echo was the codename given by the Canadian Forces for its air activities during the Kosovo War in 1999. In support of the NATO Operation Allied Force Canadian aircraft based at Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy flew bombing missions over the Balkans.[2]
| Operation Echo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kosovo War | |||||||
 CF-18 Hornets depart Aviano Air Base, Italy | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Canada |
 Yugoslavia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean Chrétien | Slobodan Milošević | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 Air Command | Yugoslav Armed Forces | ||||||
During the campaign the Canadian air contingent consisted of 18 CF-18 Hornet aircraft from 441 and 425 Tactical Fighter Squadrons, with 69 aircrew and 250 ground crew. Between March 24 and June 10, 1999, they flew 684 sorties in 224 missions, and dropped nearly 500,000 lb (230,000 kg) of gravity and precision-guided bombs. Canadian forces comprised less than 2% of the nearly 1,000 Allied aircraft engaged in the conflict, they flew on 10% of all bombing missions, due to this, the operation was considered as a victory for the Canadian Air Command as they fulfilled their first and biggest goal, inducing a Serbian withdrawal from Kosovo.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo1/no1/doc/55-61-eng.pdf
- ^ "Details/Information for Canadian Forces (CF) Operation Kinetic". CMP Directorate of History and Heritage. 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Bergen, Bob (2013). "New historic Battle Honour for Canadian jet fighter squadrons bittersweet" (PDF). Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
 | This Canadian military history article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Kosovo-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |