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103 Search and Rescue Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force is a search and rescue unit based at 9 Wing Gander on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The squadron is responsible for a large area covering the offshore waters of Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic ocean and inland areas in the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador, and some parts of Eastern Quebec. The squadron operates three AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant helicopters.
History
The unit was stood up on April 1, 1947, at RCAF Station Dartmouth as the 103 Search and Rescue Flight a section of 101KU. Later that year, the unit moved to RCAF Station Greenwood. In 1950, the unit was renamed 103 Rescue Unit and moved to RCAF Station Summerside where it remained until unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, when it was disbanded, with the remnants of the unit forming the new 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron at CFB Summerside.
The unit was re-activated in 1977 at CFB Gander to meet the search and rescue demands in Canada's area of responsibility in the western North Atlantic. At the time of its reactivation, the squadron was equipped with the Boeing Vertol CH-113 Labrador twin-rotor helicopter and was stationed in a permanent hangar constructed on the grounds of the airport in 1977. In 1997 the squadron was re-designated to its current name by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip and presented with its standard.
In 2009, the squadron, alongside its parent unit 9 Wing Gander, hosted SAREX 09, an annual search and rescue exercise involving SAR organizations across Canada, with units from the United States Air Force and international observers also attending.