North Bay airforce base helped fighter jets intercept plane flying in restricted G7 airspace
The pilot of a small plane had to be intercepted by fighter jets over Kananaskis on Sunday, police say.
Canadian military air defence crew members from North Bay, Ont., are detailing how they jumped into action to protect the G7 summit after a private plane ignored commands and flew into restricted airspace.
Two members of the NORAD team in North Bay, Ont.
Two members of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) crew from 22 Wing North Bay overseeing Operation Cadence, the joint Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) security effort for the G7. June 25, 2025 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
Less than two weeks ago, world leaders gathered in Kananaskis, Alta., to talk international peace and security to global economic stability.
Canada Trump G7 Summit
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with President Donald Trump after a group photo at the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
On the first morning of the three-day annual meeting, a small civilian plane approached restricted airspace late in the morning of June 15.
Map of G7 no-fly zone and where the private plane flew
Map of G7 no-fly zone and where the private plane flew (NORAD)
Operation Cadence overseen by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) crew was a joint security effort between the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
'Trying to get him to turn away'
The monitoring, tracking and intercept all started out of North Bay's 22 Wing Canadian Forces Base.
'I was synthesizing information from RCMP, from our higher headquarters in Winnipeg, coming down to us and then transferring that to the team in the weapons section,' Capt. Adam Murray, the mission crew commander told reporters Wednesday morning.
Weapons director Lt. Glenn Butler said he saw the plane on his radar cruising in the no-fly zone and that's when the team scrambled to get in touch with the pilot.
NORAD in North Bay, Ont., tracks Canadian air space
NORAD in North Bay, Ont., tracks Canadian air space. (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario file)
'We started going up with our initial compliance trying to reach him over the radio,' Butler said.
'We were trying to tell him he was approaching restricted airspace trying to get him to turn away.'
The incident happened just after 1 p.m. EST.
Military officials said the plane, a single-engine, Cessna-style aircraft, was being flown by one person.
Trained for this moment
Canadian Armed Forces members started training for the G7 five months before the summit took place.
'There was a slight moment where we kind of all looked at each other like 'Okay, we're really doing this.' But after that moment, we all kind of flipped the switch and locked in,' Butler said.
Military officials and the RCMP said 'multiple steps were taken to gain the pilot's attention.'
But when the pilot did not obey initial orders to turn away, two CF-18 Hornet fighter jets were scrambled out of Cold Lake, Alta., to intercept the small fixed-wing aircraft.
'When that decision came down, I was on scope,' Butler said.
'I directed the fighter jets to turn to this heading, go to this altitude and go this fast to intercept the aircraft.'
Mounties note the fighter jets 'employed final warning measures to contact the pilot and have them safely land under their own power.'
Eventually, the pilot complied and landed in the RCMP's intended landing location in Brooks, Alta.
Wasted resources
RCMP said it was a serious situation.
'It is every pilot's responsibility to ensure that there are no restrictions in the airspace they intend to fly,' RCMP officials said at the time.
'These incidents take away resources that could be utilized in police work and securing the summit site.'
The RCAF said it was pleased with the dedication of the entire team keeping a watchful eye on the sky while the politicians spoke about and debated global issues.
Murray said dozens of crew members at 22 Wing were involved in some capacity throughout the summit, which ended June 17.
'It's easy to just get focused in on the people actively controlling the aircraft. They're doing the mission from the operations floor,' he said.
'But, we have we have techs keeping all of our systems running while it's going on. We have support staff as well.'
At the time, RCMP noted that it appeared to be a 'wayward flier,' but the incident currently remains under police investigation.
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