The 407 Squadron Defends the Dragon Belt

News Article / January 19, 2022

19 Wing Public Affairs

For the second year in a row, a CP-140 Aurora aircraft and crew from 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron and support personnel from 19 Wing Comox participated in Exercise Sea Dragon. And for the second year in a row, the Royal Canadian Air Force detachment received the coveted Dragon Belt award for top-performing crew in the exercise.

It was a very tough contest this year, with scoring adjusted to simulate a warfighting environment. In addition to winning the Dragon Belt for the highest overall score, 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron also won the Kraken award for most consistent attacks. Final standings: Canada: Gold - Dragon Belt; USA: Silver; Australia: Bronze.

Hosted by the US Navy at Andersen Air Base in Guam, Ex Sea Dragon 22 is a premier multinational anti-submarine exercise in the Pacific region. Running from December 29, 2021 to January 21, 2022, the exercise is broken into three parts: introduction and warm ups, the Dragon Belt competition, and training exercises. Focussing primarily on anti-submarine warfare training, the exercise culminates in over 270 hours of in-flight training; ranging from tracking simulated targets to the final problem of tracking a US Navy submarine at sea. During classroom training sessions, aircrew from all participating countries build plans and discuss tactics incorporating the capabilities and equipment of their respective nations.

The exercise includes participants from the Royal Canadian Air Force, the United States Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Indian Navy, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, and the Republic of Korea Navy and is conducted to enhance relationships.

“Exercises such as Sea Dragon allow for realistic training while exchanging skills, tactics and increased understanding of multinational operations,” said Major-General Eric Kenny, Commander 1 Canadian Air Division. “The overarching goal of the exercise is to enhance the interoperability of our Long Range Patrol force in anti-submarine warfare efforts while also supporting our mutual desire to improve maritime security in collaboration with our partners and allies.”