NWT RCMP look to be getting a new jet aircraft

RCMP in the NWT appear to be taking delivery of a Pilatus PC-24 jet aircraft, a significant upgrade on previous PC-12 turboprop models.

A PC-12 has one engine. A workhorse for RCMP across Canada, the planes were first built in 1991.

A PC-24, by contrast, has two jet engines and the model only entered production in 2015. The plane’s Swiss manufacturer calls it a “super versatile business jet.”

Last week, aviation publication Skies Magazine published a photo of a Pilatus PC-24 on the tarmac in Switzerland bearing an RCMP livery and the Northwest Territories’ coat of arms.

Approached for comment on January 16, NWT RCMP responded on Thursday with a statement in which they did not confirm the purchase of such an aircraft, but said the NWT was being prioritized as RCMP nationally “renew and modernize” their fleet.

However, any air of mystery around the plane appeared to have been punctured by NWT RCMP commanding officer Chief Supt Dyson Smith, who commented on Skies Magazine’s Facebook photo of the PC-24: “This will be a significant improvement for our Territory as we make improvements for public safety. This looks amazing and we are eager to receive it!”

(After this article was published, an RCMP spokesperson did confirm the force is “in the procurement process” for a PC-24, adding that “much work remains to be done.”)

One major benefit of the PC-24 is its ability to operate on the gravel runways that form most NWT community airstrips. The manufacturer says the PC-24 was certified for gravel runways in 2018.

Many jet aircraft, by contrast, cannot safely handle such airstrips without the risk of gravel damaging the engine. (Older Boeing 737s that can be modified to use gravel runways have been highly prized in the North for that ability.)

Exactly how an NWT RCMP PC-24 will look inside the cabin isn’t clear.

2024 evaluation criticized fleet

The North’s size makes air travel a priority for its police force.

In a 2024 promotional article, RCMP described their Nunavut aircraft – a PC-12 at the time – as operating “seven days a week, mostly shuttling prisoners and RCMP personnel between communities.”

The branch responsible for this side of policing is RCMP Air Services, which has about 180 personnel and 22 planes nationwide.

Most of those aircraft are nearing the end of their useful lives, RCMP said this week, and a 2024 evaluation of the RCMP fleet found a high percentage were “rated as being in fair or poor/failed condition.”

That evaluation also criticized the prevailing RCMP approach of flying single-engine aircraft with just one pilot.

“All comparison organizations have invested in dual engine aircraft and fly two pilots per mission,” the study’s authors wrote.

“The RCMP is one of the only airlines that still operates single engine aircraft with single pilots. Canada’s vast geography with large bodies of water and the requirement to provide service to very remote and northern areas makes this approach highly risky.”

In this week’s statement, NWT RCMP said they were being given priority in the fleet modernization as they “have increased reliance on air travel to support operations in remote regions.”

RCMP have not specified when the PC-24 will arrive or what it is expected to cost. Some online services quote prices in the range of $15 million for new models.

NWT RCMP also recently rolled out a $580,000 territorial armoured vehicle – to some criticism.