Canada will soon deploy a maritime patrol aircraft to the Asia-Pacific region to support enforcement of trade sanctions against North Korea.
Following a meeting in Tokyo between Canadian and Japanese officials, Ottawa on 13 September announced the deployment of a Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion maritime patrol detachment to Japan, which will support the UN mission enforcing an embargo against certain goods entering North Korea.
Sanctions against Pyongyang were approved by the UN Security Council in response to North Korea’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The restrictions ban the trade of weapons and military equipment, among other actions.
Ottawa says its naval patrol mission will “monitor for suspected maritime sanctions evasion activities, in particular ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and other commodities” banned by the UN Security Council.
The P-3 detachment, which the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) operates under the local designation CP-140 Aurora, includes one aircraft and 50 personnel. Operations are scheduled to begin later this month and will run through October.
Ottawa has been stepping up its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. It created a bilateral action plan with Japan in 2022, vowing heightened enforcement of trade sanctions against North Korea, with a particular focus on illicit ship-to-ship transfers.
Canadian aircraft on routine sanctions enforcement patrols have in the past been harassed by Chinese military fighters, including a 2023 incident involving an RCAF CP-140 loaded with journalists and senior military officers being aggressively intercepted by Shenyang J-16 and Chengdu J-10S fighters over the East China Sea. The Chinese jets flew a few metres off the Aurora’s wing.
The RCAF plans to replace its ageing fleet of 14 Auroras with an equivalent number of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol jets. The 2023 deal includes $5.9 billion for 14 of the 737NG-based aircraft, with options for an additional two.
