Other MILAIR Frequencies

Listening to military aviation: A local perspective

I I first got interested in planespotting military aircraft at age 7 when my family moved to a house near CFB Shearwater in the 1970s. My passion with military communications came soon after.

For the most part, daily military aviation going into Canadian airports and air bases use the VHF air band. The UHF airband is used locally mainly for base and squadron operations. Frequencies used for Shearwater and Greenwood are listed elsewhere. But it's important to realize other military aviation frequencies can also be heard in this region. Nova Scotia may not be as active for military monitoring as, say, Florida or even New England. But there are frequencies here that become active during exercises and overflights. And, with the state of global tensions, this band shouldn't be ignored.

This type of monitoring requires patience... patience... patience... Do NOT expect to hear a lot is activity. But, you never know...

I developed this list of frequencies from Maritimes Scanning Site, Larry van Horn's Milcom Monitoring Post, and my own frequency hunting.

See MARCAN or RadioReference.com

Refueling flights

The United States Air Force routinely conducts aerial refueling flights over Nova Scotia. This route (AR-20) goes across the province starting and terminating at Yarmouth (CYQI) and Sydney (CYQY). It's not uncommon to see KC-135s and KC-46s from Bangor, Maine and Pease, New Hampshire "towing" planes while spotting at Halifax Stanfield. I've even seen Air Force One being refuelled on it's way to Europe.

Frequencies:

341.750 (Pri), 337.4 (sec), 373.6, 343.5, 339.4, 349.7

"Mainiac Ops"

At one time, 311.000 was the Strategic Air Command's go-code frequency for a nuclear attack. These days, 311.000 is the Command Post Frequency for the 101st Air Refueling Wing of the Maine Air National Guard based in Bangor. This frequency can occasionally be heard in Halifax as KC-135s check in with base operations.

NORAD
Canada and the United States are partners in the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). The bilateral agreement ensures joint defence of North American airspace. You can learn more about NORAD here.

Over the years, I've seen multiple websites claiming to be the "definitive" list of NORAD frequencies. As a rule, I trust Larry Van Horn's list. That said, it's important to note that these frequencies appear to be rarely active in Nova Scotia unless there's an exercise. It could be that many of these frequencies are used elsewhere. I do hear 364.2 as the primary NORAD frequency and have heard 260.9. I suspect a control station will direct a conversation to a specific regional frequency.

RCAF Frequencies
I suspect that the Canadian military utilizes more frequencies than this list. I also suspect that the RCAF uses various modes of encryption and utilize military communication satellites. Here is a list of UHF frequencies I've heard Canadian air force aircraft use. Please note, you'll also hear Top Aces Canada use these. Top Aces is a Canadian defence contractor that provides training services to the military.
Frequencies:
303.8, 333.3, 381.8, 232.5, 251.0, 234.7, 261.3, 228.275, 283.4

Around Nova Scotia, it should be understood that Canadian military and other government aircraft are equipped with VHF Marine radio and will be heard communicating with vessels, particularly in search and rescue operations. I've heard aircraft use Channel 16 (156.8) and Channel 19A (156.95) in the Halifax area.

44N, 63W

Current Halifax weather

Listening to military aviation: A local perspective