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Reactivation of 433 and 401 Fighter Squadrons (a split & merged thread)

Don't have to like it, but there is no reason to disrespect 401s track record.
It is a shame to retire a respected unit, but it is good to see a respected unit come back from oblivion. IMHO
 
geo said:
Don't have to like it, but there is no reason to disrespect 401s track record.
It is a shame to retire a respected unit, but it is good to see a respected unit come back from oblivion. IMHO

And considering 401 Sqn was originally 1 Sqn RCAF, historically it would make sense to reactivate it. 
 
Believe 401 sqn traces its roots back to 115 reserve sqn in 1934....
 
Just checked my facts.... 115 auxiliary sqn was combined with 1 sqn rcaf for overseas service.... And became 401 sqn when sqn numbers were reassigned
 
Loachman said:
That's no excuse.

Really?  ::)

The fighter guys could just as easily said the same about some floppy-winged guys taking over the namesake in 1968.  It was a hard, war-time fighter squadron in WWII with a rare heritage of involvement in the Battle of Britain, and an Aux Fighter Sqn post-war flying Vampires, Sabers and T-33s until unification.

:2c:
G2G
 
That was just a temporary measure until God invented Helicopters.
 
At Flightglobal:

Canada’s newly reborn CF-18 fighter squadron conducted its first operational fight since reactivating on 30 June.

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) announced on Facebook that the 401 Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Cold Lake, Alberta, took to the skies 20 July, marking the unit’s first operational flight since disbanding in 1996.

The squadron previously flew the CH-136 Kiowa helicopter out of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, and has now switched to fighters to bolster Canadian support for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

getasset.aspx


Its reactivation means Canada now has two operational fighter squadrons at the Cold Lake in central Canada [hah!] and two nearer to the east coast [bit better] at Bagotville air base in Quebec...

Canada’s currently has 64 active McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornets that were introduced in the 1980s, according to Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database. An ongoing modernisation programme is expected to keep the CF-18 flying through 2025 until another fighter takes its place...
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/canada39s-reactivated-cf-18-39rams39-squadron-takes-415001/

Presumably 16 aircraft in each of the four operational squadrons, rest in 410 training.

Mark
Ottawa
 
So, a 65 plane F-35 purchase leaves 14 per Squadron and 9 for the training squadron?
 
Why not leverage international training and send our guys to the USA for their OTU?
 
Makes sense - contribute to a combined air training program.
 
Infanteer said:
Makes sense - contribute to a combined air training program.
And of more than Canada and the U.S. buy, and buy into jointness on this one, maybe further economies of scale?
 
SupersonicMax said:
Why not leverage international training and send our guys to the USA for their OTU?

Max, that kind of thinking will get you put on DND's "Top Ten - Most Wanted" list...you're picture will go up in the foyers of all HQs for people to keep an eye out for.

      ;D

G2G



* - some might actually agree with you and consider that line of thinking to be practical and reasonable in today's fiscally-constrained resource environment.
 
Infanteer said:
So, a 65 plane F-35 purchase leaves 14 per Squadron and 9 for the training squadron?

No, there will likely be no training squadron aircraft. Basically the use of simulators and operational aircraft loaned from squadrons will replace the OTU portion as it is currently established. This is very much in flux however.... due to the government's pause on this file. A lot of questions remained unanswered: would the conversion training be done at the two wings, or just at one: what trainer we would use, what would the proportion of flights to sim time would be established.

SupersonicMax said:
Why not leverage international training and send our guys to the USA for their OTU?

I think that will be one of the options looked when progress is restarted. Because we're so far behind the eightball on the program, it might be cheaper and easier to go down this route.
 
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