Position: 54°24'18"N 110°16'46"W (on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan)
Elevation: 1775 ft
CFB Cold Lake is home to 4 Wing, which is tasked with providing surveillance, protection and defence of North American airspace; and support for the NATO Flying Training Centre and cadets in the region. Each year CFB Cold Lake hosts an international air combat exercise called Maple Flag, which is the Canadian counterpart to the USAF's Red Flag exercise. Base personnel consist of about 2,000 members of the regular and reserve military forces, as well as several hundred civilian workers.
Construction of CFB Cold Lake began in 1952 and the base became operational in 1954. CFB Cold Lake sees extensive use as an air weapons range. The heavily forested landscape dotted with numerous lakes resembles Europe, which was an important advantage for pilot training during the Cold War. At the present time, the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range covers nearly 1.17 hectares and is a world-class pilot training facility.
4 Wing Order Of Battle
409 Tactical Fighter Squadron Night Hawk
Equipped with CF-188 Hornet multi-role jet fighters. Canadian Forces fighter pilots are on standby 24/7 to respond to potential threats to North America that are identified by NORAD.
410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron Cougar
Equipped with the CF-188 Hornet for use in the tactical training of Canadian Forces jet fighter pilots.
417 Combat Support Squadron City of Windsor
Equipped with CH-146 Griffon Utility Transport Tactical Helicopters for search and rescue, medevacs, and test range maintenance support.
419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron City of Kamloops
Equipped with CT-155 Hawk trainers to provide Canada and her NATO allies with the latest pilot training capability.
Support units include 1 Air Maintenance Squadron, 42 Radar Squadron, 10 Field Technical Training Squadron, and 4 Airfield Defence Detachment.
By: Shelldrake
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