CFB Gander
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Canadian Forces Base Gander (also CFB Gander, IATA: YQX, ICAO: CYQX), is a Canadian Forces base located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is home to search and rescue operations that cover a vast swath of the western North Atlantic and southern Arctic and a Canadian Coastal Radar station amongst other things. It is home to 9 Wing Gander.
CFB Gander is co-located at Gander International Airport.
RCAF Station Gander
The Newfoundland Airport was established by the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1936 and it became a strategically important airfield for piston-engined aircraft in the late 1930s.
Shortly after
The airfield was renamed RCAF Station Gander in 1941 and it became heavily used by Ferry Command for transporting military aircraft from Canada and the United States to the European theatre. By 1943, Gander was the largest RCAF station in the world (in terms of physical size) and the Canadian Army maintained a strong presence at the airfield, providing anti-aircraft and airfield defense.
Several units were based at RCAF Station Gander during the war.
The United States
The RCAF handed operation of the airfield back to the Government of Newfoundland in March 1946 and removed its presence at what was promptly renamed Gander Airport (it was later upgraded to international status), although the RCN's radio monitoring station remained in operation. The airfield was taken over by Canada's federal government under the
When Newfoundland joined
Aerodrome
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF Aerodrome - Gander, Newfoundland at 48°57′N 54°34′W / 48.950°N 54.567°W with a variation of 30 degrees west and elevation of 452 ft (138 m). The field was listed as "All hard surfaced" and had four runways listed as follows:[2]
Runway Name | Length | Width | Surface |
---|---|---|---|
5/23 | 4,500 ft (1,400 m) | 600 ft (180 m) | Hard Surfaced |
9/27 | 4,800 ft (1,500 m) | 1,200 ft (370 m) | Hard Surfaced |
12/30 | 4,700 ft (1,400 m) | 600 ft (180 m) | Hard Surfaced |
18/36 | 4,450 ft (1,360 m) | 600 ft (180 m) | Hard Surfaced |
Pinetree Line Radar site
In 1952, the United States Air Force constructed a General Surveillance radar station near the airfield as part of the Pinetree Line, designated "N-25". The new station was reassigned in 1953 to the Royal Canadian Air Force and took up the retired name RCAF Station Gander (designated "C-25"). The station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station housing the 226 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.
It was equipped with the following radars:
- Search Radar: AN/FPS-93A, AN/FPS-117
- Height Radar: AN/TPS-502, AN/FPS-26
On 1 July 1990, the site was inactivated and closed.[3]
Canadian Forces Station Gander
On February 1, 1968, the RCN, RCAF and Canadian Army were unified and reorganized into the
In 1970 a new expanded communications monitoring facility was constructed for
In 1977, Gander saw its first military flying unit return to the area since the war when a detachment of 424 Squadron, flying
Canadian Forces Base Gander
By 1984 CFS Gander was the largest Canadian Forces Station in the Canadian Forces. Because Gander was such a large establishment and because 103 Rescue Unit had such a high-profile with its ocean rescue mission, the station was officially upgraded to a
During the early 1990s the federal government began to cut back on its defence budget, resulting in numerous base closures across Canada. AIRCOM units were consolidated into wings in April 1993, which became the high-level "lodger unit" at Canadian Forces Bases which operated as air force bases. Thus while the actual base is known as CFB Gander, its primary lodger unit (or operational unit) is 9 Wing, frequently referred to as 9 Wing Gander.
Among its many roles, 9 Wing Gander is responsible for providing search and rescue services throughout
103 Squadron also offers transient aircraft servicing to visiting
9 Wing includes the 9 Air Reserve Augmentation Flight. It augments and support the operations, administrative and technical functions of the base. Its Airfield Engineers Flight provides trained engineer reservists from various trades to support
CFB Gander is also host to the
In addition, CFB Gander operates and maintains a Canadian Coastal Radar on behalf of Fighter Group Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters. Also based at CFB Gander is the Headquarters of 5 Canadian Rangers Patrol Group which is part of the Army's 5th Canadian Division.
Units
Current units
- 103 Search and Rescue squadron
- 9 Wing air reserve flight
- 5 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group
- 29 Military Police flight
Former units
Royal Canadian Air Force
- 226 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
- 770 Communications Research Squadron
- No. 5 Squadron
- No. 10 Squadron
- No. 116 Squadron
United States Air Force
- 24th Tactical Missile Squadron
- 6th Tactical Missile Squadron
- 19th Antisubmarine Squadron
- 6th Antisubmarine Squadron
- 4th Antisubmarine Squadron
- International Ice Patrol
See also
References
- ^ "Cyqx : Gander Intl".
- ^ Staff Writer c.1942, p. 3
- ^ "Display site". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force.