A Look Forward

The air force is undergoing a massive, 20-year-long modernization project that will bring in advanced capabilities as it overhauls its fleets. It's replacing the Aurora marine patrol fleet with new P-8 Poseidons, adding new CC-295 Kingfisher search-and-rescue aircraft and bringing in a new aerial drone capability with MQ-9B SkyGuardians.

And that's all aside from the main event: replacing Canada’s elderly F-18 fighter jets with modern F-35s. “In one year, we will have members in Luke Air Force Base learning to fly on our new F-35s. That's a fairly big change,” Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said, referring to the United States Air Force base in Arizona.

National Defence has been researching drone technology, which could expand the power of its future fighter fleet at a fraction of the cost of crewed aircraft.

The world has re-entered an era of great power competition and the military and defence sector must position itself against the new threat environment to Canadians and expand their understanding of national security issues.

"In Canada, we have had the luxury of geography keeping us safe for a very long time … But the threat dynamics are changing and have changed. That is what has driven us down this path of modernization," Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet