Royal Canadian Air Force

Air and space component of the Canadian Armed Forces

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2024 Teal Drones, Inc. Teal 2 was introduced to the Army and Royal Canadian Navy, with fifty units acquired.
June 2024 The RCAF Band travelled to Normandy and participated in ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
December 19 2023 The Government of Canada signed a contract for 11 MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, 219 Hellfire missiles, and 12 Mk82 500-pound bombs in a $2.49 billion CAD deal. The drones will be deployed at 14 Wing Greenwood (Nova Scotia), 19 Wing Comox (British Columbia), and Ottawa, with plans for forward deployment in northern Canada.
November 30 2023 The Government of Canada finalized a government-to-government agreement with the US government to acquire up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force, with an initial procurement of 14 multi-mission aircraft and options for two additional aircraft.
August 31 2023 First CC-330 Husky aircraft arrived in Canada, with civilian registration 9K-APC and RCAF numbering 30002.
July 2023 A CH-147F Chinook helicopter crashed during operations.
January 9 2023 The Government of Canada officially ordered 88 F-35A aircraft to replace the existing CF-18 Hornet fleet.
2022 Captain Devin Sloos becomes the band director, serving from 2022 to the present.
2022 3 Canadian Space Division was established, expanding the Royal Canadian Air Force's organizational structure.
2022 Expected completion of delivery for 16 CC-295 Kingfisher Search and Rescue aircraft, though initial operating capability anticipated for 2025/26.
March 28 2022 The Government of Canada announced the F-35A as the top choice in the competition, planning to purchase 88 aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
2021 Captain Chris Embree becomes the band director, serving from 2021 to 2022.
December 2021 The Royal Canadian Navy began issuing a new naval combat dress (NCD) uniform, with members exchanging their worn-out NCD-pattern uniforms for the updated design.
2020 Additional trainer aircraft arrived for maintenance personnel as part of the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program.
2019 Saab Skeldar (designated CU-176 Gargoyle) was acquired and operated by the Royal Canadian Navy and CANSOFCOM.
June 2019 The band took part in the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
2018 AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma unmanned aerial system was acquired and operated by the Royal Canadian Navy.
July 2018 The band served as musical support in the changing of the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace in London, marking the first time in RCAF history.
2017 A fourth pattern of Distinctive Environmental Uniform was created specifically for the Special Operations Forces Branch.
2016 Captain Matthew Clark takes over as band director, serving from 2016 to 2021.
2016 The pipes and drums were dissolved, and the band reinstated brass and reed band instrumentation with contemporary musical capabilities.
2015 Following the Federal Election, the new Liberal Party government initiated an open competition to replace the CF-18 Hornet aircraft, after previously campaigning to potentially cancel the F-35 procurement.
2015 The Canadian Air Force changed its uniform's rank insignia from gold to pearl grey and replaced gold buttons with silver buttons, marking a significant modification to the service dress appearance.
2014 Boeing Insitu ScanEagle (designated CU-165) ceased operation with the Canadian Army.
2013 Royal Canadian Air Force introduced M3M 0.50 cal machine gun for CH-146 Griffon helicopters
2012 General Thomas J. Lawson was appointed as the last air force officer to serve as Chief of the Defence Staff.
2011 With the restoration of royal military prefixes, the band was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force Band.
2011 Royal Canadian Air Force introduced Joint Direct Attack Munition and M134 7.62mm self-defence machine gun
2011 IAI Heron unmanned aerial systems were turned over to the Royal Australian Air Force.
2010 Captain John Fullerton becomes the band director, serving from 2010 to 2016.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Royal Canadian Air Force Band, Royal Canadian Air Force & Uniforms of the Canadian Armed Forces, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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