Canada. Canadian Armed Forces. Wing, 3

3 Wing is located at the Canadian Forces Base Bagotville, which was built in July 1942 to provide a training base for pilots. Closed at the end of the war, the station was reopened in 1951 as a training base for the squadrons serving with the Canadian Division in Europe and to support the air defence operations of the newly formed Canadian and American forces that would become NORAD in 1958.
Following implementation of the Wing concept in the Air Force, 3 Wing served in succession at Zweibrücken, Germany, from 1952 to 1968 and at Lahr from 1988 to 1992, and was reconstituted at Bagotville on 1 April 1993.
As of 2002, 3 Wing Bagotville plays a determinant role in the surveillance, protection and, if need be, the defence of the continental territory of North America, under the provision of the NORAD agreement. Its members participate, through the deployment of its CF-18 fighters, in operations aimed at stopping the illegal import by air of illicit drugs and other contraband into Canada. To perform this mission effectively and quickly, 425 and 433 Tactical Fighter Squadrons have been equipped since the 1980s with the CF-18 Hornet, an aircraft renowned for its manoeuvrability and versatility.
At the international level, 3 Wing is able to provide a multi-role and deployable fighter force capable of meeting international contingency missions assigned to it by the government of Canada. More specifically, 3 Wing provides, along with 4 Wing in Cold Lake, Alberta, a squadron ready to serve as a rapid air reinforcement force to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

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