Canada has revealed the designations and names of its new fleet of trainer aircraft, part of the largest recapitalisation of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) since the Second World War.
Ottawa plans to acquire more than 200 new military aircraft in the coming years, including fighters, maritime patrol assets, uncrewed aerial vehicles and trainers to qualify operators for the planned fleets.
Speaking at the annual CANSEC defence and security conference in Ottawa, RCAF commander Lieutenant General Eric Kenny revealed the official monikers for five of the new training platforms, which include single- and multi-engined turboprops and helicopters.
“These five fleets will themselves be foundational, bringing capabilities and performance crucial to our rapidly modernising Royal Canadian Air Force,” Kenny said on 28 May.
Known as the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) programme, the C$11.2 billion ($8.1 billion) acquisition effort announced in 2024 covers 71 aircraft that will be used to train RCAF pilots, air combat systems officers and airborne electronic sensor operators.
A joint venture between CAE and KF Aerospace known as SkyAlyne received the contract to acquire the new trainer fleet, with training services to start in 2029.
While SkyAlyne finalised its selections for each trainer type in January, Ottawa had not revealed each aircraft’s military designation until now.
The RCAF’s 23 Grob Aircraft G120TP single-engined turboprops will be called CT-102B Astra IIs. Based at CFB Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, they will serve as the basic flight instruction platform, succeeding Canada’s current Grob CT-120A trainers.
“The CT-102B, while similar in appearance to the current CT-102A, is a much more-capable aircraft, featuring updated avionics, higher performance and a more-powerful turboprop engine,” Kenny notes.
After earning their wings in CT-102B Astra IIs, Canadian pilots will undergo advanced flight training in CT-157 Siskin IIs – the RCAF’s name for new Pilatus PC-21 trainers. SkyAlyne will operate 19 of the single-engined turboprops, which have two-seat tandem cockpit configurations.
The name Siskin nods to the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin biplane, which Kenny describes as Canada’s “first true fighter aircraft”. The original Siskin tail-wheel aircraft saw frontline service with the UK Royal Air Force during the First World War. They were fielded in Canada in 1926.
Three new De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s operating with the designation CT-142Q Citadel will be used to train airborne systems and sensor operators, including crews for Canada’s forthcoming fleet of Boeing P-8A maritime patrol jets.
The Citadel fleet will be based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and replace older Dash 8 systems trainers currently stationed there.
RCAF aviators assigned to mobility platforms such as the Lockheed Martin C-130J, Boeing C-17, Airbus CC-330 tanker and P-8A will receive multi-engine certification on a new fleet of seven Beechcraft CT-145E Expeditor IIs – Canada’s designation for King Air 260 twin-engined turboprops.
Those will be based at CFB Portage la Prairie in Manitoba, alongside the RCAF’s new rotary-wing trainer.
Ottawa will also acquire 19 Airbus Helicopters H135s for rotary flight instruction, operated as the CT-153 Juno. The name references the section of Normandy beach where Canadian troops landed on D-Day in 1944.
The UK Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force both operate H135s with the designation Juno.
All five of the new trainer types will feature similar livery schemes: a dark blue lower fuselage and yellow upper fuselage, separated by a red stripe.
The RCAF says the high visibility yellow provides contrast against a variety of terrains and weather conditions, “making it easier for pilots to see other aircraft in the sky and against the ground, especially when flying over summer prairie terrain and in winter conditions when snow is on the ground”.
Kenny notes the colour scheme was also evaluated for any potential impact on aircraft performance during extreme temperature conditions.
Separate from the FAcT fleet, Canada is in early stages of selecting a new jet trainer to prepare pilots assigned to fly the RCAF’s planned fleet of 88 Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters.
Ottawa retired its previous jet trainer – the BAE Systems Hawk – in 2024, now relying on NATO allies including the USA, Finland and Italy to train fighter pilots.
The RCAF’s CT-155 Hawks have since been transferred to CFB Borden in Ontario, where they support training of new aircraft mechanics.
Likely contenders to replace the Hawks include the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50, the Leonardo M-346 and the Boeing T-7A.
Ottawa began consulting with industry about prospects for a new “future fighter lead-in trainer” at last year’s CANSEC. The RCAF plans to field the new jet sometime in the 2030s.
