The Canadians are coming

  • Published
  • By Lisa Holland
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - There is little doubt the people who call Altus and Altus Air Force Base home have learned to recognize the large tanker and cargo aircraft that frequent their skies--but in a few weeks there will be aircraft of a smaller variety with a distinct sound visiting Altus AFB. 

The Canadian 425th Tactical Fighter Squadron supports Canadian Army trainees at American firing ranges on American soil, and they do it with Canadian CF-18 fighter/bombers. 

The 425 TFS has been periodically supporting war-essential forward air controller training at the Fort Sill ranges. This support has required their deployment for weeks at a time to Fort Worth Naval Air Station. Missions from Fort Worth NAS required air refueling because of the distance between Fort Worth and Fort Sill. Canadian planners started looking for another airfield, closer to Fort Sill, where they could fly missions without the added expense of air refueling. They asked "what about Altus AFB?" and Altus AFB replied "ya'll come." 

After months of planning and coordination and in the first test of this partnership, the Canadian 425 TFS will deploy six CF-18 aircraft and approximately 75 personnel to Altus AFB. Missions are scheduled to be flown during normal flying hours from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 2009, excluding the weekend, and the team will arrive and depart in the days before and after that period. 

Welcoming approximately 75 allied personnel and supporting an additional new mission will require the cooperation of the entire base community and extended Altus family. The potential benefits of this short visit span across helping in the current war effort to giving our younger air traffic controllers broader experience controlling small aircraft and showing our northern neighbors a little Southwest Oklahoma hospitality! When Altus residents see or hear an unusual jet in a few weeks, they should know that it is probably the Canadians and feel proud for helping to make yet another impact in the advancement of security and freedom around the world.