Air Defence Command was a

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

and later the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

, active from 1951 to 1975. Originally, post-war plans called for air defence to be the responsibility of reserve, auxiliary squadrons only. Vampire jet fighters and older

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

s were earmarked for these squadrons. With the rise of the "

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

" and the increasing tension in Europe, a change was seen as necessary and regular, full-time squadrons became the force's frontline. In December 1948, No. 1 Air Defence Group was created in Ottawa, Ontario. In November 1949 Group Headquarters moved to RCAF Station St. Hubert, Quebec. No. 1 Air Defence Group became Air Defence Command in June 1951. The command reached its highest strength in 1955, by which time nine Regular Force squadrons (flying

Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian twinjet interceptor/ fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to en ...

s) and ten Auxiliary squadrons (flying Vampires and Mustangs) fell under its control. Among the reserve/Auxiliary squadrons was No. 401 Squadron RCAF, flying from St. Hubert and Montreal.

De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and ...

s served in both operational and air reserve units (Nos 400, 401, 402, 411, 438 and 442 Squadrons RCAF) until retirement in the late 1950s when they was replaced by the

Canadair Sabre The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) until r ...

. Among the CF-100 units were: * No. 428 Squadron RCAF, the first CF-100 All-Weather Fighter Squadron, 1954 - 1961. * No. 410 Squadron RCAF, flying CF-100s from

RCAF Station Uplands The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

, Ontario (1956-) *

No. 414 Squadron RCAF No. 414 Squadron RCAF is a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron. It is currently located in Ottawa and conducts electronic warfare support training for other units in the Canadian Armed Forces. History World War II On 13 August 1941, No 414 Army ...

, flying CF-100s and later CF-101 Voodoos from

RCAF Station North Bay Canadian Forces Base North Bay, also CFB North Bay, is an Canadian Forces base, air force base located at the City of North Bay, Ontario, North Bay, Ontario about north of Toronto. The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg, ...

, 1957-64 * No. 433 Squadron RCAF, flying CF-100s, 1955-1961 * No. 445 Squadron RCAF, flying CF-100s from North Bay, 1 April to 31 August 1953. As equipment capability increased, and the perceived Soviet bomber threat diminished, the requirement for numbers decreased, and the nine CF-100 squadrons were replaced by five CF-101 squadrons, which later fell to three. The auxiliary squadrons also lost their air defence role. At the same time, the

Pinetree Line The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by North Ame ...

, the

Mid-Canada Line The Mid-Canada Line (MCL), also known as the McGill Fence, was a line of radar stations running east–west across the middle of Canada, used to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack on North America. It was built to supplement the P ...

and the

DEW Line The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Proj ...

radar stations, largely operated by the RCAF, were built across Canada because of the growing Soviet nuclear threat. On January 1, 1957, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. joint-service

Continental Air Defense Command Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense, tasked with air defense for the Continental United States. It comprised Army, Air Force, and Navy components. It included Army Pro ...

placed the US defenses in a geometric "Canadian Northeast Area" under the operational control of the Canadian Air Defence Command. Installations affected appear to have included the

Hall Beach Sanirajak (Inuktitut meaning ''the shoreline''), Syllabics: ᓴᓂᕋᔭᒃ), formerly known as Hall Beach until 27 February 2020, is an Inuit settlement within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, approximately south of Igloolik. Histo ...

station constructed 1955–1957 and the Hopedale stations set up as part of the 1954

and 1957

. In September 1957, the Command became part of the new

North American Air Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD). Air Defence Command headquarters moved to

CFB North Bay Canadian Forces Base North Bay, also CFB North Bay, is an air force base located at the City of North Bay, Ontario about north of Toronto. The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and la ...

, Ontario, in August 1966. In 1968 the units of the command were listed as: *No. 409 AW (F) Squadron

CFB Comox Canadian Forces Base Comox , commonly referred to as CFB Comox or 19 Wing, is a Canadian Forces Base located north northeast of Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air F ...

, British Columbia. Flew the CF-101B aircraft. *No. 414 (EWOT) Squadron CFB St. Hubert, Quebec. Flew the CF-100 5 aircraft. *No. 416 AW (F) Squadron

CFB Chatham Canadian Forces Base Chatham or CFB Chatham was a Canadian Forces Base located immediately south of the town of Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada. Parts are now operating as Miramichi Municipal Airport since 1974 with a partial runway available ( ...

, New Brunswick. Flew the CF-101B aircraft. *No. 417 (ST/R) Squadron

CFB Cold Lake Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake , abbreviated as CFB Cold Lake, is a Canadian Forces Base in the City of Cold Lake, Alberta. The facility is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is approximately south of the ...

, Alberta. Flew the CF-104D aircraft. *No. 425 AW (F) Squadron

CFB Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, and also known as Bagotville Airport or Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, is a Canadian Forces base located west of La Baie, Quebec, Bagotville in the city of Saguenay, Quebec, ...

, Quebec. Flew the CF-101B aircraft. *No. 445 (SAM) Squadron

, Ontario. Equipped with the Bomarc missile. *No. 447 (SAM) Squadron

La Macaza La Macaza is a municipality and village in the province of Quebec, Canada. The village is located in the Laurentian Mountains, in the Laurentian region, in Antoine-Labelle Regional County Municipality. Its population was 1094 in the 2021 Canadia ...

, Quebec. Equipped with the

CIM-10 Bomarc The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of North ...

missile. In 1974 CFB Chatham, St. Margarets Detachment became the site for a Satellite Tracking Unit (SITU). In September 1975 the Command was reduced to Air Defence Group and came under command of Air Command. In 1984 Air Defence Group was renamed as Fighter Group. In 1987 Fighter Group was merged with

Canadian NORAD Region North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protectio ...

to create a unified air defence command for Canada. Fighter Group/Canadian NORAD Region was amalgamated into

1 Canadian Air Division , colors = Blue, green, yellow, and silver , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , ...

on its formation in 1997.

Notes

References and further reading

* * *Don Nicks
A History of the Air Services in Canada
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926002302/http://www.canmilair.com/rcafhistory.htm , date=2014-09-26 , CanMilAir.com Canadian armed forces air commands Air defence commands (military formations) Military units and formations established in 1951 Military units and formations disestablished in the 1970s 1951 establishments in Canada