Description
In the late 1950s the RCAF was faced with a decision on the replacement of the Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk.6 and the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck which equipped the twelve squadrons in the 1 Air Division serving with NATO forces in Europe. Canada was being pressured by NATO to undertakea nuclear strike role as part of the limited nuclear warfare policy being implemented at the time. In July, 1959 the Canadian Government announced the selection of a Canadian built version of the F-104G Starfighter to fulfill that commitment. Soon after, the government announced that the aircraft would be manufactured by Canadair Ltd. at Cartierville, Quebec, in the Montreal area, while Orenda Ltd. at Malton, Ontario, would manufacture the J79 engines under licence from General Electric. The Starfighter served with eight squadrons in the Air Division in Europe, six of which were tasked with the tactical nuclear strike role, while the remaining two performed photo reconnaissance duties. In the 1970s the nuclear strike role was abandoned and the formation was progressively reduced to three squadrons. The remaining Starfighters were equipped with cannon and conventional weapons for a ground support role. In the mid-1980s, after some twenty-five years of service, the Starfighter was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet aircraft.
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