CFS Val-d'Or
Encyclopedia
Canadian Forces Station Val d'Or (CFS Val d'Or) was a Canadian Forces Station in Val-d'Or
, Quebec
.
established RCAF Station Val d'Or in 1954 as a fighter-interceptor base intended to protect Montreal
and the St. Lawrence River valley and Great Lakes
basin against Soviet
bomber aircraft. The airfield was topped with asphalt by the mid-1950s as RCAF Station Val d'Or became a key component in NORAD.
During the early 1960s, RCAF Station Val-d'Or was considered as the site for one of the Regional Emergency Government Headquarters (REGHQs), commonly known as a "Diefenbunker
", but this was put at CFB Valcartier instead.
By 1964, the flying mission at RCAF Station Val-d'Or had changed to see all aircraft based at RCAF Station North Bay and RCAF Station Bagotville but were deployed to the base in rotations; in essence, RCAF Station Val-d'Or was now a forward operating base.
During the 1960s, RCAF Station Val-d'Or became home to numerous airborne nuclear weapons as RCAF CF-101 Voodoo
interceptors were fitted with the AIR-2 Genie
.
The rise of the FLQ
terrorist group during this period saw the Canadian military devise strategies to safeguard nuclear ordnance primarily stored at RCAF Station Val-d'Or against being seized by the group's members.
saw RCAF Station Val-d'Or renamed to Canadian Forces Station Val-d'Or or CFS Val-d'Or; the term station was used since Val-d'Or did not host any major units such as a wing or squadrons.
CFS Val-d'Or saw its mission gradually decrease during the 1970s and it was closed.
Val-d'Or, Quebec
-External links:* ***...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
RCAF Station Val d'Or
The Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
established RCAF Station Val d'Or in 1954 as a fighter-interceptor base intended to protect Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and the St. Lawrence River valley and Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
basin against Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
bomber aircraft. The airfield was topped with asphalt by the mid-1950s as RCAF Station Val d'Or became a key component in NORAD.
During the early 1960s, RCAF Station Val-d'Or was considered as the site for one of the Regional Emergency Government Headquarters (REGHQs), commonly known as a "Diefenbunker
Diefenbunker
Emergency Government Headquarters are nuclear fallout bunkers built by the Government of Canada at the height of the Cold War during the infancy of the ICBM threat...
", but this was put at CFB Valcartier instead.
By 1964, the flying mission at RCAF Station Val-d'Or had changed to see all aircraft based at RCAF Station North Bay and RCAF Station Bagotville but were deployed to the base in rotations; in essence, RCAF Station Val-d'Or was now a forward operating base.
During the 1960s, RCAF Station Val-d'Or became home to numerous airborne nuclear weapons as RCAF CF-101 Voodoo
CF-101 Voodoo
The CF-101 Voodoo was an all-weather interceptor aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Forces between 1961 and 1984. They were manufactured by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri for the United States Air Force , and later sold to Canada...
interceptors were fitted with the AIR-2 Genie
AIR-2 Genie
The Douglas AIR-2 Genie was an unguided air-to-air rocket with a 1.5kt W25 nuclear warhead. It was deployed by the United States Air Force and Canada during the Cold War...
.
The rise of the FLQ
Front de libération du Québec
The Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
terrorist group during this period saw the Canadian military devise strategies to safeguard nuclear ordnance primarily stored at RCAF Station Val-d'Or against being seized by the group's members.
CFS Val-d'Or
The 1968 merger of the Canadian Army, RCAF and Royal Canadian NavyRoyal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
saw RCAF Station Val-d'Or renamed to Canadian Forces Station Val-d'Or or CFS Val-d'Or; the term station was used since Val-d'Or did not host any major units such as a wing or squadrons.
CFS Val-d'Or saw its mission gradually decrease during the 1970s and it was closed.