{"id":27261574,"date":"2026-10-08T13:45:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T11:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/canada-cold-lake-f-35-4-billion-infrastructure-mcguinty-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T13:45:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T11:45:54","slug":"canada-cold-lake-f-35-4-billion-infrastructure-mcguinty-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/canada-cold-lake-f-35-4-billion-infrastructure-mcguinty-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold Lake F-35 Base: Canada Puts $4 Billion Into Its Fighter Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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It is, however, building the house for them. On 7 October 2026, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced nearly $4 billion for fighter capabilities at Cold Lake, Alberta, the base that will be the first in Canada to fly the jet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The money is the largest slice of an $8 billion package of defence spending in Alberta that McGuinty unveiled at CFB Edmonton, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith beside him. Asked whether the Cold Lake investment was a step towards a full fleet of 88 jets, the minister would not go that far. Canada is committed to 16, he said, and the aircraft need \"highly sophisticated\" infrastructure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6fa;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\">\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p>\r\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.7\">\r\n<li><strong>Announced:<\/strong> 7 October 2026, at CFB Edmonton<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Who:<\/strong> Defence Minister David McGuinty, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Cold Lake:<\/strong> nearly $4 billion for fighter capabilities, including the new F-35s<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Whole package:<\/strong> $8 billion of ongoing defence investment in Alberta<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Also included:<\/strong> $550 million for a western base for the CC-330 Husky tanker-transport fleet<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>F-35s firmly committed:<\/strong> 16; buying more is \"under review\"<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Jet it replaces:<\/strong> the CF-18 Hornet<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why Cold Lake<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/cold-lake\/\">4 Wing Cold Lake<\/a> is the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/royal-canadian-air-force\/\">Royal Canadian Air Force<\/a>'s main fighter base in the west and home to <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-hornet\/\">CF-18 Hornet<\/a> squadrons, as well as the training ground for the big Maple Flag exercises. Together with Bagotville in Quebec, it is one of the two bases that will operate Canada's new fighters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A stealth fighter is fussier about its home than the jet it replaces. That is why McGuinty stressed the \"highly sophisticated\" infrastructure the F-35 needs. National Defence's plans already include permanent fighter squadron facilities at Cold Lake. The Ottawa Citizen has reported that the new jets will also need a dedicated Canadian security force to protect the aircraft and their components.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/cfb-cold-lake-4-wing-aerial-nasa.jpg\" alt=\"Satellite view of CFB Cold Lake, 4 Wing, Alberta\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">4 Wing Cold Lake from orbit: the runways and ramps that will host Canada&rsquo;s first F-35s. Image: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The government did not publish a line-by-line breakdown of the $4 billion on the day, and no completion dates were given. What is clear is the direction: Cold Lake is being rebuilt around a fifth-generation fighter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Sixteen Jets, and a Review<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The awkward part is the number. Canada's fighter programme was designed around 88 F-35s, but Ottawa has firmly committed to only the first 16 and has been reviewing the rest for more than 18 months. The review began amid the trade dispute with Washington, and Canada has since looked at other options, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/saab-gripen\/\">Saab Gripen<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>McGuinty did not shift on that point in Edmonton. \"The question of where we're going next is under review,\" he said, adding that the government would take the time it needed to get it right.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not simply rebuilding bases. We&rsquo;re rebuilding Canadian military power &mdash; hard power.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>David McGuinty<\/strong> &mdash; Minister of National Defence, at CFB Edmonton, 7 October 2026<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, the jets themselves are on their way. Canada's first CF-35A <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/canada-first-f-35-cf-35a-maiden-flight-fort-worth-2026\/\">made its maiden flight<\/a> at Lockheed Martin's plant in Fort Worth on 23 September 2026. According to the timeline reported by Lakeland Connect, the first aircraft go to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for pilot training, and the first F-35 is due at Cold Lake in 2028.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Defence Money With a Political Edge<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The announcement had a second audience. It came less than two weeks before Alberta's referendum on separation, and the question came up at the press conference. Asked whether the money was about defence or about Alberta's place in Canada, Premier Smith answered: \"I think it's both.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>McGuinty framed it in bigger terms. Canada has committed to raising defence spending sharply over the next decade, and he presented the Alberta projects as part of that rebuild, not as a one-off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>For the airmen at Cold Lake, the politics matter less than the concrete. Whether Canada ends up with 16 F-35s or 88, the base that will fly them first is getting the money to do it. The CTV News interview below, from September, has McGuinty on why the F-35 decision is taking time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Cpq7uoIfamg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777\"><em>Sources: The Maple, The Canadian Press via Lethbridge Herald, Red Deer Advocate, Lakeland Connect, CBC News<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>How much is Canada investing in Cold Lake for the F-35?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 7 October 2026, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced nearly $4 billion for fighter capabilities at Cold Lake, Alberta, including support for Canada's new F-35 fleet. It is the largest part of an $8 billion package of ongoing defence investment in Alberta.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many F-35s has Canada ordered?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Canada has firmly committed to 16 F-35s from Lockheed Martin. Its fighter programme was planned around 88 aircraft, but the purchase of the remaining jets has been under review for more than 18 months. Defence Minister David McGuinty said in October 2026 that the next step is still under review.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which Canadian bases will fly the F-35?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Canada's F-35s will be based at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta and 3 Wing Bagotville in Quebec, the two bases that operate the CF-18 Hornet today. Cold Lake is expected to be the first Canadian base to receive the F-35.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When will the first F-35 arrive at Cold Lake?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Canada's first CF-35A flew at Fort Worth, Texas, on 23 September 2026. According to the timeline reported by Lakeland Connect, the first jets go to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for pilot training, and the first F-35 is due at Cold Lake in 2028.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What does Canada's F-35 replace?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The F-35, designated CF-35A in Canadian service, replaces the CF-18 Hornet, which the Royal Canadian Air Force has flown since the 1980s. The CF-18 is planned to remain in service until the early 2030s while the F-35 fleet builds up.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What else is in Canada's $8 billion Alberta defence package?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Besides nearly $4 billion for fighter capabilities at Cold Lake, the package includes $550 million for a western operating base for the CC-330 Husky tanker-transport fleet, and money for a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear laboratory at CFB Suffield, plus base maintenance and repairs.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much is Canada investing in Cold Lake for the F-35?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 7 October 2026, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced nearly $4 billion for fighter capabilities at Cold Lake, Alberta, including support for Canada's new F-35 fleet. It is the largest part of an $8 billion package of ongoing defence investment in Alberta.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many F-35s has Canada ordered?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Canada has firmly committed to 16 F-35s from Lockheed Martin. Its fighter programme was planned around 88 aircraft, but the purchase of the remaining jets has been under review for more than 18 months. Defence Minister David McGuinty said in October 2026 that the next step is still under review.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which Canadian bases will fly the F-35?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Canada's F-35s will be based at 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta and 3 Wing Bagotville in Quebec, the two bases that operate the CF-18 Hornet today. 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