The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has announced they’ll no longer train fighter pilots to operate CF18s, saying their training contract with CAE Inc. has ended, and stating that they’re eight years away from getting F35s.

Instead of renewing their training contract, the RCAF will have their CF18s receive some required maintenance, and members will turn to the US and Europe for training help through their T-38 program.

The RCAF is calling the gap an “interim or ‘bridge’ training program.” 

The bridge program will see “Canadian fighter pilots conduct their initial fighter training through the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, and other Fighter Lead-in Training (FLIT) programs in Finland and at Italy’s International Flight Training School, where Canada will have two instructors and six students by 2025,” the RCAF stated.

The news comes on the same week that the federal Liberals awarded a Calgary-based aerospace company, Arcfield Canada, with a $211 million contract to “help sustain Canada’s fleet of CF-18 fighters.”

Canada’s Minister of Defence, Bill Blair, said the contract with Arcfield Canada will “ensure that our Royal Canadian Air Force’s fighter fleet can meet its operational commitments.”

Blair says recruitment his greatest challenge

Last week, Minister Blair was asked for reaction to a recent internal Department of National Defence presentation that painted a stark picture regarding the combat readiness of the CAF. 

The report stated that only 58% of the forces are ready to respond to a crisis call from NATO allies, and nearly half of the military’s equipment was deemed “unavailable and unserviceable.” 

“We’ve got some work to do,” the minister replied.

Minister Blair also said that his biggest challenge is finding enough personnel to join the military.