433 Tactical Fighter Squadron

No. 433 Squadron was formed in Yorkshire, England in 1943 and became part of 6 Canadian Bomber Group. The squadron began operations in early 1944 with Halifax bombers. From January 2, 1994 to April 25, 1945, the Porcupines successfully completed 2,316 missions. The Squadron was decommissioned at the end of the war. Revived in 1954 in Cold Lake with CF-100 Canucks, it disbanded yet again in 1961. No. 433 Squadron was reborn in 1969 in Bagotville, with a French-language unit. In the Saguenay, the Porcupines fly CF-5 Freedom Fighters and CF-18 Hornets. They are involved with NORAD and various operations like OPERATION ECHO in the Balkans in 1999. They have also participated in aerial surveillance of the North American skies since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Four years later, the squadron merged with 425 Alouette Squadron, also based in Bagotville, to make 3 Wing an expeditionary force and realize savings for the Department of Defence. However, the Porcupines came back to life in 2015 in the same place it last disappeared in order to give the RCAF greater operational flexibility.

Photo : Formation flight of four CF-5 Freedom Fighter from 433 Squadron.