Editing CFB Goose Bay (section)

==History==
While the flat and relatively weather-favoured area around [[North West River]] had for years been under consideration for an airport for the anticipated North Atlantic air routes, it was not until Eric Fry of the Dominion Geodetic Survey investigated the area on 1{{nbsp}}July 1941<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.businessinfocusmagazine.com/2015/12/a-world-of-opportunities-in-canadas-bright-light-of-the-north/|title=A World of Opportunities in Canada's Bright Light of the North |magazine=Business in Focus |last=Lindert-Wentzell |first=Anne |date=17 December 2015 |access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/corporate/wings/5-wing/history.html |title=History of 5 Wing Goose Bay |publisher=Government of Canada |date=21 October 2016|access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref> that the Goose Bay location was selected. Fry beat by three days a similar [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) survey team under Captain [[Elliott Roosevelt (general)|Elliott Roosevelt]]; the American team had first investigated nearby Epinette Point before joining Fry at the sandy plains that would become Goose Bay. These surveys used amphibious aircraft that landed at the [[Grenfell Mission]]; from there the teams explored by boat.<ref>Hansen, 195-7</ref>

Eric Fry recalled: "The airport is actually located on the plateau at the west end of Terrington Basin but it is only five miles inland from the narrows between Goose Bay and Terrington Basin. Having a [[CFB Gander|RCAF Station Gander]] in Newfoundland I suggested we call the Labrador site Goose Bay airport and the suggestion was accepted."<ref>Carr, 84–85</ref>

Under pressure from Britain and the United States the Canadian Air Ministry worked at a record pace, and by November, three {{cvt|7000|ft}} gravel runways were ready.<ref>Carr, 111</ref> The first land aircraft movement was recorded on 9 December 1941. By spring of 1942 the base, now carrying the wartime codename "Alkali", was bursting with air traffic destined for the United Kingdom. In time, the USAAF and the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) each developed sections of the triangular base for their own use, but the airport remained under overall Canadian control despite its location in the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]], not yet a part of Canada. The 99-year lease arrangement with the United Kingdom was not finalized until October 1944.<ref>Christie, 129</ref>

===Aerodrome===
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as '''RCAF Aerodrome – Goose Bay, Labrador''' at {{coord|53|20|N|60|24|W|region:CA-NL}} with a variation of 35 degrees west and elevation of {{Cvt|147|ft}}. The field was listed as "all hard-surfaced" and had three runways listed as follows:<ref name=Handbook>Staff Writer c.1942, p. 5</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Runway name
! Length
! Width
! Surface
|-
| 9/27
| {{Cvt|6600|ft}}
| {{cvt|200|ft}}
| Hard surfaced
|-
| 17/35
| {{cvt|6000|ft}}
| {{cvt|200|ft}}
| Hard surfaced
|-
| 5/23
| {{cvt|6000|ft}}
| {{cvt|200|ft}}
| Hard surfaced
|}

The northeast side of the facility was built to be a temporary RCAF base, complete with its own hangars and control tower, while the south side of the facility, built for the Americans, was being upgraded with its own aprons, hangars, earth-covered magazines, control tower and infrastructure.  The Canadian and American bases were built as an RCAF station<ref name="RCAF">{{cite web|url=http://www.airtraining.forces.gc.ca/goosebay/ch3_e.asp|title=Military Presence in Labrador}}{{dead link|date=June 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and later a [[United States Air Force]] base known as '''Goose AB''', housing units of the [[Strategic Air Command]]<ref name="SAC">{{cite web|url=http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/0-base-homepage2.htm|title=Strategic Air Command Bases|website=Strategic-air-command.com}}</ref> and [[Aerospace Defense Command]]. It was later home to permanent detachments of the RAF, [[German Air Force|Luftwaffe]], [[Aeronautica Militare]], and [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]], in addition to temporary deployments from several other NATO countries.

=== Cold War history ===
====1950 – The Rivière-du-Loup Incident====
{{Main|1950 Rivière-du-Loup B-50 nuclear weapon loss incident}}
Goose Air Base was the site of the first US nuclear weapons in Canada, when in 1950 the [[United States Air Force]] [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) stationed 11 [[Fat Man|model 1561 Fat Man]] and [[Mark 4 nuclear bomb|Mark 4]] atomic bombs at the base in the summer, and flew them out in December.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clearwater|first=John|title=Canadian Nuclear Weapons: The Untold Story|year=1998|publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd.|pages=18}}</ref> While returning to [[Davis–Monthan Air Force Base]] with one of the bombs on board, a USAF [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress|B-50]] heavy bomber encountered engine trouble, had to drop, and conventionally (non-nuclear) detonate, the bomb over the St. Lawrence, contaminating the river with [[uranium-238]].

====1954 – Construction of the Strategic Air Command Weapons Storage Area====
Construction of SAC's [[Weapon storage area|Weapons Storage Area]] at Goose Air Base was officially completed in 1954.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Citation | last = Seaward | first = Larry D. | title = Preliminary Information Sheets, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office |date=January 1999  }}</ref> The area was surrounded by two fences, topped with barbed wire.  It was the highest security area in Goose Air Base and comprised
* One guard house
* One administration building
* Three warehouses (base spares #1, base spares #2, supply warehouse)
* Six guard towers
* One plant group building
* Five earth-covered magazines for non-nuclear weapon storage
* Four earth-covered magazines for "[[Pit (nuclear weapon)|pit]]" storage (constructed with vaults and shelving to store pit "birdcages")
The design and layout of the Goose Air Base weapons storage area was identical, with only slight modifications for weather and terrain, to the three SAC weapons storage areas in [[Morocco]] located at [[Sidi Slimane Air Base]], [[Ben Guerir Air Base]], and [[Nouasseur Air Base]], which were constructed between 1951 and 1952 as overseas operational storage sites.
The last nuclear bomb components that were being stored at the Goose Air Base weapons storage area were removed in June 1971.<ref>{{Citation | last1 = Norris | first1 = Robert S | last2 = Arkin | first2 = William M | last3 = Burr | first3 = William | title = Where they were | journal = The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists | date = November–December 1999 | volume = 55 | issue = 6 | pages = 26–35 | doi = 10.1080/00963402.1999.11460389 | bibcode = 1999BuAtS..55f..26N | url = https://www.archives.gov/declassification/pidb/meetings/where-they-were.pdf }}</ref>

====1958 – Construction of the Air Defence Command ammunition storage area====
Construction of the Air Defence Command ammunition storage area at Goose Air Base was completed in 1958.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Citation | last = Seaward | first = Larry D. | title = Preliminary Information Sheets, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office | date = 21 January 1999 }}</ref> This extension to the SAC weapons storage area was built directly beside the previously constructed area, with a separate entrance. The buildings built within the area were:
* Three storage buildings
* One guardhouse
* One missile assembly building.
The storage was being built to accommodate components of the [[AIM-26 Falcon|GAR-11/AIM-26 "Nuclear" Falcon]], which is normally stored in pieces, requiring assembly before use.

====1976 – Departure of the USAF Strategic Air Command and closure of Goose AB====
The former U.S. facilities were re-designated CFB Goose Bay (the second time this facility name has been used).<ref name="auto"/> The value of the airfield and facilities built and improved by the USAF since 1953 and transferred to Canada were estimated in excess of US$250 million{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|.250|1976|r=1|fmt=c}} billion today). By 1976 all SAC assets had been stood down, and only USAF logistical and transport support remained.

====1980 – Multinational low-level flying training stepped up====
In response to lessons learned from the [[Vietnam War]] and the growing sophistication of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Radar, Anti-Aircraft|anti-aircraft radar]] and [[surface-to-air missile]] technology being deployed in Europe, [[NATO]] allies began looking at new doctrines in the 1970s–1980s which mandated low-level flight to evade detection. CFB Goose Bay's location in [[Labrador]], with a population of around 30,000 and area of {{cvt|294000|km2}}, made it an ideal location for [[Low flying military training|low-level flight training]]. Labrador's sparse settlement and a local topography similar to parts of the Soviet Union, in addition to proximity to European NATO nations caused CFB Goose Bay to grow and become the primary low-level tactical training area for several NATO air forces during the 1980s.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

The increased low-level flights by fighter aircraft was not without serious controversy as the [[Innu]] Nation protested these operations vociferously, claiming{{example needed|date=October 2015}} that the noise of aircraft travelling at [[supersonic]] speeds in [[Nap-of-the-earth|close proximity to the ground]] was adversely affecting wildlife, namely [[caribou]], and was a nuisance to their way of life on their traditional lands.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/natos-invasion-air-combat-training-and-its-impact-innu|title=NATO's Invasion: Air Combat Training and its Impact on the Innu|date=December 1986|website=culturalsurvival.org|last=Armitage |first=Peter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/when-outrage-scarce-commodity-low-flying-maneuvers-over|title=When Outrage Is A Scarce Commodity: Low-flying Maneuvers over Innu lands in Labrador|date=December 2000|website=culturalsurvival.org |last=Lucia |first=Clark}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gaudi |first1=John |title=New children's book is based on Innu protests of low-level flying in Labrador |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nutauis-cap-innu-protests-low-level-flying-1.5391228 |work=CBC News |date=14 December 2019 |access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Swardson |first1=Anne |title=Indians in Labrador Press for End to Low-Level Flight Training |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/03/17/indians-in-labrador-press-for-end-to-low-level-flight-training/e2f06fa6-9a23-4b41-8390-6f1bccbb8a75/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=17 January 2024 |date=17 March 1994}}</ref>

During the 1980s–1990s, CFB Goose Bay hosted permanent detachments from the Royal Air Force, [[German Air Force|Luftwaffe]], [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]] (RNLAF),<ref name="auto"/> and the [[Aeronautica Militare]], in addition to temporary deployments from several other NATO countries. The permanent RNLAF detachment left CFB Goose Bay in the 1990s, although temporary training postings have been held since.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Goose Bay was an attractive training facility for these air forces in light of the high population concentration in their countries, as well as numerous laws preventing low-level flying. The {{cvt|13|e6ha|km2 sqmi}} bombing range is larger than several European countries.{{#tag:ref|The thirteen-million-hectare (130,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) bombing range is larger than [[Iceland]]; [[Portugal]]; [[Serbia]]; [[Austria]]; the [[Czech Republic]]; [[Ireland]]; [[Slovakia]]; the [[Netherlands]]; [[Denmark]]; [[Switzerland]]; [[Belgium]]. see [[List of countries and dependencies by area]].|group="Note"}}

====1983 – The Space Shuttle ''Enterprise'' visits====
In 1983, a [[NASA]] [[Shuttle Carrier Aircraft|Boeing 747]] transport aircraft carrying the [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Space Shuttle ''Enterprise'']] landed at CFB Goose Bay to refuel on its way to a European tour where the prototype shuttle was then displayed in France and the United Kingdom. This was the first time that a U.S. [[Space Shuttle]] ever "landed" outside the United States.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shuttle Enterprise begins international tour|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/05/16/Shuttle-Enterprise-begins-international-tour/8491421905600/|work=UPI|date=16 May 1983|access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref>

====1988 – Long-range radar closure====
In 1988, the [[Pinetree Line]] radar site ([[Melville Air Station]]) adjacent to CFB Goose Bay was closed.

===Post-Cold War history===
====1990 – Gulf War====
Goose Bay experienced a significant increase in traffic volume from USAF [[Military Airlift Command]] (MAC) during August 1990 due to [[Operation Desert Shield]] and [[Operation Desert Storm]]. At one point, MAC flights arrived at an average rate of two per hour; the normal rate was two to three per month. Part of the increase may have been driven by [[Hurricane Bertha]], which occurred at the same time. The USAF deployed additional personnel to the base to assist managing the increased volume. Overall, operations proceeded smoothly as it resembled previous high-volume airlifts like [[Exercise Reforger]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McKay |first1=James R. |date=16 April 2012 |title=CFB Goose Bay and Operation "Desert Shield" |journal=Canadian Military History |publisher=Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, [[Wilfrid Laurier University]] |volume=14 |issue=3 |url=https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1354&context=cmh |pages=71–80}}</ref>

====1993 – Base Rescue Flight and 444 Combat Support Squadron====
To provide rescue and range support to the jet aircraft operating from Goose Bay, the [[Canadian Forces]] provided a Base Rescue Flight consisting of three [[UH-1N Twin Huey|CH-135 Twin Huey]] helicopters. In 1993 the Base Rescue Flight was re-badged as 444 Combat Support Squadron and continued to operate the same fleet of three helicopters. In 1996 the CH-135s were replaced with three [[CH-146 Griffon]] helicopters.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/5wing/squadron/444hist_e.asp |title = 444 Squadron History |date = 15 June 2007 |author = Air Force Public Affairs / Department of National Defence |access-date = 29 October 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070126072117/http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/5wing/squadron/444hist_e.asp |archive-date = 26 January 2007 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcaf.com/squadrons/400series/444squadron.php |title=No. 444 Squadron |date=n.d. |author=AEROWARE / RCAF.com |access-date=29 October 2007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071013214032/http://www.rcaf.com/squadrons/400series/444squadron.php |archive-date=13 October 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

====2001 – 9/11 Operation Yellow Ribbon====
On 11 September 2001, CFB Goose Bay hosted seven trans-Atlantic commercial airliners which were diverted to land as part of [[Operation Yellow Ribbon]], following the closure of North American airspace as a result of the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 terrorist attacks]] on the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]] and the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] It was also the first Canadian airport to receive diverted aircraft.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

====2005 – Cessation of Multinational Low Level Flying Training====
In 2004 the RAF announced its intent to close the permanent RAF detachment, effective 31 March 2005.<ref name="auto"/> The [[German Air Force|German]] and [[Italian Air Force|Italian air forces]] had agreements signed to use the base until 2006, however they were not renewed as of 2004. These air forces still operate at Goose Bay, but plan to initiate simulator training instead.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/To-Cope-with-Flying-Restrictions-German-Pilots-Turn-to-Simulators-06155/#more-6155|title=To Cope with Flying Restrictions, German Pilots Turn to Simulators|work=Defense Industry Daily|date=4 February 2010|access-date=25 August 2011}}</ref>{{needs update|date=June 2024}} The base continues in its role as a low-level tactical training facility and as a forward deployment location for the [[RCAF]], although the total complement of Canadian Forces personnel numbers less than 100.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

====2005 – Ballistic missile defence====
Labradorian politicians such as former [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] [[Bill Rompkey]] have advocated using CFB Goose Bay as a site for a [[ballistic missile defense|missile defence]] radar system being developed by the [[United States Department of Defense]]. Executives from defence contractor [[Raytheon Company|Raytheon]] have surveyed CFB Goose Bay as a suitable location for deploying such a radar installation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/u-s-missile-company-scouts-labrador-1.544580 |title=U.S. missile company scouts Labrador |work=CBC News |date=22 April 2005 |access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref>