Editing CFB Goose Bay (section)

=== 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.