4 Wing Cold Lake

Who we are

4 Wing Cold Lake is the busiest fighter base in Canada. It provides general purpose, multi-role, combat capable forces in support of domestic and international roles of Canada's Air Force. Home of fighter pilot training for the Canadian Forces, 4 Wing attracts Top Gun crews from all over the world to our annual air combat exercise, Maple Flag.

4 Wing Cold Lake is, without question, the home of the fighter pilot. It not only hosts Canada's world-class tactical fighter force training, but also deploys and supports fighter aircraft at a moments notice to fulfill the domestic and international roles of Canada's Air Force.

As an international Centre of Excellence for tactical fighter operations, deployable combat support and leading edge training, 4 Wing focuses on people, leadership, innovation and technology.

Two operational CF-18 Squadrons and two training squadrons, including Phase IV of NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC), and numerous premier support units, make 4 Wing Canada's largest and busiest fighter wing. As such, 4 Wing has some of the best and most sought after amenities in the world, including an almost unrestricted 1.17 million hectare air weapons range equipped with state-of-the-art threats and targets.

It is the vast array of support facilities and amenities that make Cold Lake exercises so attractive and successful including the annual Maple Flag Exercise, which draws international participation and continues to expand each year.