CFB Gander (RCAF Station Gander)

Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gander is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, co-located with Gander International Airport. Established in 1936 by the Dominion of Newfoundland, the site was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1940 and renamed RCAF Station Gander in 1941. During World War II, the station served as a base for Ferry Command and North Atlantic anti-submarine operations, hosting No. 10 Bomber and Reconnaissance Squadron and Royal Air Force fighter squadrons. The Royal Canadian Navy maintained a high-frequency direction finding station at the site during this period. In 1953, the facility was integrated into the Pinetree Line radar network as a Ground-Control Intercept station. Following the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces, the installation was designated CFS Gander and was later upgraded to CFB Gander in 1984.

9 Wing Gander is the primary lodger unit at the base, which is operated by the RCAF. The 103 Search and Rescue (SAR) Squadron is the principal flying unit, conducting SAR operations across Newfoundland and Labrador, northeastern Quebec, the eastern Arctic, and adjacent offshore regions. The base also hosts the 5 Canadian Rangers Patrol Group, 29 Military Police Flight, and the 9 Air Reserve Augmentation Flight. The 9 Air Reserve Augmentation Flight includes an Airfield Engineers Flight that provides personnel for international deployments.

Infrastructure at CFB Gander includes a Canadian Coastal Radar station operated on behalf of the Canadian NORAD Region. The base hosts a squadron of CH-149 Cormorant helicopters and provides transient servicing for Canadian and allied military aircraft. The site includes a signals intelligence facility operated by the CFS Leitrim Detachment, which utilizes a Wullenweber AN/FRD-10 antenna array for high-frequency direction finding. 9 Wing Telecommunications provides message transmission and reception services for all military units at the station.