CFB Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville , is a Canadian Forces Base located west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay , Quebec . It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is one of two bases in the country using the " CF - 18 Hornet " fighter / interceptor . Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 3 Wing , commonly referred to as 3 Wing Bagotville . CFB Bagotville ' s airfield is also used by civilian aircraft , with civilian operations at the base referring to the facility as Bagotville Airport . The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency . CBSA officers at this airport currently can handle general aviation aircraft only , with no more than 15 passengers . RCAF Station Bagotville . At the height of the Second World War , the Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) selected a relatively level farming area at the head of navigable waters in the Saguenay Fjord to be the site of several aerodromes during 1941 . This area was considered useful for RCAF purposes , given the amount of cleared land in the region , its relative geographic isolation and proximity to the deepwater port of Port - Alfred , as well as access to the adjacent railway network . Construction began that summer and continued through the winter and following spring on RCAF Station St - Honoré near Chicoutimi and RCAF Station Bagotville in La Baie . The base at St - Honoré opened in June 1942 , followed by Bagotville on 17 July 1942 ; St - Honoré being operated as a sub - base to Bagotville . RCAF Station Bagotville hosted the 1 Operational Training Unit ( 1 OTU ) which trained pilots from commonwealth nations under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan ( BCATP ) , as well as the 130 Panthère Squadron , which was an operational RCAF air defence unit intended to protect the massive Alcan aluminum smelter in nearby Arvida ( one of the largest industrial facilities in Canada at the time ) , and associated hydro - electric facilities in the Saguenay region . During 1942 Quebec ' s coastal regions along the lower St . Lawrence River and Gulf of St . Lawrence were witnessing the Battle of the St . Lawrence as German U - boat s were sinking Canadian shipping throughout the area . RCAF Station Bagotville was established , along with RCAF Station Mont - Joli to counter the U - boat menace to Canada ' s war effort and placate local fears . Early training aircraft operating from RCAF Station Bagotville included " Curtiss Kittyhawk " , " Westland Lysander " , " North American Harvard " and " Hawker Hurricane " . The 130 Squadron , which was deployed at the base to provide regional air defence to key industrial facilities , used the motto " Défendez le Saguenay " , which was later adopted by the entire base . On 1 August 1942 the 12 Radar Detachment was deployed to provide air traffic control . On 24 October 1943 the 129 Squadron took over from 130 Squadron as the regional air defence unit ; 2 months later in December the 129 Squadron was redeployed from Saguenay and the 1 OTU was retasked with regional air defence duties . Toward the end of the war , RCAF Station Bagotville began to decline in activity as the requirement for BCATP training decreased . On 28 October 1944 the 1 OTU ceased operations , followed by the 12 Radar Detachment . In 29 pilot training courses given by 1 OTU at RCAF Station Bagotville ( and St - Honoré ) , 940 pilots successfully graduated and 41 were killed during training . In November 1944 1 OTU was disbanded and the closure of RCAF Station Bagotville and its secondary facilities at RCAF Station St - Honoré was announced ; they were officially closed and mothballed on 5 January 1945 . The escalating tensions brought about by the Cold War and the Korean War saw RCAF Station Bagotville reactivated on 1 July 1951 as a training base for air defence squadrons deploying in support of NATO ' s defence of western Europe from the Warsaw Pact . 413 and 414 squadrons initially trained at Bagotville using " De Havilland Vampire " and " F - 86 Sabre " aircraft . On 7 March 1953 both squadrons deployed to Europe and the base was quiet through the rest of that year . No . 431 ( Fighter ) Squadron re - formed at RCAF Station Bagotville on 18 January 1954 using the " Sabre " . The squadron was formed on a temporary basis until there were enough new CF - 100 s available to fulfill RCAF squadron needs and was deactivated on 1 October 1954 . Also in 1954 432 and 440 squadrons were transferred to RCAF Station Bagotville flying the " CF - 100 Canuck " all - weather fighter . In 1957 440 squadron deployed to West Germany and on 1 May 1957 413 squadron returned to the base flying the " Canuck " . That year also saw the " CT - 133 Silver Star " arrive at the base as a training aircraft . In 1961 413 and 432 squadrons disbanded and 416 squadron was formed at Bagotville flying the " CF - 101 Voodoo " . 416 squadron was moved to RCAF Station Chatham the following year in 1962 . In summer of 1962 the 425 Alouette squadron transferred to RCAF Station Bagotville flying the " Voodoo " ; its aircraft were modified to carry the AIR - 2 Genie - a nuclear - tipped air - to - air missile , with nuclear warheads being stored at Bagotville until the weapon ' s decommissioning in the early 1980s . On 1 February 1968 the RCAF merged with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Army to form the Canadian Forces ; RCAF Station Bagotville changed its name to Canadian Forces Base Bagotville . Later that year 410 squadron formed at CFB Bagotville to provide training . In September 1969 433 " Porc - Épic " squadron was transferred to Bagotville flying the " CF - 116 Freedom Fighter " . In 1982 410 squadron moved to CFB Cold Lake and was replaced by 434 " Bluenose " squadron . On 1 July 1984 425 squadron changed from the " CF - 101 Voodoo " to the " CF - 188 Hornet " . On 9 July 1985 434 squadron moved to CFB Chatham . In 1986 433 squadron ceased operations to restructure and reactivated in January 1988 equipped with the " CF - 188 Hornet " . On 1 April 1993 CFB Bagotville became home to 3 Wing , which administers all Air Command units on base . The same day 439 " Tiger " squadron was reformed from elements of the existing Base Flight Bagotville , flying the " CT - 133 Silver Star " and " CH - 118 Huey " . The CT - 133 fleet was retired in 2001 and in 1996 439 squadron ' s four CH - 118s were replaced by three " CH - 146 Griffon s " . In July 1996 , the base helped locals during the Saguenay Flood . On 1 March 1999 12 Radar Squadron was formed at CFB Bagotville to provide tactical control of fighter / interceptor aircraft ; it replaced a radar station at RCAF Station Mont Apica which was closed . 433 Squadron disbanded in 2006 with its aircraft and personnel absorbed by 425 Squadron as a dual language Francophone / Anglophone unit . Today CFB Bagotville has the following Squadrons and Units : Bagotville also supports 414 Electronic Warfare Support Squadron reformed on 20 January 2009 . This squadron is based in Ottawa and is composed of military Electronic Warfare Officers who fulfill the combat support role , flying on civilian contracted aircraft . CFB Bagotville hosts the Bagotville Air Cadet Summer Training Centre . Air Cadets from across Canada attend the summer training centre to qualify in a variety of courses ranging from the 2 - week General Training Course , to the 6 - week Survival Instructor Course . Discovery Air Defence Services Dassault / Dornier Alpha Jet s are based here as part of the CF jet training program Contracted Airborne Training Services .