Multiple CF-18 Hornet fighter jets pierced the skies over Yellowknife over the weekend, capturing the attention of city residents.
The aircraft were a temporary distraction for some Folk on the Rocks concert-goers, curious why the military planes were patrolling the skies.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) moved the equipment to Yellowknife as renovations to the Mike Zubko Airport runway in Inuvik are expected to begin this weekend.
RCAF pilots are conducting their training out of the Yellowknife Airport for the time being.
The deployment to Yellowknife was an important part of maintaining readiness in the North, according to Maj. Jennifer Jones, RCAF's senior communications manager.
“Canadian NORAD region personnel are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, protecting the air sovereignty of North America. They are ready to respond, if required, to counter any potential North American air sovereignty violation,” stated Jones. “For operational security reasons, we cannot provide information on the number of aircraft, the total number of personnel, or specific timelines of this deployment.”
Jones confirmed there's no known military threat to the Arctic at this time, and the jets are only in town for training purposes.
She added that the Hornets frequently land in Yellowknife for training and refuelling throughout the year.
The Department of Infrastructure is sending crews to Inuvik to begin fixing areas of the runway which are primarily used for air force training. The runway work at the airport will begin this weekend, said Inuvik Airport manager, Jason MacNeil.
Yellowknife resident Brian Couvrette was one of the many residents who took notice of the fighter jets. He said growing up in a military family, he has frequently seen the Hornets conduct exercises and thought they must have be in the city for training.
“At first look I thought they were remote-controlled airplanes,” said Couvrette, who upon closer examination realized the difference. “It's always a pleasure seeing things we don't see frequently up here though – this being one of them – as we don't get many jets outside of the (biennial) airshows.”
Residents can expect to see the RCAF jets continuing training in the city until the renovations to the Inuvik airport runway are complete. The Department on Infrastructure could not be reached for comment before press time.