The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has accepted the first of its new training aircraft, the CT-157 Siskin II. The duo of new planes will be headed to their eventual home of 15 Wing Moose Jaw. One of the new turboprops conducted a flypast at an airport in Gatineau, Que. on Wednesday. A total of 19 aircraft will eventually be stationed at 15 Wing Moose Jaw and will serve as the RCAF’s main training fleet. The Siskin II will replace the RCAF’s current trainer, the CT-156 Harvard II while also replacing the CT-114 Tutor in service with the RCAF Snowbirds. The aerial demonstration team is set to host their final full-fledged Canadian performance this weekend at the AERO Gatineau airshow. However, the final flight for the Snowbirds prior to the adoption of their new aircraft is scheduled for Nov. 15 at the 2026 Grey Cup in Calgary. The Siskin II, also known as the Pilatus PC-21, is used by the Swiss Air Force for training purposes. It’s also in service with Australia’s Roulettes aerial demonstration teams. Through the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program, the RCAF is acquiring more than 70 training aircraft in total – split into five fleets. 15 Wing Moose Jaw will also host a fleet of 23 CT-102B Astra IIs. The airbase celebrated the first operational flight of those trainers in June. With files from The Canadian Press
