3 Wing Bagotville is located at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville in Quebec's Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and is under the operational command of 1 Canadian Air Division.
The goal of 3 Wing is to protect Canada and Canadians, defend North America and promote peace and international security. Equipped with CF-188 Hornets, it is one of two fighter aircraft units in Canada.
3 Wing consists of several divisions which include primarily the deputy commander, mission support squadron, and health care divisions. There is also the operation support squadron, which oversees activities relating to the support and distribution of operational tasks, 12 Radar Squadron, 3 Air Maintenance Squadron and 439 Combat Support Squadron equipped with CH-146 Griffon helicopters for combat support, as well as search and rescue.
The Bagotville Station was built in July 1942 to provide a training base for pilots and protect the Alcan and hydro-electric facilities in the area during World War II, hence its motto "Defend the Saguenay".
Closed at the end of the war, the station was re-opened in 1951 as a training base for the squadrons serving with the Canadian Division in Europe and to support the air defense operations of the newly formed Canadian and American forces that would become NORAD in 1958. Following implementation of the wing concept in the Air Force, 3 Wing, which in succession served Canada at Zweibrücken from 1952 to 1968 and at Lahr from 1988 to 1992, was reconstituted at Bagotville on 1 April 1993.
Read more about the history of 3 Wing Bagotville.
