What is FOTEF?

188921 Starting Up At Calgary International Airport. Note the unique Canada FOTEF Hornet patch, the purple X synonymous with test and evaluation units of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

410 Cougar Squadron is famous for being the squadron every Canadian fighter pilot goes to to be combat-ready. Currently operating the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 (B) Hornet. But what is a lot less known is a sub-division within 410 called FOTEF which stands for Fighter Operation Test And Evaluation Flight. Now unlike the Aerospace Evaluation Test Establishment (AETE) this unit does not assess or test brand-new aircraft, but rather the systems and subcomponents of the aircraft. Recently the RCAF acquired new night vision imaging systems. During the acquisition of these new additions to the CF-18, FOTEF assesses if a brand new graduate from the hornet course is gonna be able to learn and use the advanced system effectively. As it stands, the RCAF is set to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II in the coming years. That means that aircrew attached to FOTEF will be going down to Hill AFB in Utah or Luke AFB in Arizona for their initial exposure to the F-35. Getting taught the academics behind operating and employing the F-35 in combat.