Ottawa exploring options to replace aging Snowbirds jets

Six Snowbirds CT-114 Tutors breaking formation for a stunt at the Airshow in Barrie on June 15, 2024 (Mike Lang/CTV News).

The Department of National Defence is looking to retire and replace the decades-old aircraft used by the Royal Canadian Air Force's iconic Snowbirds demonstration team.

The team's CT-114 Tutor jets were built between 1963 and 1966, and have been flown by the Snowbirds for the entirety of the aerial demo team's existence.

Defence Minister Bill Blair has asked the air force to start searching for a potential replacement aircraft for the Snowbirds as the Tutor fleet "reaches its end of life," National Defence confirmed to CTV News in an emailed statement, adding that Ottawa "remains committed" to the Snowbirds mission over the long term.

The question of how long the Tutor jets will fly after the current airshow season remains up in the air, however, with the military saying only that the 1960s-era airframe would be in use "for as long as is possible and safe."

"No specific timeline has yet been finalized for the eventual phase-out of the aircraft, following its decades of service," National Defence spokesperson Kened Sadiku said when asked if the Tutors would remain in use beyond 2024.

The Snowbirds were grounded twice in the summer of 2022 – once after an issue was discovered with the Tutor's emergency ejection parachute, and later when a problem with an oil filter led to a crash in northern B.C.

Those operational pauses followed a crash two years earlier that killed Capt. Jennifer Casey, an air force public affairs officer, whose jet went down shortly after takeoff on May 17, 2020, near Kamloops, B.C.

One month after the fatal collision, a military investigation into a 2019 crash found that the ejection seat of a Snowbirds aircraft became tangled with the pilot's parachute as he tried to escape the cockpit before the plane hit the ground.

The pilot sustained minor injuries and his Tutor jet was destroyed after slamming into a farmer's field while en route to an airshow in Atlanta, Ga.

In an emailed statement, National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin said the RCAF is "in the process of carefully examining a number of capabilities" for a potential aircraft replacement, though the process is still in its early stages.

"The RCAF priority in this matter is ensuring the safety of all personnel operating and supporting our aircraft," Poulin said.

"The Snowbirds air demonstration team remains committed to bringing Canadians the best air demonstration performances in 2024 and looks forward to engaging with Canadians and air show participants as we celebrate the RCAF centennial" this year, the spokesperson added.

The Snowbirds are currently scheduled to fly in performances across Canada until September, with two air show dates in the U.S. planned for October.

The air force also maintains a demonstration team flying the more modern CF-18 Hornet.