15 Wing Moose Jaw (formerly CFB Moose Jaw), home of the Snowbirds, for several decades has been the number one employer in the Moose Jaw region.

Restructuring by the National Defence Department has changed employment at the base to its present level of approximately 1,000 personnel. Although staffing and infrastructure has been streamlined, the viability of the base has been strongly entrenched with the adoption of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program. The retooling of the base and the adoption of the $2.85 billion - 20 year training program ensures that 15 Wing will continue to be an important economic and social component within the Moose Jaw region.

NFTC Program
The Government of Canada offers "NATO Flying Training in Canada" to interested Air Forces. This innovative program, know as NFTC, is a fully integrated undergraduate and graduate fighter pilot training program designed for nations interested in NATO-standard flying training.

The NFTC Program supports the mutual strategic interests of allies for Air Force interoperability. Participation in NFTC ensures long-term stability for common-core advanced tactical flying training.

NFTC Operations
The NFTC Program has been established through the collaboration of the Government of Canada and Bombardier Inc. The overall responsibility for the NFTC program rests with the Government of Canada. The Department of National Defense (DND) provides program management, existing infrastructure and Air Force flying instructor pilots. Key contributors to this program include:

• Department of National Defense - Program Administrators
• Bombardier Aerospace - Prime contractor
• BAE Systems - Aircraft provider
• CAE Inc. - Aerospace support
• Hawker Beachcraft Corp. - Aircraft provider
• ATCO Frontec - Buildings, grounds, and equipment maintenance
• Sodexo - Accommodations, janitorial, and meal services
• SERCO - Meteorological services, navigational aids, and electronic maintenance
• City of Moose Jaw - Structural fire fighting, alarm monitoring, rescue, hazardous waste service and emergency response

The NFTC Program provides access to over 700,000 square kilometres of unrestricted military airspace, including a wide selection of tactical range facilities, an academic scoring range and an instrumented air combat maneuvering range. NFTC equipment, infrastructure and military flying areas at 15 Wing Moose Jaw are dedicated to the exclusive use of NFTC participants. At Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, NFTC tactical training operates in conjunction with Canadian Forces CF-18 training and operational squadrons. Both Moose Jaw and Cold Lake locations are operational, fully equipped military airfields with parallel jet runways.

The Government of Canada signed the initial NFTC contract with Bombardier on the 18th of November 1997. The Canadian Air Force continues to seek international participants to join this new and exciting program on the Canadian Prairies. Initial flight training operations commenced in early 2000. NFTC is the first fully digital pilot training program of its kind in the world.

NFTC Equipment as of 2006

• 26 Harvard IIs (all in Moose Jaw): The Raytheon Aircraft Corporation’s Harvard II is a purpose-built, single-engine, low wing, all metal, tandem seat, turboprop training aircraft fully equipped to support the basic training tasks of the Canadian Forces-led NFTC program. The Powerplant for the Harvard II is a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68 turbo-prop with a Hartzell four-blade propeller Engine rating 1100 SHP (continuous).
• 20 Hawk 115s (11 in Moose Jaw): The BAE Systems Hawk 115 is a two-seat, advanced jet and fighter lead-in training aircraft. The Hawk offers the student the ability to complete the full spectrum of missions necessary to minimize the time and effort required to convert to front-line combat fighter aircraft. The Powerplant for the Hawk 115 is a Rolls-Royce Mk.871.
• 5 Flight Training Devices (3 in Moose Jaw)

NFTC Student Countries as of 2006

• Canada
• Austria
• Australia
• United Kingdom
• Republic of Singapore
• Denmark
• Italy
• Hungary
• United Arab Emirates

NFTC Instructor Countries as of 2006

• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Republic of Singapore
• Denmark
• Italy
• U.S.A.
• Hungary
• Germany
• Finland
• Sweden
• France