How the Royal Canadian Air Force Plans to Modernize Its Air Capabilities

Brigadier General Todd Balfe is the Fighter Capability Special Advisor in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and was one of the key speakers at the 2024 Air Dominance Summit. Balfe earned his pilot wings in 1988 and, following an initial assignment as a jet flying instructor, flew the CF-18 for many years. He amassed 4500 flight hours, including more than 2500 hours in the CF-18, and participated in three NATO deployments to the Balkans, culminating with the Operation Allied Force air campaign in Kosovo in 1999. His non-flying assignments include two tours with NORAD in the U.S., multiple staff positions in Ottawa, and a year-long deployment with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.

In Brigadier General Balfe’s current role he serves with the RCAF Fighter Capability Office overseeing F-35 transition, weapons procurements and Operational Training Infrastructure Enterprise Modernization. During his session at the Air Dominance Summit last May, Brigadier General Balfe spoke about the Royal Canadian Air Force’s next generation air superiority efforts but before that, he sat down with IDGA to discuss RCAF’s air capabilities priorities, how the transition to the F-35A is going, and more.