There is a global trend towards increasing military spending, and Canada is investing heavily to ensure its air force is ready for the variety of challenges it might face. The initial phase focuses on securing the best possible helicopter for its training programme. June 2026 saw the first delivery of the Airbus H135 to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), marking the launch of its Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) programme. Designated the CT-153 Juno, the helicopter’s name reflects its importance within the history of the nation’s military. The Airbus Helicopters H135 (formerly Eurocopter EC135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules and is outfitted with a digital automatic flight control system. First flying in February 1994 and developed from the prototype Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm MBB Bo 108, it entered service in 1996. It is mainly used for air medical transport (medevac), corporate transport, law enforcement, offshore wind support, and military flight training. Half of the units in service are in Europe and a quarter in North America. The H135M is the military variant.
The Juno’s livery is composed of a dark blue mixed with historic “training yellow.” This was deliberately chosen to ensure that one of the proudest chapters of Canadian aviation history, the British Commonwealth Air Training Program, where Canada played a massive role in preparing Allied pilots during the Second World War, remains a visible part of its present. The Juno aspect also calls to mind the critical role Canada had in the D-Day landings at Juno beach. Today, geopolitical tensions are as fraught as they have been since that global conflict. With active warfare in Europe and the Middle East, countries around the world are assessing if they have the right tools for the job. Canada is no different. SkyAlyne placed an order for 19 H135 helicopters to rejuvenate the RCAF’s training fleet, the first of which has now been received. The arrival of this aircraft is part of a complete reset of the RCAF’s training pipeline. With a total investment of 11.2 billion Canadian dollars, 71 new aircraft will be delivered over the course of the 25-year project. Indeed, this is a root and branch modernisation of the RCAF’s training offer.
“The Future Aircrew Training programme is basically a reset of everything to do with RCAF aircrews training. This is a generational programme for the Canadian government. It’s the largest services contract in the history of the Canadian government. Doesn’t matter how much you buy. If you don’t have the aircrews to operate these systems, you don’t have an air force,” explains Kevin Lemke, general manager for SkyAlyne. SkyAlyne, a joint venture formed by Canadian aviation and defence leaders CAE and KF Aerospace, serves as the prime contractor managing the initiative.
In the context of having the right tools to train future pilots who are likely to face varied threats, the RCAF’s Colonel Lauri Denis believes that the CT-153 Juno perfectly fits the bill. “It’s exactly what today’s aircrew need to train on to then go to our advanced platforms and operational units to fight with our allies in the defence of Canada,” Denis notes. “We don’t have to tell anybody here that the threat out there is real.”
Leadership has identified this step as building the essential foundations that will lead to the creation of an advanced air power. The logic is simple: if you want your air force to be the best, before you think about having the best aircraft, you have to have the pilots to fly them. There is a school of thought that to really learn flying, you need to learn on a machine which doesn’t help you, so you train without the aid of sophisticated avionics that reduce pilot workload. Another theory is that training student pilots on cutting-edge helicopters introduces them to the kinds of technology early that they will encounter during their flying careers. The advantage of the H135 is that it not only allows pilots to train on Helionix avionics, but it also allows certain features and functionalities to be removed. Trainees experience the best of both worlds: next-generation technology and old-school fundamentals.
