
In the coming months, you might notice that Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft look a little different.

In 2011, to recognize Canada’s military heritage, the historic names of Canada’s three military services were restored: the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), the Canadian Army (CA) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Under these designations, Canadians emerged victorious from the Second World War and later defended Canadian interests throughout the Cold War and the Korean War.

The RCAF received its new insignia in 2013, followed by changes to members’ uniforms and the redesignation of the rank private as “aviator.” Now, the next step in the restoration process is to bring RCAF aircraft livery–that is, aircraft paint scheme–in line with the earlier changes.


The new aircraft livery includes the bilingual designation “RCAF” and “ARC” (for Aviation royale canadienne) on either side of an updated roundel.

The changes will be made in a way that minimizes any additional cost and does not take an operational aircraft out of service unnecessarily. The changes are expected to take four to five years.

Aircraft will receive their new livery when they are already undergoing scheduled routine maintenance, which includes any necessary repainting. This is done every few years to correct the effects of usage and exposure to the elements.

As of the first of November, one aircraft–the King Air located at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont.–has been painted in the new livery.