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CF-105 Arrow



 
 


The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft
Interceptor aircraft

An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bomber aircraft, usually relying on great speed....
, designed and built by Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada)
Avro Canada

Avro Aircraft Limited was a Canada aircraft manufacturer company, that was in business from 1945?62. The company was known for their innovative designs, including the Avro Arrow fighter....
  in Malton
Malton, Ontario

Malton is one of the neighbourhoods in the northeast part of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Ontario, Canada, located to the northwest of Toronto, Ontario....
, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, as the culmination of a design study that began in 1953. Considered to be both an advanced technical and aerodynamic achievement for the Canadian aviation industry, the CF-105 held the promise of Mach
Mach number

Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance. It is commonly used to represent an object's speed, when it is travelling at the speed of sound....
 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding , and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force

The Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces....
's primary interceptor in the 1960s and beyond.

Not long after the 1958 start of its flight test program, the development of the Arrow (including its Orenda Iroquois
Orenda Iroquois

The Orenda PS.13 Iroquois was an advanced turbojet engine designed for military use. It was developed by the Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer Orenda Engines, a part of the Avro Canada group....
 jet engines) was abruptly and controversially halted, sparking a long and bitter political debate.

he post-Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 period, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 began developing a fleet of long-range bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons to North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.






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The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft
Interceptor aircraft

An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bomber aircraft, usually relying on great speed....
, designed and built by Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada)
Avro Canada

Avro Aircraft Limited was a Canada aircraft manufacturer company, that was in business from 1945?62. The company was known for their innovative designs, including the Avro Arrow fighter....
  in Malton
Malton, Ontario

Malton is one of the neighbourhoods in the northeast part of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Ontario, Canada, located to the northwest of Toronto, Ontario....
, Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, as the culmination of a design study that began in 1953. Considered to be both an advanced technical and aerodynamic achievement for the Canadian aviation industry, the CF-105 held the promise of Mach
Mach number

Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance. It is commonly used to represent an object's speed, when it is travelling at the speed of sound....
 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding , and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force

The Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces....
's primary interceptor in the 1960s and beyond.

Not long after the 1958 start of its flight test program, the development of the Arrow (including its Orenda Iroquois
Orenda Iroquois

The Orenda PS.13 Iroquois was an advanced turbojet engine designed for military use. It was developed by the Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer Orenda Engines, a part of the Avro Canada group....
 jet engines) was abruptly and controversially halted, sparking a long and bitter political debate.

Design and development


Background

In the post-Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 period, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
 began developing a fleet of long-range bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons to North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. To counter this threat, Western countries developed interceptor aircraft that could engage and destroy these bombers before they reached their targets.

A. V. Roe Canada Limited
Avro Canada

Avro Aircraft Limited was a Canada aircraft manufacturer company, that was in business from 1945?62. The company was known for their innovative designs, including the Avro Arrow fighter....
 had been set up as a subsidiary of the Hawker Siddeley Group in 1945, initially handling repair and maintenance work for aircraft at Malton, Ontario Airport (today known as Pearson International Airport, Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
's main airport). The next year the company began the design of Canada's first jet fighter for the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force

The Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces....
, the Avro CF-100
Avro CF-100

The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck, , was a Canada Jet aircraft fighter aircraft serving during the Cold War. It was the only Canadian-designed fighter to enter mass-production....
 Canuck all-weather interceptor. The Canuck underwent a lengthy prototype period before entering service seven years later in 1953. It would nevertheless go on to become one of the most enduring aircraft of its class, serving into the 1980s in a variety of roles.

Recognizing that the delays that impacted the development and deployment of the CF-100 could also impact its successor, and the fact that the Soviets were working on newer jet-powered bombers that would render the CF-100 ineffective, the RCAF began looking for a supersonic, missile-armed replacement for the Canuck even before it had entered service. In March 1952, the RCAF's Final Report of the All-Weather Interceptor Requirements Team was submitted to Avro Canada.

Proposals

Avro engineering had been considering using supersonic developments for some time at this point. German research during the Second World War had identified a number of solutions to the problems associated with supersonic flight. It was known that the onset of wave drag
Wave drag

Wave drag is an aerodynamics term that refers to a sudden and very powerful form of drag that appears on aircraft and blade tips moving at high-subsonic and supersonic speeds....
 was greatly reduced by using thinner airfoils with much longer chord
Chord (aircraft)

In reference to aircraft, chord refers to the distance between the leading edge and trailing edge of a wing, horizontal stabilizer or vertical stabilizer, measured in the direction of the normal airflow....
, but these airfoils were impractical because they left little internal room in the wing for armament or fuel.

Instead, aerodynamicists employed a swept-wing design to "trick" the airflow into behaving as though it was flowing over a long, thin wing. Almost every fighter project in the postwar era immediately applied the concept, which started appearing on production fighters in the late 1940s. Avro engineers had previously explored swept-wing and tail modifications to the CF-100 known as the C103, which had proceeded to wooden mock-up stage, and offered transonic performance with supersonic abilities in a dive. However, the basic CF-100 continued to improve through this period, and the advantages were eroded. When Janusz Zurakowski
Janusz Zurakowski

Janusz Zurakowski was a renowned Poland fighter aircraft and test pilot, who, at various times, lived and worked in Poland, the United Kingdom and Canada....
 broke the sound barrier
Sound barrier

In aerodynamics, the sound barrier usually refers to the point at which an aircraft moves from transonic to supersonic speed. The term came into use during World War II when a number of aircraft started to encounter the effects of compressibility, a grab-bag of unrelated aerodynamic effects....
 in a dive, interest in the C103 waned.

Another solution, picked up by the Avro engineers, was the delta-wing design. The delta-wing had many of the same advantages of the swept wing in terms of transonic performance, but offered much more internal room and overall area. This providing more room for fuel, an important consideration given the thirsty engines of the era, and the large wing area provided lift at high altitudes. The disadvantages of the design were increased drag at lower speeds and altitudes, and especially higher drag while maneuvering. For the interceptor role these were minor concerns, as the aircraft would be spending most of its time flying in straight lines at high altitudes and speeds, mitigating these disadvantages.

In the words of designer James C. Floyd
James C. Floyd

James Charles "Jim" Floyd is a Canada aerospace engineering, born in Manchester, England. Floyd was the Avro Canada chief design engineer. His ensuing involvement, ultimately as vice-president , in the design and development of the Avro Jetliner, CF-100 and CF-105 Arrow aircraft designs, over a period which is viewed by many as the "Golden A...
,
"At the time we laid down the design of the CF-105, there was a somewhat emotional controversy going on in the United States on the relative merits of the delta plan form versus the straight wing for supersonic aircraft… our choice of a tailless delta was based mainly on the compromise of attempting to achieve structural and aeroelastic efficiency, with a very thin wing, and yet, at the same time, achieving the large internal fuel capacity required for the specified range".


Further proposals resulted in two versions of the design known as C104: the single engine C104/1, and twin-engined C104/2. The designs were otherwise similar, using a low-mounted delta-wing and powered by the new Orenda TR.9 engines. Armament featured a battery of Velvet Glove missiles, (a Canadair Aircraft product based on CARDE
Cardè

Card? is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italy region Piedmont, located about 40 km southwest of Turin and about 40 km north of Cuneo....
 design work), stored in an internal bay. It would be crewed by a single pilot guided by a completely automatic weapons control system to track and attack the target, similar to the system utilized in the F-86D Sabre. The primary advantages of the twin-engine C104/2 version was that it was larger overall, with a much larger weapons bay, and that it provided twin-engine reliability. The proposals were submitted to the RCAF in June 1952.

Intensive discussions between Avro and the RCAF examined a wide range of alternative sizes and configurations for a supersonic interceptor, culminating in RCAF Specification AIR 7-3 in April 1953.

AIR 7-3 called specifically for:
  • Crew of two (It was considered unlikely even a fully automated system would reduce workload enough to allow a lone crewman).
  • Twin engines (no single engine then available could lift the fuel load needed for the long-range missions the RCAF demanded).
  • Range of ) for a normal low-speed mission, and for a high-speed interception mission.
  • Operation from a runway.
  • Mach 1.5 cruising speed at an altitude of .
  • Manoeuvrability (2 g
    G-force

    The g-force of an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. The unit of measure used is informally but commonly known as the "gee" , symbolized as g . An acceleration of 1 g is generally considered as equal to standard gravity , which is defined as precisely metre per second square...
     turns with no loss of speed or altitude at Mach 1.5 and ).
  • The time from a signal to start the engines to the aircraft's reaching and Mach 1.5 to be less than .
  • Turn-around time on the ground was to be less than .


An RCAF team led by Ray Foottit visited U.S. aircraft producers and surveyed British and French manufacturers before concluding that no existing or planned aircraft could fulfill these requirements.

Avro submitted their modified C105 design in May 1953, essentially a two-man version of the C104/2. A change to a "shoulder-mounted" wing allowed rapid access to the plane's internals, weapons bay, and engines. The new design also allowed the wing to be built as a single structure sitting on the upper fuselage, simplifying construction and improving strength. The wing design required a long main landing gear that still had to fit within the thin delta wing, presenting an engineering challenge. Five different wing sizes were outlined in the report, ranging between . The version was eventually selected. Three engines were considered as well: the Rolls-Royce RB106, the Bristol B.0L.4 Olympus, and the Curtiss-Wright
Curtiss-Wright

The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was once a leading aircraft manufacturer of the United States, but has since become a component manufacturer, specializing in actuators, controls , valves, and metal treatment....
 J67 (a license-built version of the Olympus). The RB106 was selected, with the J67 as backup.

The weapons bay design was larger than the original C104/2 design, situated in a large thin box on the bottom fuselage, running from a point adjacent to the front of the wing to the middle of the fuselage. The weapon system originally selected was the Hughes
Hughes Aircraft

Hughes Aircraft Company was a major aerospace and defense company founded by Howard Hughes. The group was based near Ballona Creek, in Culver City, California....
 MX-1179, which was a pairing of the existing MA-1 fire-control system with the AIM-4 Falcon
AIM-4 Falcon

The Hughes Aircraft AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force....
 missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
 of both radar-guided and heat-seeking variants. This system was already under development for proposed use in the USAF's WS-201 1954 interceptor
1954 interceptor

The 1954 interceptor, formally WS-201A, was a US Air Force project to develop a dedicated interceptor aircraft that would enter service in 1954....
 (dating from 1949, which would lead to the F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger

The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an United States interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s....
). The Velvet Glove
Velvet Glove

The Velvet Glove was a semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile designed by CARDE and produced by Canadair starting in 1953. 131 Velvet Gloves had been completed when the program was terminated in 1956, officially because of concerns about its ability to be launched at supersonic speeds from the Avro Arrow then under design, but also from...
 radar-guided missile had been under development with the RCAF for some time, but was considered unsuitable for supersonic launch, and further work on that project was eventually cancelled in 1956.

In July 1953, the proposal was accepted and Avro was given the go-ahead to start a full design study. In December, CA$27 million was provided to start flight modeling. At first, the project was limited in scope, but the introduction of the Soviet Myasishchev M-4
Myasishchev M-4

The Myasishchev M-4 Molot is a four-engined strategic bomber, designed by Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev and manufactured by the Soviet Union in the 1950s to provide a bomber capable of attacking targets in North America....
 Bison jet bomber
Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, primarily by dropping bombs on them....
 and the Soviet Union's testing of a hydrogen bomb dramatically changed Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
 priorities. In March 1955, the contract was upgraded to CA$260 million for five Arrow Mk.1 flight-test aircraft, to be followed by 35 Arrow Mk.2s with production engines and fire-control system
Fire-control system

A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more accurately....
s.

Production

Most aircraft designs start with the construction of a small number of hand-built prototypes that are test flown and modified, if required, before being committed to a set of jigs
Jig (tool)

A jig is any of a large class of tools in woodworking, metalworking, and some other crafts that help to control the location or motion of a tool....
 for production. This requires extra time to move from testing to manufacturing. The Arrow program instead adopted the Cook-Craigie plan
Cook-Craigie plan

The Cook-Craigie plan is an approach to the development process of civil and military aircraft that can dramatically reduce the time needed to bring a new design into service....
. Developed in the 1940s, Cook-Craigie eliminated the prototype phase, with the first test airframes constructed on production jigs. Any changes would be incorporated into the jigs while testing continued, with full production starting when the test program was complete. As Jim Floyd noted at the time, this was a risky approach, but together with the RCAF, "...it was decided to take the technical risks involved to save time on the programme… I will not pretend that this philosophy of production type build from the outset did not cause us a lot of problems in Engineering. However, it did achieve its objective."

In order to mitigate risks, a massive testing program was started. By mid-1954, the first production drawings were issued and wind tunnel work began. In a related program, nine instrumented free-flight models were mounted on solid fuel Nike
Project Nike

Project Nike was a United States Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system in 1953, the #Nike Ajax....
 rocket boosters and launched over Lake Ontario while two additional models were launched from Wallops Island, USA, over the Atlantic Ocean. These models were for aerodynamic drag and stability testing, flown to a maximum speed of Mach 1.7+ before intentionally crashing into the water. Ongoing efforts have been made to search for the models in Lake Ontario; , two have been found, along with one Nike booster and another for a Velvet Glove.

Experiments showed the need for only a small number of design changes, mainly involving the wing profile and positioning. To improve high-alpha
Angle of attack

Angle of attack is a term used in aerodynamics to describe the angle between the chord of an airfoil and the vector representing the relative motion between the airfoil and the air....
 performance, the leading edge of the wing was drooped, especially on outer sections, a dog-tooth
Dog-tooth

Image:Dog-tooth ornament.jpgA dog-tooth or "dogtooth pattern", in architecture, is an ornament found in the molding of medieval architecture work of the commencement of the 12th century, which is thought to have been introduced by the Crusaders from the East....
 was introduced to control spanwise flow, and the entire wing given a slight negative camber
Camber (aerodynamics)

Camber, in aerospace engineering, is the asymmetry between the top and the bottom curves of an airfoil in cross-section. Camber in its relation to planing surfaces was first discovered and utilised by Sir George Cayley in the early 19th century in England....
 which helped control trim drag and pitch-up.

The area rule
Area rule

The Whitcomb area rule, also called the transonic area rule, is a design technique used to reduce an aircraft's drag at transonic and supersonic speeds, particularly between Mach number 0.8 and 1.2....
 principle, made public in 1952, was also applied to the design. This resulted in several changes including the addition of a tailcone, sharpening the radar nose profile, thinning the intake lips, and reducing the cross-sectional area of the fuselage below the canopy.

The aircraft used a measure of magnesium
Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
 and titanium
Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Sometimes called the ?space age metal?, it has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver colour....
 in the fuselage, the latter limited largely to the area around the engines and to fasteners. Titanium was still expensive and not widely used because it was difficult to machine. The construction of the airframe itself was fairly conventional, however, with a semi-monocoque
Monocoque

Monocoque, from Greek language for single and French for shell , is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin....
 frame and multi-spar wing.

The Arrow's thin wing required aviation's first hydraulic system to supply enough force to the control surfaces, while using small actuators and piping. A rudimentary fly-by-wire system was employed, in which the pilot's input was detected by a series of pressure-sensitive transducers in the stick, and their signal was sent to an electronic control servo that operated the valves in the hydraulic system to move the various flight controls. This resulted in a lack of control feel; because the control stick input was not mechanically connected to the hydraulic system, the variations in back-pressure from the flight control surfaces that would normally be felt by the pilot could no longer be transmitted back into the stick. To re-create a sense of feel, the same electronic control box rapidly responded to the hydraulic back-pressure fluctuations and triggered actuators in the stick, making it move slightly; this system, called "artificial feel", was also a first. An advanced stability augmentation system was added as well, recognizing that long, "thin" aircraft have a number of coupling modes that can lead to departure from controlled flight if not damped out quickly. Since the center of lift moved aft with speed, the flight control system also assisted stability and manoeuvre.

In 1954, the RB.106 program was cancelled, necessitating the use of the backup J67 engine instead. In 1955, this engine was also cancelled, leaving the design with no engine. At this point, the Pratt & Whitney J75 was selected for the initial test-flight models, while the new TR 13 (soon PS-13 Iroquois
Orenda Iroquois

The Orenda PS.13 Iroquois was an advanced turbojet engine designed for military use. It was developed by the Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer Orenda Engines, a part of the Avro Canada group....
) engine was developed at Orenda for the production Mk 2s. Ultimately, only the rejected Bristol Olympus engine would actually go into production.

In 1956, the RCAF demanded additional changes, selecting the advanced RCA-Victor Astra fire-control system firing the equally advanced United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
 Sparrow II
AIM-7 Sparrow

The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps as well as various allied air forces and navies....
 in place of the MX-1179 and Falcon combination. Avro objected on the grounds that neither of these were even in testing at that point, whereas both the MX-1179 and Falcon were almost ready for production. RCAF planners felt the greatly improved performance of the Sparrow was worth the gamble.

The Astra proved to be problematic as the system ran into a lengthy period of delays, and when the USN cancelled the Sparrow II in 1956, Canadair
Canadair

Canadair was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was the subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers and a Nationalization corporation until Privatization in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
 was quickly brought in to continue the Sparrow program in Canada, although they expressed grave concerns about the project as well.

Operational history


Political issues

In June 1957, the governing Liberals
Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is a major political party in Canada. The party is positioned in the centre-left of the Politics of Canada....
 lost the federal election, and a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canada political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and a centrism stance on social issues....
 government under John Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker

John George Diefenbaker, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of the Companions of Honour, Queen's Counsel, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Royal Society of Arts was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957 to April 22, 1963....
 took power. Diefenbaker, from the Canadian west, had campaigned on a platform of reining in what they claimed was "rampant Liberal spending." The debate was politically presented as an east versus west divide, with the Conservatives campaigning on a platform of eastern Canada using money from across the country to fund their "industrial welfare" projects. The Arrow was not the only major industrial project targeted during the campaign, others such as the "million dollar monster" postal sorting computer from Ferranti Canada were singled out for additional political scorn.

In August 1957, the Diefenbaker government signed the NORAD (North American Air Defense) Agreement with the United States, which required the subordination of the RCAF Air Defence Command to American command and control. The USAF was in the process of completely automating their air defense system with the SAGE
Semi Automatic Ground Environment

The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by North American Aerospace Defense Command from the late 1950s into the 1980s....
 project, and insisted that the RCAF had to use it as well. One aspect of the SAGE system was the BOMARC nuclear-tipped anti-aircraft missile, which when intercepting bombers over Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 would be exploding over major Canadian cities. This led to studies on basing BOMARCs in Canada in order to push the line further north, away from the cities.

Storms of Controversy revealed a top secret brief prepared for George Pearkes
George Pearkes

Major General George Randolph Pearkes, Victoria Cross, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Canadian Forces Decoration was a Canada politician; soldier; recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy t...
, then Minister of National Defence, for his July 1958 meeting with U.S. officials. The brief states,
"The introduction of SAGE in Canada will cost in the neighborhood of $107 million. Further improvements are required in the radar… NORAD has also recommended the introduction of the BOMARC missile… will be a further commitment of $164 million… All these commitments coming at this particular time… will tend to increase our defence budget by as much as 25 to 30%…"


Pearkes was also concerned about funding defence against ballistic missiles. The existence of Sputnik had also raised the spectre of attack from space, and, as the year progressed, word of a "missile gap" began spreading. An American brief of the meeting with Pearkes reported Pearkes "stated that the problem of developing a defence against missiles while at the same time completing and rounding out defence measures against manned bombers posed a serious problem for Canada from the point of view of expense…" In a document written after the cancellation, Pearkes noted, "We did not cancel the CF-105 because there was no bomber threat, but because there was a lesser threat and we got the Bomarc in lieu of more airplanes to look after this" It is also said Canada could afford the Arrow or Bomarc/SAGE, but not both..

In a later interview in the 1990s, Pearkes discussed these problems and revealed he was advised by an American official, while en route to Colorado, Canada did not need to build aircraft because the US had plenty and could make them available at any time. Pearkes states this is when he made his decision to cancel the Arrow. His dilemma was how to fill in the defence gap from cancellation of the Arrow to the time when Bomarc bases would be operational. He revealed he struck a deal to allow American training in Goose Bay (Labrador) and Cold Lake (Alberta) in exchange for protection.

By 11 August 1958, Pearkes requested cancellation of the Arrow, but the Cabinet Defence Committee refused. He tabled it again in September, and recommended installation of the Bomarc missile system. The latter was accepted but, again, the CDC refused to cancel the entire Arrow program. The CDC wanted to wait until a major review in 31 March 1959, to better examine world conditions. They did, however, cancel the Sparrow/Astra system in September 1958. Efforts to continue the program through cost-sharing with other countries were then explored.

Worldwide, the Arrow was not the only heavy high-speed interceptor design cancelled at that time; the Republic Aircraft XF-103
Republic XF-103

The Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior was an United States project to develop a high speed interceptor aircraft to destroy Soviet Union bombers....
 and the North American Aviation
North American Aviation

North American Aviation was a major United States aircraft manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet aircraft fighter, and the X-15 rocket plane, as well as Apollo Apollo spacecraft, the second stage of the Satu...
 XF-108 Rapier
XF-108 Rapier

The North American Aviation XF-108 Rapier was a proposed United States design for a long-range, high-speed interceptor aircraft to defend the United States and Canada from supersonic Soviet bombers....
, designed to have higher performance specifications than the Arrow, were cancelled in the mock-up stage of development at approximately the same time. Even the Convair
Convair

The Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, commonly known as Convair, was a US aerospace development and manufacturing complex of the 1940s and later....
 F-106 Delta Dart
F-106 Delta Dart

The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s....
 was very nearly terminated. In the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, the ramifications of the 1957 Defence White Paper
1957 Defence White Paper

The 1957 White Paper on Defence was a United Kingdom white paper setting forth the future as seen of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry....
 led to the cancellation of almost all manned fighter aircraft development.

Foreign interest

Canada tried to sell the Arrow aircraft to the U.S. and Britain, but had no takers. The aircraft industry in both countries was considered a national interest and the purchase of foreign designs was rare.

From 1955 onwards, the UK had shown considerable interest in the Arrow; in April 1956, the UK's Air Council recommended a purchase of 144 Arrows for the RAF
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
 to serve alongside the Saunders-Roe SR.177
Saunders-Roe SR.177

The Saunders-Roe SR.177 was a 1950s project to develop a combined jet engine- and rocket-powered interceptor aircraft for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy....
 mixed power interceptor, instead of the "thin-wing" Gloster Javelin
Gloster Javelin

The Gloster Aircraft Company Javelin was an "all-weather" interceptor aircraft that served with United Kingdom Royal Air Force in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s....
 then under study. The CF-105 would serve as a stopgap until the UK's F.155
Operational Requirement F.155

Operational Requirement F.155 was a specification issued by the British Ministry of Supply for an interceptor aircraft to defend the United Kingdom from high flying supersonic bombers....
 project came to fruition. However with the F.155 due in 1963 and the Arrow not likely to reach the RAF before 1962, there was little point in proceeding, even if the costs of acquisition had not been so high. The infamous 1957 Defence White Paper
1957 Defence White Paper

The 1957 White Paper on Defence was a United Kingdom white paper setting forth the future as seen of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected was the British aircraft industry....
, prompted by a general lack of funds, foretold an end to manned fighters and completely curtailed any likelihood of a purchase. In January 1959, the UK's final answer was no—with an offer to sell Canada the English Electric P.1 (the aircraft that would become the English Electric Lightning
English Electric Lightning

The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, remembered for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish....
) instead. The French government was prepared to buy some 200 Iroquois engines, but cancelled their order in 1958, being advised by persons unknown that the Arrow was going to be cancelled.

The US Air Force had already developed three aircraft with performance intended to be broadly similar to the Arrow, originally as part of their "1954 Interceptor
1954 interceptor

The 1954 interceptor, formally WS-201A, was a US Air Force project to develop a dedicated interceptor aircraft that would enter service in 1954....
" project—the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo
F-101 Voodoo

The McDonnell Aircraft F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military fighter aircraft flown by the USAF and the RCAF. Initially designed as a long-range Escort fighter for the Strategic Air Command , the Voodoo served in a variety of other roles, including that of an all-weather interceptor aircraft with the Air Defense Command / Aerospace Defense...
, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger

The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an United States interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s....
 and Convair F-102B
F-106 Delta Dart

The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s....
 (later Convair F-106 Delta Dart). Additionally, two more advanced interceptors (the Republic XF-103
Republic XF-103

The Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior was an United States project to develop a high speed interceptor aircraft to destroy Soviet Union bombers....
 and North American XF-108
XF-108 Rapier

The North American Aviation XF-108 Rapier was a proposed United States design for a long-range, high-speed interceptor aircraft to defend the United States and Canada from supersonic Soviet bombers....
) were under development, although both would ultimately be cancelled in the early design and mock-up phases. Nevertheless it appears the USAF was concerned about the effect the cancellation would have on Canada's defence industry. In 1958, Avro Aircraft Limited President and General Manager Fred Smye
Frederick Thomas Smye, Jr.

Frederick Thomas "Fred" Smye was a Canada businessman. He was the president of Avro Canada.He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the son of Frederick Thomas Smye and Maude Givern, and was educated at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario....
 elicited a promise from the USAF to "supply, free, the fire control system and missiles and if they would allow the free use of their flight test center at Muroc Lake in California (now known as Edwards AFB)".

Cancellation

Declassified records show Avro management was caught unprepared by the suddenness of the announcement by the government. While executives were aware that the program was in jeopardy, they expected it to continue at least until the March review. It was widely believed that during this lead-up to the review, the first Arrow Mk 2, RL-206, would be prepared for an attempt at both world speed and altitude records.

An attempt was made to provide the completed Arrows to the National Research Council of Canada
National Research Council of Canada

The National Research Council is Canada's leading organization for scientific research and development....
 as high-speed test aircraft. The NRC refused, noting that without sufficient spare parts and maintenance, as well as qualified pilots, the NRC could make no use of them. A similar project initiated by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment

The Royal Aircraft Establishment England, was a British research establishment latterly under the Ministry of Defence .The first site was at Farnborough Airfield in Hampshire to which was added a second site RAE Bedford in 1946....
 (Boscombe Down) had resulted in Avro Vice-President (Engineering) Jim Floyd, preparing a transatlantic ferry operation. This proposal, like others from the United States, was never realized.

Aftermath

The cancellation immediately put over people out of work at the Avro plant and outside suppliers. Within two months, all aircraft, engines, production tooling and technical data were ordered scrapped. This was partly in response to Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the federal police, national police, and paramilitary police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world....
 fears that a Soviet "mole" had infiltrated Avro, later confirmed to some degree in the Mitrokhin archives
Mitrokhin Archive

The Mitrokhin Archive, by Vasili Mitrokhin, details the U.S.S.R.'s intelligence operations in the world. Major Mitrokhin compiled them during his thirty years as a KGB archivist in the foreign intelligence service and the First Chief Directorate; he published them in the U.K....
. Officially, the reason given for the destruction order from Cabinet and the Chiefs of Staff was to destroy classified and "secret" materials utilized in the Arrow/Iroquois programs.

Along with the five flying test models and production aircraft, blueprints and other materials were destroyed, leading to the creation of a piece of Canadian mythology. The rushed destruction incited a number of conspiracy theories alleging American culpability for the Arrow's demise. There remains an enduring but fanciful legend that one of the prototypes was spirited away after the cancellation and remains intact somewhere.

Following the Canadian government's cancellation of the Avro Arrow project in 1959, CF-105 Chief Aerodynamicist Jim Chamberlin
Jim Chamberlin

James A. Chamberlin was a Canada aerodynamicist who contributed to the design of the Canadian Avro Arrow, NASA Project Gemini and Apollo program Lunar Module ....
 led a team of 25 engineers to NASA's Space Task Group
Space Task Group

The Space Task Group was a working group of engineers based at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Created in 1958, the group was part of NASA and was tasked with superintending America's manned spaceflight program....
 to become lead engineers, program managers, and heads of engineering in NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
's manned space programs—Projects Mercury
Project Mercury

Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States. It ran from 1959 through 1963 with the goal of putting a human in orbit around the Earth....
, Gemini
Project Gemini

Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It operated between Projects Project Mercury and Project Apollo, with 10 manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
 and Apollo
Project Apollo

The Apollo program was a human spaceflight program undertaken by NASA during the years 1961?1975 with the goal of conducting manned moon landing missions....
. This team would eventually grow to 32 Avro engineers and technicians, and become emblematic of what many Canadians viewed as a "brain drain
Brain drain

Brain drain or human capital flight is a large emigration of individuals with human capital, normally due to war, lack of opportunity, political instability, or disease....
" to the U.S.. Many other engineers, including Jim Floyd (whose design studies at Hawker Siddeley (Avro Aircraft's UK parent) on the HSA.1000 supersonic transport design studies were ultimately influential in the design of the Concorde
Concorde

The A?rospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft is a supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of A?rospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation....
) found work abroad in either the UK or the United States.

In 1961, the RCAF obtained 66 CF-101 Voodoo
CF-101 Voodoo

The CF-101 Voodoo was an all-weather interceptor aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Forces between 1961 and 1984. They were manufactured by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St....
 aircraft, one of the American designs the RCAF originally rejected, to serve in the role originally intended for the Avro Arrow. The controversy surrounding this acquisition, and Canada's acquiring nuclear weapons for the Voodoos and Bomarcs eventually contributed to the collapse of the Diefenbaker government in 1963.

Although nearly everything connected to the CF-105 and Orenda Iroquois programs was destroyed, the cockpit and nose gear of RL-206, the first Mk 2 Arrow, and two outer panels of RL-203's wings were saved and are on display at the Canada Aviation Museum
Canada Aviation Museum

The Canada Aviation Museum is the national aviation museum, located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport....
 in Ottawa, alongside an Iroquois engine.

With specifications comparable to then-current offerings from American and Soviet design bureaus, at the time of its cancellation, the Arrow was considered by one aviation industry observer to be one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.

CBC Docu-drama

In 1997, the CBC broadcast the two-part mini-series, The Arrow
The Arrow

The Arrow is a four-hour miniseries produced for CBC Television in 1996, starring Dan Aykroyd as Crawford Gordon, experienced wartime production leader during World War II and president of Avro Canada during its attempt to produce the Avro Arrow supersonic jet aircraft interceptor aircraft....
 about the Arrow program, which remains one of the most-watched CBC English-language television programs. The production used a combination of archival film, remote-control flying models and computer animation for the flying and sequences. The flying models were built by Doug Hyslip of Calgary, but a full-scale replica of the Arrow was used in ground scenes. The mini-series' lack of historical accuracy forced the CBC to reclassify it as a "docu-drama", and it was subsequently advertised as entertainment rather than literal history.

Variants


Mark 1

Go-ahead on the production was given in 1955, with series production taking place in Assembly Bay One. The rollout of the first CF-105, marked as RL-201, took place 4 October 1957. The company had planned to capitalize on the event, inviting more than guests to the occasion. Unfortunately for Avro, the media and public attention for the Arrow rollout was dwarfed by the launch of Sputnik the same day.

The J75 engine was slightly heavier than the PS-13, and therefore required ballast to be placed in the nose to return the center of gravity to the correct position. In addition, the Astra fire-control system was not ready, and it too, was replaced by ballast. The otherwise unused weapons bay was loaded with test equipment.

RL-201 first flew on 25 March 1958 with Chief Development Test Pilot S/L Janusz Zurakowski
Janusz Zurakowski

Janusz Zurakowski was a renowned Poland fighter aircraft and test pilot, who, at various times, lived and worked in Poland, the United Kingdom and Canada....
 at the controls. Four more J75-powered Mk 1s were delivered in the next 18 months. The test flights went surprisingly well; the aircraft demonstrated excellent handling throughout the flight envelope. Much of this was due to the natural qualities of the delta-wing, but an equal amount can be attributed to the Arrow's stability augmentation system. The aircraft went supersonic on only its third flight and, on the seventh, broke at , while climbing and still accelerating. A top speed of Mach 1.98 was eventually reached at three-quarters throttle, even with these lower-powered engines.

No major problems were encountered during the testing phase, though some minor issues found with the landing gear and flight control system. The former problem was partly due to the tandem main landing gear (two wheels and tires: one in front of and one behind the gear leg) being very narrow, in order to fit into the wings. The leg shortened in length and rotated as it was stowed. During one landing incident, the chain mechanism (used to shorten the gear) in the Mark 1 gear jammed, resulting in incomplete rotation. In a second incident with Arrow 202 on 11 November 1958, the flight control system commanded elevon
Elevon

Elevons are aircraft control surfaces that combine the functions of the elevator and the aileron , hence the name. They are frequently used on tailless aircraft such as flying wings....
s full down at landing. The resulting reduction in weight on the gears reduced the effective tire friction, ultimately resulting in brake lockup and subsequent gear collapse. A photograph taken of the incident proved inadvertent flight control activation had caused the accident.

The stability augmentation system also required much fine-tuning. Although the CF-105 was not the first aircraft to use such a system (the Arrow used this system for all three axes, other aircraft did not) it was one of the first of its kind, and was consequently problematic. By February 1959, the five aircraft had completed the majority of the company test program and were progressing to the RCAF acceptance trials.

Mark 2

The Mk 2 version was to be fitted with the Iroquois engine. The Astra/Sparrow fire control system had been terminated by the government in September 1958 with all aircraft to employ the Hughes/Falcon combination. At the time of cancellation of the entire program, the first Arrow Mk 2, RL-206, was nearly complete. It was expected to break the world speed record but never had the chance.

Top speed would have been limited by atmospheric frictional heating, but according to project engineer James Floyd, “[t]he aluminum alloy structure which we favoured was good for speeds greater than a Mach number of 2."

Other designs

Avro Canada had a wide range of Arrow derivatives under development at the time of project cancellation. Frequent mention is made of an Arrow that could have been capable of Mach 3, similar to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25. This was not the production version, but one of the design studies, and would have been a greatly modified version of the Arrow Mk 2, featuring revised engine inlets and extensive use of stainless steel
Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary steel , but it is not stain-proof....
 or titanium
Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Sometimes called the ?space age metal?, it has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver colour....
 to withstand airframe heating.

Avro Arrow replicas

Allan Jackson of Wetaskiwin, Alberta
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada . The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton, Alberta. The city name comes from the Cree language word witaskiwin-ispatinaw , meaning "the hills where peace was made"....
 was the original designer of the replica used in the CBC docu-drama. As a hobby, he began building a full-scale replica of the Arrow in 1989. Years later, in 1996, when the producers of the Arrow miniseries learned of Jackson's replica, then about 70% complete, an offer was made to complete the construction if the replica could be used for the production. After use on the mini-series, and several public appearances at air shows, the Jackson replica was donated to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum
Reynolds-Alberta Museum

The Reynolds-Alberta Museum, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, one of 18 provincially owned and operated historic sites and museums, honours the "spirit of the machine"....
 in Wetaskiwin. While on display in a temporary outdoor collection, the replica was damaged in a wind storm. It is presently being stored after a recent repair, and readied for future display.

The Avro Museum of Calgary began a . Theirs is a 0.6-scale piloted replica aircraft being built for public flight demonstration—construction started in September 2000 following eight years of research. Built of modern-day composite material
Composite material

Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure....
s under Canadian Recreational Aircraft Legislation, construction is expected to take five years of volunteer labour and cost a half-million dollars in materials and parts.

The Canadian Air and Space Museum
Canadian Air and Space Museum

The Canadian Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum featuring artifacts, exhibits and stories illustrating a century of Toronto's aviation heritage and achievements....
, located at the former CFB Downsview
CFB Downsview

Canadian Forces Base Downsview is a former Canadian Forces Base in Toronto, Ontario, Ontario....
 features a full-size replica Arrow built by volunteers with assistance from local aerospace firms. With a metal structure, the replica features many authentic-looking components including landing gear constructed by Messier-Dowty
Messier-Dowty

Messier-Dowty is a company involved in the design, development, manufacture and overhaul of all types of aircraft landing gear. The company projects are divided into three business units: Airbus, Boeing/Military and Regional/Business aircraft....
 (the original Arrow main landing gear sub-contractor). Painted in the colours of Arrow 25203, the Arrow replica was rolled out for a media event on 28 September 2006 and was on on 8–9 October 2006 to commemorate the original aircraft's rollout in 1957. It will be permanently displayed beside an Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster was a United Kingdom four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley-Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force and squadrons from other Commonwealth of Nations...
 bomber (currently under restoration) built at the same Malton plant that produced the Arrow. The museum ultimately hopes to acquire an Avro CF-100 and obtain the first Avro VZ-9-AV Avrocar (the company's last aviation project) on a long-term loan from the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., United States, and is the most popular of the Smithsonian museums....
, in Washington, D.C., to be exhibited alongside the Arrow replica and Avro Lancaster.

Operators


  • Royal Canadian Air Force
    Royal Canadian Air Force

    The Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces....
     (Upon cancellation, undergoing acceptance trials but never entered squadron service)


Specifications (Arrow Mk 1)


See also


Bibliography

  • Campagna, Palmiro. Storms of Controversy: The Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed, Third Paperback Edition. Toronto: Stoddart, 1998. ISBN 0-7737-5990-5.
  • Campagna, Palmiro. Requiem for a Giant: A.V. Roe Canada and the Avro Arrow. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2003. ISBN 1-55002-438-8.
  • Dow, James. The Arrow. Toronto: James Lorimer and Company Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-88862-282-1.
  • Floyd, James. "The Canadian Approach to All-Weather Interceptor Development." The Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, December 1958.
  • Gainor, Chris. Arrows to the Moon: Avro's Engineers and the Space Race. Burlington, Ontario: Apogee, 2001. ISBN 1-896522-83-1.
  • Gunston, Bill. Fighters of the Fifties. Oscela, Wisconsin: Speciality Press, 1981. ISBN 0-93342-432-9..
  • Page, Ron, Organ, Richard, Watson, Don and Wilkinson, Les. Avro Arrow: The Story of the Avro Arrow from its Evolution to its Extinction. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press, 1979, reprinted Stoddart, 2004. ISBN 1-55046-047-1.
  • Peden, Murray. Fall of an Arrow. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 1987. ISBN 0-7737-5105-X.
  • Shaw, E.K. There Never was an Arrow.Toronto: Steel Rail Educational Publishing, 1979.
  • Smye, Fred. Canadian Aviation and the Avro Arrow(Limited publication). Oakville, Ontario: Randy Smye, 1985.
  • Stewart, Greig. Arrow Through the Heart: The Life and Times of Crawford Gordon and the Avro Arrow. Toronto: McGraw-Hill-Ryerson, 1998. ISBN 0-07-560102-8.
  • Stewart, Greig. Shutting Down the National Dream: A.V. Roe and the Tragedy of the Avro Arrow. Toronto: McGraw-Hill-Ryerson, 1991. ISBN 0-07-551119-3.
  • Stursberg, Peter. Diefenbaker: Leadership Gained: 1956-62. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1975. ISBN 0-8020-2130-1.
  • Supersonic Sentinel. Rare Avro Arrow film footage. Available from (ARC); also includes extra footage of the Arrow in flight and some footage of the Avro Jetliner
    Avro Jetliner

    The Avro C102 Jetliner was a Canada prototype medium-range jet airliner built by Avro Canada in 1949. It was beaten into the air by only 13 days by the de Havilland Comet, thereby becoming the second jetliner in the world, yet the name "Jetliner" was more catchy and for many years all such aircraft were colloquially given that...
     (1950).
  • Whitcomb, Randall.Avro Aircraft and Cold War Aviation. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2002. ISBN 1-55125-082-9.
  • Zuk, Bill. The Avro Arrow Story: The Impossible Dream. Calgary: Altitude Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-55439-703-0.
  • Zuk, Bill. The Avro Arrow Story: The Revolutionary Airplane and its Courageous Test Pilots. Calgary: Altitude Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-55153-978-0.
Further reading
  • Zuk, Bill. Janusz Zurakowski: Legends in the Sky. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2004. ISBN 1-55125-083-7.
  • Zuuring, Peter. Arrow Countdown. Kingston, Ontario: Arrow Alliance Press, 2001. ISBN 1-55056-866-3.
  • Zuuring, Peter. Arrow First Flight. Kingston, Ontario: Arrow Alliance Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55056-903-1.
  • Zuuring, Peter. Arrow Rollout. Kingston, Ontario: Arrow Alliance Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55056-902-3.
  • Zuuring, Peter. The Arrow Scrapbook. Kingston, Ontario: Arrow Alliance Press, 1999. ISBN 1-55056-690-3.
  • Zuuring, Peter. Iroquois Rollout. Kingston, Ontario: Arrow Alliance Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55056-906-6.
Additional resources
  • Library and Archives Canada - this is the official repository of all government documents relating to the Avro CF-105 Arrow projects. Not all Avro Arrow documents have been declassified, only some and it is expected that all documents held on the Arrow will not become public until 2067.
  • There Never Was an Arrow broadcast on the CBC in March 1980 (Available as an extra on the Arrow Docu-Drama DVD). [Clips from the program can be seen at .)


External links

  • (Department of National Defence, Government of Canada
    Government of Canada

    Canada is a constitutional monarchy. The powers and structure of the federal government are set out in the Constitution of Canada, which includes the written part, the decisions of courts, and unwritten conventions developed over time....
    )