THE ARROW isn't coming back, folks…
AND NEITHER IS the Orenda Iroquois PS-13…
"IT'S THE CLOSET THING CANADIAN INDUSTRY has to a love story and a murder mystery.
THE AVRO ARROW, a sleek white jet interceptor developed in Malton, Ontario in the 1950's, could have been many things. It might have become the fastest plane in the world, Canada's best defence against Soviet bombers, the catalyst to propel Canada to the forefront of the aviation industry. Instead, it became a $400-million pile of scrap metal, and the stuff of legends.
Not long after the 1958 start of its flight test program, the development of the Arrow (including its Orenda Iroquois jet engines) was abruptly and controversially halted before the project review had taken place, sparking a long and bitter political debate.
The controversy engendered by the cancellation and subsequent destruction of the aircraft in production, remains a topic for debate among historians, political observers and industry pundits. "This action effectively put Avro out of business and its highly skilled engineering and production personnel scattered...
The incident was a traumatic one... and to this day, many mourn the loss of the Avro Arrow."
(unknown)
Cancelled February 20th, 1959…52 YEARS and counting…
1 comment:
Even though some have said that it was little more than a twin-engined F-106, I imagine that there are many who wonder what might have been if the CF-105 had entered full production. If not for that stupidly short-sighted 1957 Defence White Paper, the U.K. may have decided to purchase some as a long-range counterpart to the English Electric Lightning, and Australia/New Zealand definitely could have utilised several with their massive land and sea areas to patrol. It's a sure thing that the Snowbirds and their aerial demonstration unit sorely need an awe-inspiring mount like the Arrow to truly impress their audiences, because the current trainer-type aircraft just don't "cut any ice", so to speak.
Who can say if perhaps the 1967 Shag Harbour Incident would have ended differently if Arrows had been there to attempt a shoot-down, maybe with an AIR-2 Genie or AIM-26A Nuclear Falcon? Remember, there is no such thing as overkill when dealing with those tricky little U.F.O.s, as can be seen in the 1976 Tehran F-4 and 1980 Peruvian Su-22 cases. Like the early Phantom II models, it's a shame that a capable autocannon like the 30mm ADEN or Oerlikon 304RK/KCA were not included in the design, though the Aussies likely would have stipulated some type of gun armament. Even today, the RCAF could have an updated, modern CF-105 fitted with two NK-32 engines (the most powerful high-speed military turbofans in the world) for much less than those ridiculously expensive, unsightly F-35s.
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