Avro Arrow

Canada has had a long and prosperous history in the Aerospace and Aeronautics

industry, beginning with Victory Aircraft under the British Aeronautics giant Hawker-

Siddeley. However, it is a truism in the industry that there are always many failed

projects and with them numerous “could-have-beens.” Among these is the Avro CF-105

Arrow, arguably the most sophisticated fighter ever to fly before 1983. Sadly, the Arrow

programme was not a failure, and yet the programme was shut down by the Diefenbaker

government, leaving 14,000 people unemployed and casting a shadow over a nation’s

future in avionics. If A.V. Roe Ltd. remained and the Arrow flew today, Canada’s aircraft

industry would be a very different thing indeed. The Arrow would have boosted the

Canadian Aerospace industry in every way, and would have set the standard for aircraft

this century. Its systems utilized groundbreaking design which could have been used

earlier in Canadian (and indeed any) aircraft. The Avro Arrow project should not have

been shut down, but maintained for the benefit of the Canadian aeronautics industry of

tomorrow.

The CF-105 Arrow was by far the most advanced craft of its time and would have

definitely set the standard for aircraft for decades to come. Though the first Arrow was

flown in 1957, it was so advanced that its performance was only bested by the Russian

MiG 26 years later in 19831. The Arrow also had the most advanced weaponry of its

time, using technology that is still employed today. The Sparrow II and III were some of

the missiles to be used by the Arrow. They utilized a system known as active homing

radar, the ability to home in on a target automatically. This technology, as well as the

Sparrow III itself, is still actively in use today2. The Arrow also had the most advanced

Automatic Flight Control Systems (AFCS) of the time, even though it was not designed

for �fly-by-wire’ performance. It was safer to use than any other AFCS that had existed

before, designed to be in use during long patrols over the vast Canadian landscape3.

These and more would have put the Arrow and its advanced technology in the

aeronautics spotlight.

If the Arrow remained in the aeronautics industry's interests the industry as a

whole would be much different. The groundbreaking design principles used by the Arrow

1 E. Gustin, Interceptor Rex, appendix, p. 7-8

2 J. Dow, The Arrow, p. 90-94, p. 110, p. 114

3 E. Gustin, Interceptor Rex, p. 3

would have been utilized earlier in other planes, allowing for further expansion of the

Canadian aeronautics industry. For instance, the dogtooth notch design in the Arrow’s

wing, used for increased aerodynamics and stability, was not even considered by major

aeronautics companies until the late 1980’s, when Lockheed included it in the design of

the stealth fighter F-117 Blackbird, one of the most advanced fighters of today4. Also, the

delta wing design of the Arrow was not popular in the 1950’s and 60’s as defence

agencies opted for more stable and maneuverable flight in traditional wing designs as in

the CF-100 Canuck and F-106 Voodoo5. The narrower wingspan in the delta wing did not

allow for as many wing-mounted weapon systems that can be seen in most fighters up to

now. However, designers realized twenty years later that the delta wings that allowed

greater speeds were more of an asset than the number of bombs a plane could carry. More

recent fighters like the F-14 Tomcat6 and F-18 Hornet illustrate this point, and they

certainly do not lack in firepower despite their delta-wing design7. Outboarded weapon

systems also meant a smaller fuselage, which the Arrow did not have. The Arrow’s

weaponry was to be carried within the roomy fuselage, adding to the drag of the already

bulky craft, but designers of the day preferred more streamlined crafts with less drag and

more stability. However, we see this same large fuselage design in the most advanced

new fighter craft, including the F-117 and the latest craft to enter the market, the

Lockheed F-22, now touted as the most advanced aircraft ever built8. The cancellation of

the Arrow prevented the use of these designs in other planes until much later, thus

retarding the growth of the domestic aeronautics industry.

Though the design of the Arrow would have been revolutionary, A.V. Roe’s

effects on the domestic aeronautics industry would have been far greater if the Arrow

programme were not terminated. The very existence of the Avro Arrow programme

would have created Canadian jobs and boosted the Canadian Aeronautics industry

greatly, and in turn, the entire domestic economy. At the time, the entire American

Aeronautics industry employed about 200,000 people,