Once upon a time Canada counted itself among the select group of countries with an aerospace industry capable of producing leading edge aircraft. From major contributions to the effort needed to win World War II, Canada came out of the war with production facilities, trained workers, designers, and the ambition to build on these assets to become a player in the world aviation business.
These hopes came to a climax with the Avro Arrow, CF-105. Envisioned as a high-speed, high altitude interceptor, it became synonymous with Canadian national pride. Five models were built and flown, with a sixth in the pipeline. But - and does this sound familiar? - rising costs, doubts about its mission, weapons systems, and other concerns led the government to not only shut down the program, but take steps to make sure it could never be revived.
The effects on the Canadian aerospace industry were dire; thousands were thrown out of work, and the Avro company never recovered. Canada's position at the forefront of aviation design was forfeited. The resentments still linger today, especially when Canadians look at the costs of the F-35s they're in line to buy and the doubts about that program. It's why there are those who are working to bring the Arrow back - as a fifth or even 6th generation design.
More below the Orange Omnilepticon.
The Arrow is still a subject of controversy, and the answers as to what actually happened and how good the aircraft could have been are not settled and may never be. This CBC documentary (about an hour long) looks at the history of the CF-105 and all of the issues associated with it.
http://youtu.be/...
Here's a few of the high points. Cancellation saved the government of Canada a fair amount of money, though there are questions about what would have happened if Avro had been able to sell the Arrow to other countries. It saved a battle between the Canadian service branches over funding. It ended up tying Canada to the U.S. for aircraft. (They ended up buying second hand F-101 Voodoos with much lower performance.) It was contended that new technology (the Bomarc missile) would have been a more cost-effective interceptor - (it flopped). The Avro Company went under, in part because government insistence on concentrating on the Arrow didn't allow it to pursue other contracts that might have kept it alive. Thousands of skilled workers were laid off; a lot of engineering talent went south and ended up in the U.S. with consequent effects on Canada's industrial base. It contributed to Canada's national self-esteem problem.
Canadian plans to purchase F-35 Lightning IIs are reigniting passions over the Arrow. There are those who contend it would be possible to resurrect the Arrow for less money - and it would still be a better aircraft! Additional arguments are that this would be billions of dollars that would be pumped directly into the Canadian economy and add thousands of jobs. At some point Canada is looking to replace the CF-18s they're currently flying. Given the costs of the F-35 and the problems reported to date, revival of the Arrow is a topic that keeps coming up.
http://youtu.be/...
No one is actually bending metal yet, but modern CGI and digital engineering design software is allowing a lot of imagineering to take place - and generating some videos dripping with attitude and national pride. There's one proposal that looks like a relatively straightforward updating of the original Arrow design.
http://youtu.be/...
Take a look at what is being hyped as the "Super Arrow" from another group - 6th generation air superiority, modern avionics, integral canards and vectored thrust, Mach 3 capabilities with stealth features, impressive weapons load...
http://youtu.be/...
As is pointed out in the video narration at the end, Canada has access to U.S. aviation technology that could be used to build this aircraft, thanks to participation in the F-35 program, and (although it's not explicitly stated) without the design compromises imposed on the Lightning II - no mention of a VTOL version.
In a continued display of enthusiasm, a website for the Super Arrow has been set up. There's some impressive artwork, design ideas, and promises of more to come.
We are working to complete for our first phase of prototype testing a complete digital version of the Super Arrow which is being completed by our Beaverworks simulator technician for the X-Plane platform. This platform will give a true to life, or as close as possible, performance of the real aircraft. We will be continuing to refine her design and performance capabilities.
We are in the process of developing and manufacturing a 1/8th scale flying demonstrator with a target date of the Summer of 2015 to show Canadians what this aircraft physically looks like along with proving performance capabilities to show what a prospect for a replacement for the CF-188 Hornet's could be.
We are working on sourcing our logistics and supply chains to produce a realistic proposal to submit if requested. We envision that any realistic proposal would be submitted on or after January 1, 2017. Until that time, the Super Arrow will be under development with our engineering and aerospace team. We want to make certain this aircraft lives up to or exceeds any performance benchmarks before we proceed down that path to ensure Canadian would get value for their investment. We will not publish any further information on our team or aircraft capability for security reasons. If you are interested in perhaps joining our team or are an investor, please do not hesitate to contact our group at info@superarrow.ca. All members of our team will have to pass security clearances conducted by law enforcement in order to quality. - See more at: http://www.hooler.com/...
How realistic is this? Don't ask me - but it's sure a pretty aircraft to look at.