Avro Arrow

When the Cold War intensified in the 1950s, Canada became increasingly concerned with the possibility of a Soviet attack. The Avro Arrow was a twin engine, supersonic interceptor developed in the late 1950's by the Avro Aircraft company of Malton, Ontario, Canada. The Arrow was the follow on to Avro's first military design, the highly succesful CF-100 Canuck, a twin engine all weather interceptor sold to the Royal Canadian Air Force (600+) and to Belgium. To guard against an attack, Canada needed modern supersonic aircraft. The planes in use then were slow and outdated. Since 1949, the government backed the A.V. Roe Company in its project to develop one of the world’s fastest supersonic jets: the Avro Arrow. Canada was also forced to develop the Arrow's engine and fire-control and missile systems, and estimated costs rose to $12.5 million per aircraft. After export efforts again failed, the project was cancelled on 20 February 1959. A.V. Roe bitterly fired 14 000 employees; the government ordered all plans and prototypes destroyed; and many Canadians bemoaned the devastation of Canada's aircraft industry, the resulting flight of scientists and engineers to the US, and Canada's renewed dependence on the US for interceptor aircraft. The huge cost of the Avro Arrow made the government buy an American fighter plane.