Avro Arrow: Failure of Canada
Avro Arrow In today’s society, the Canadian Army is viewed as a thing of with pity, seen as an organization in need of U.S. defense to survive; this image was pushed to the extremes by the lack of Canadian support and general apathy. Not many people think of Canada as a country that can hold its own when in a conflict with those of similar economic conditions such as Russia, America or even France. However, historically and statistically, Canada has been an extremely strong military power, but only when the need arose. From the “stormtroopers” of Canadian raiding parties at Vimy Ridge to the sophisticated liberation of Belgium and the Netherlands in World War Two, Canada proved its extraordinary war efforts. The same can be said about Canada’s influence on aerial warfare, with the fourth largest air-force of any nation in the second world war. Then comes the Avro Arrow, arguably one of the most controversial projects ever financed by the Canadian government. This delta-wing interceptor known officially as the CF-105 Arrow, was a prototype machine which was technically several decades more advanced than its Russian and American counterparts. The Arrow was designed and produced by Canadians and its initial prototypes were capable of Mach 2 speeds with new technological armaments and automation features. All this research was placed at a cost of four hundred million Canadian dollars, and it directly produced 14,000 jobsbefore it was cancelled by the Diefenbaker government in 1959. The cancellation of the Avro Arrow was a terrible idea and its consequences are reflected upon in the dismal state of our military and technological reputation in global standing. The Avro Arrow was not a failure of technology, labor, effort or enthusiasm, but rather a failure of judgment and Conservative political views. The Arrow induced a sense of pride in Canadians, and would have represented our independence from the United States. The Arrow would not only save our
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