Sabre 5 (CL-13A) and 6 (CL-13B) The Canadair Sabre 5s and 6s were license built derivatives of the North American F-8617but incorporating the more powerful Orenda 10 engine produced in Canada. The extra performance gained made the GE J47 equipped American Sabre pilots quite envious. The CL-13A went into production in October of 1953, eventually equipping twelve Canadian squadrons and serving with distinction in Canada's NATO commitment to European defense. By October of 1954 Orenda. had developed the Mk. 14 engine. This was fitted to the Sabre Mk. 6, along with leading edge slats to improve slow speed handling. Further research efforts with the Sabre, led to a prototype variant using the Mk. 14R engine with reheat capability. Testing indicated an increase in thrust of 21.5 percent was possible but this variant never went into production. RCAF Sabres never saw combat but Canadian built Sabres have seen service with the forces of Great Britain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, the United States, West Germany, South Africa, Pakistan and Colombia. Canadair CL-13A/B Sabre 5/6 Air Superiority Charts Avro CF-100 Canuck ("Clunk") In October of 1945 the Canadian Government put out a procurement specification for an all weather long range interceptor. Avro Canada responded to this by designing the CF- 100 Canuck. It was a rather conservative twin engine design with a straight wing configuration. The resulting aircraft exceeded all expectations. It was capable of reaching Mach I in a dive and had admirable handling and climbing characteristics. Various weapons configurations were experimented with on the CF100. These included 30 mm ADEN cannons, Velvet Glove missiles, Sparrow II (AHM type) missiles and a fuselage fitted rocket pack containing 48 rockets. The production configuration of the Mk. 4 was eight M3 fifty calibre guns in a fuselage pack and two wing-tip rocket pods each containing 29 rockets, the guns were deleted and rockets increased to 104 in the Mk. 5 version. The CF- 100 entered service in 1954. It outfitted thirteen Canadian squadrons. Fifty-three aircraft were even sold to Belgium. 1962 was the last year of service for the CF-100 but some were retained and modified as EW trainers. Avro CF-100 Mk 4b Canuck Air Superiority Charts Avro CF-100 Mk 5 Canuck Air Superiority Charts CF-105 Arrow While never a production aircraft, the Arrow deserves attention on the basis of its technological superiority and as an indictment of the dismantling of the Canadian aerospace industry. The Arrow was envisioned as a long range, supersonic replacement for the CF- 100. Its role, like the CF- 100, would be the defense of the upper reaches of northern Canada from incursions by Soviet inter-continental bombers. The development of the airframe and the Iroquois engines helped advance the state of the art in aerodynamics. A problem arose when the RCAF began to impose stringent requirements on the weapons and fire control specifications however. The Sparrow II active homing missile, then under development, was selected for the Arrow as its prime weapons. In addition, a new fire control system, the Astra, was being developed by RCA. When the US Navy cancelled the Sparrow II, due to developmental problems, the program was continued in Canada but costs began to escalate severely, driving the entire Arrow project over-budget. The first prototype was rolled out on 4 October 1957, an event that overshadowed by the launch of a Sputnik satellite by the Soviets on the same day. Flight testing proceeded smoothly and the aircraft could achieve nearly Mach 2 in level flight. In an effort to cut program costs, the hopelessly complex Sparrow II and Astra were dropped, however the Arrow's days were numbered. The end came on 20 February 1959 when the program was canceled. The Arrow was a victim of politics and With it ended the dream of an independent Canadian aerospace industry. All of the prototypes were ordered destroyed. The National Air Museum in Ottawa has the nose section and front gear on exhibit, the only remaining components. Avro CF-105 Mk 2 Arrow Air Superiority Charts The CF-101 Voodoo After the cancellation of the Arrow, there was still a NORAD requirement for an interceptor to be filled and the RCAF elected the McDonnel Douglas Voodoo. In 1961, three squadrons were equipped with the type. They were armed with the AIR-2A Genie nuclear tipped missile. These aircraft did sterling work, soldiering on until finally replaced by the CF-18 in 1982. Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 14 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by J.D. Webster This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com