Essay About Groundbreaking Design And Delta Wing Design Of The Arrow

Avro Arrow
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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 industrys 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,