THE CF-100 WAS BROUGHT INTO THE COLD WAR AS A RESULT OF THE NEW THREAT OF THE SOVIET UNION AFTER W.W.II. . IN 1954 AFTER THE WAR CANADA WAS TO REALISE ITS LACK OF AIRCRAFT THAT COULD DEFEND CANADA AGAINST SOVIET NUCLEAR BOMBERS INVADING NORTH AMERICA CROSSING THE BERING STRAIGHT FROM THE SOVIET UNION.AFTER THE WAR CANADA HAD COMMITED ITSELF TO NORAD AND DID NOT HAVE THE OPERATIONAL AIRCRAFT IT NEEDED FOR NORTH AMERICAN AIR DEFENCE .CANADA HAD ALSO COMMITED TO NATO AND UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS. IN 1945 ALL CANADA HAD FOR OPERATIONAL AIRCRAFT WERE OBSOLETE NORTH AMERICAN MUSTANGS AND DEHAVILLAND VAMPIRES. THE R.C.A.F HAD AGREED WITH THE U.S. THAT MORE MODERN AND FASTER JET AIRCRAFT WERE REQUIRED IF CANADA WAS TO KEEP PROMISED AIR DEFENCE .R.C.A.F HAD AGREED TO USE CANADAIR BUILT LOCKHEED CT-133 A JET TRAINER UNDER LICENSE IT WAS KNOWN AS THE F-80 SHOOTING STAR IN THE U.S. AND IN CANADA IT WAS TO BE THE SILVER STAR. .......................
AVRO CANADA AND ORENDA WAS TO BUILD CANADAS FIRST CANADIAN ALL WEATHER FIGHTER FOR OPERATIONS IN THE MOST SEVERE WEATHER.THERE WERE FOUR CANADIAN DESIGNS AND AVRO AND THE CF-100 WERE TO BE THE ONE .XC-100 WAS THE ORIGINAL DESIGNATION IT WAS CREATED BY EDGAR ATKIN CHEIF ENGINEER AND DESIGNER JOHN FROST AT THE END OF W.W.II. THE FIRST PROTOTYPE CAME OF THE LINE IN 1949 AS THE MK-1 AND POWERED BY 2 ROLLS-ROCYE AVON ENGINES BUT WERE NOT DESTINED FOR THE MILITARY. AVRO CANADA ALSO HAD THE ORENDA JET ENGINE IN THE DESIGN STAGE AT THIS TIME AND WAS BEING BUILT SPECIFICALY FOR THE CF-100 AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COLD CLIMATE IT WOULD BE INTENDED FOR . ORENDA NAMED AFTER THE GOD OF THE IRIQUOIS ,WAS DESIGNED BY 40 ENGINEERS AND WAS CONSIDERED A VERY SUCCESSFUL JET ENGINE .OVER 1000 WERE DELIVERED BY 1954.
THE CF-100 HAD TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE WITH TWO CREW -PILOT AND NAVIGATOR NEEDED TO FLY AT A HIGH ALTITUDE AND AT LONG RANGE.THE SECOND PROTOTYPE DESINATED FB-K #18102 JULY ,1950.WAS IN TESTING AT ROCKLIFFE EXPERIMENTAL PROVING.OCTOBER 1950 AND CRASHED APRIL 5, 1951 IN CARADOC TOWNSHIP KILLING THE PILOT AND ONE OF AVRO'S ENGINEERS THE CRASH HAPPENED THE SAME DAY THE R.C.A.F WAS TO TAKE POSESSION OF THE CF-100....THE CRASH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO LACK OF OXYGEN AT HIGH ALTITUDE AND THERE WERE NO CONTROLS IN THE REAR SEAT ..
THE MK-2 WAS THEN PRODUCED WITH ORENDA 2 JET ENGINES MK-2 #18103 WAS USED FOR GUN TESTING AND #10104 -#18108 WERE CONVERTED TO MK-2T.THE FIRST OPERATIONAL CF-100 WAS THE MK-3 OCTOBRT ,1952 AND SAW OPERATIONS WITH #445 WOLVERINE SQUADRON AT NORTH BAY. THE CF-100 WAS TO SERVE FOR A DECADE AS PRIMARY FIGHTER AND THEN THE CANUCK WAS AN ELECTRONIC WARFARE AIRCRAFT FOR TWENTY YEARS ENDING ALL SERVICE WHEN IT RETIRED IN 1981AND REEQUIPPED WITH CF-18 HORNETS.THER WERE 13 OPERATIONAL SQUADRONS DURING THE COLD WAR AND SOME STILL IN SERVICE TODAY ,HAVING SERVED IN THE GULF WAR AND MANY SQUADRONS HAVING SERVED IN GERMANY AND FRANCE ON NATO AND U.N DUTIES. |
