Background Amid the final years of the
Second World War, officials in Canada had concluded a self-sufficient indigenous military aviation industry would be of considerable national value, and that the new field of
jet propulsion held considerable promise. As early as July 1944, Canada commenced work on a
turbojet engine programme, producing the experimental
Avro Canada Chinook powerplant. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, events such as the
Korean War and
Soviet atomic bomb project contributed to the rising international tensions of what would become known as the
Cold War. The Canadian government responded by greatly increasing defense expenditure. The
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) accounted for 46.6% of overall defense expenditure during
FY 1951–1952, some of which is attributable to several major procurement programmes. The RCAF had a strong interest in acquiring its own fleet of jet-powered combat aircraft. It identified a need for a new jet-powered
interceptor/fighter aircraft capable of patrolling the vast Canadian north and operating in all-weather conditions. Envisaged as a two-seat fighter crewed by a pilot and navigator, it would adopt two powerful engines along with a relatively advanced
radar set and
fire control system housed in its nose that would enable all-weather and night flying. These requirements were formalized by a RCAF specification that was issued during 1946. According to RCAF
air marshal Wilfred Curtis, no existing aircraft satisfied the specification, nor was there any suitable aircraft already in development elsewhere. Thus, it was necessary for Canada to develop such a fighter itself. , September 1957. Mk 4B serving in NATO and on display at the
Alberta Aviation Museum. On 3 November 1945, an agreement was struck to develop a prototype jet-powered fighter on behalf of the RCAF; on 13 October 1946, the issuing of government contracts to aircraft manufacturer
Avro Canada enabled the company to commence the associated design work. From these efforts emerged the XC-100, a prototype all-weather fighter, developed to meet the outstanding specification. Work was initially overseen by Edgar Atkin, Avro Canada's chief engineer. A key contributor to the programme was ex-
de Havilland aircraft designer
John Frost, who was appointed chief design engineer for military projects and thus responsible for the CF-100's development. At one stage Frost, along with Avro's chief aerodynamacist
Jim Chamberlin, extensively reworked the original design of the fuselage. On 17 May 1949, in response to the programme's progress, an additional agreement was reached to produce ten pre-production fighters along with 30
Avro Orendas, an indigenously-developed turbojet engine. The Mark 1 was powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Avon RA 3 turbojet engines, each capable of a maximum thrust of 28.9 kN (2,950 kgp / 6,500 lbf) thrust. During July 1950, the second prototype, 18102, performed its first flight. Five pre-production Mk 2 test aircraft (serial numbers 18103-18107) were produced, all fitted with Orenda 2 engines; one was fitted with dual controls and designated a Mk 2T trainer. According to pilot
Jacqueline Cochran, the Orenda engine responded noticeably smoother than the British or American-built jet engines she had previously flown. Initial issues with the pre-production aircraft were soon resolved. The first production version, designated Mk 3, made its first flight during October 1952. In March 1956, four CF-100 Canucks were dispatched to Eglin AFB to conduct comparative armament trials, where the type was flown by several
United States Air Force (USAF) crews. The operational suitability tests, dubbed
Project Banana Belt, were carried out by the 3241st Test Group (Interceptor) of the APGC's
Air Force Operational Test Center, in conjunction with a project team belonging to the RCAF.
Production During September 1950, the RCAF placed an initial production order for 124 Mk 3 aircraft, the first entering service in 1953. This model was armed with eight .50 caliber machine guns. The definitive rocket-armed Mk 4A was based on the prototype Mk 4 (a modified Mk 3), which first flew on 11 October 1952. The nose housed the much larger
APG-40 radar, while the wings were equipped with wingtip pods, each containing up to 29 Mk 4/Mk 40 "Mighty Mouse"
folding-fin aerial rocket, to be used in addition to the guns. During 1954, the last 54 of an order for the Mk 3 were swapped for the more advanced Mk 4, the total orders for the Mk 4 rose to 510. The
Mk 4B version was furnished with more powerful Orenda 11s. Five versions, or
marks, were produced. The high-altitude Mk 5 was the final variant, production of which commenced during 1955. This model featured a -longer wingtip and enlarged tailplane, along with removal of the machine guns. The proposed Mk 6 would have been equipped with
Sparrow II missiles and
afterburning Orenda 11IR engines. It was intended as an "interim" fighter until development of the advanced
Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow concluded, ==Operational history==