Why the Avro Arrow Shouldn't have been cancelled?

Question

I need to write a 5 page essay prosecuting Prime Minister John Diefenbaker for his cancellation of the Avro Arrow in 1959. Can anyone give me some good topics to go with? Reasons justifying why it was a bad decision? This is a big project worth a lot of marks and most of the research I've done only defends the cancellation. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

The only real valid reason was the waste of money already spent on the aircraft. After canceling it, the Canadian Government spent more money on fewer used inferior aircraft that were rejected in the first place (forming the basis for a home-grown interceptor).



But the Arrow legacy is fueled by passions and 'what ifs' that simply wouldn't have been as idealized in the real world.



The Arrow was incompatible with the SAGE computer, which was a keystone of NORAD's Defence in the 1950s and 1960s.



The Arrow was far from 'the best aircraft at the time'. The XF-108 Rapier had better performance until it was also cancelled. The F-4 would go on to have similar real-world performance as the Arrow, but was much more versatile.



The Arrow was in the infancy of its flight testing. There were many many more challenges to make it an effective and safe aircraft, never mind an effective and safe weapons system.



The loss of the Arrow did not have a huge effect on Canada's aviation industry as many are led to believe. The Avro hangar in Malton (now Toronto Pearson) was only demolished five or so years ago, after years of producing wing sets for McDonnel Douglas and Boeing. Manyt of the Orenda engineers went to United Aircraft of Canada, who were working on what would be (and still is) the best selling turbine engine in the world, the PT6 (which even though it was a 500HP engine required higher tolerances than the Iroquois). Canadair and DeHavilland continued their military and civilian work as well.



As for future performance increases to the Arrow, they wouldn't have been possible without a complete redesign of the airframe to titanium like the SR-71, stainless steel like the XB-70, or mild steel like the Mig-25.

Answer 2

While the Avro Arrow was potentially a good aircraft, it did not fit the perceived need at the time, which was defence against and retaliation for a missile attack from the Soviet Union.



Many of the subsidiary systems were not ready and would not be ready for some time after the aircraft was due to enter service. The cost of joining NORAD and buying the BOMARC missile was considered more important and the aircraft was not compatible with systems used with either NORAD or BOMARC



The Arrow was not alone in being cancelled, for instance, the British TSR2, which could have been an outstanding aircraft, was also cancelled.



The political view at the time was that missiles were the best form of air defence and given that it is hard to see how or why you would prosecute Diefenbaker for his decision.

Answer 3

It was a bad decision because



1- the Arrow was the most advanced aircraft in the world at that time

2- it was designed to meet the requirements of the RCAF, something it did completely

3- the cost for development was already essentially spent

4- thousands extremely skilled jobs were lost

5- it nullified the capacity to eventually export the aircraft



The result was that extremely skilled engineers and scientists left the country and went to work for aerospace companies and NASA in the US, given that there were no such companies in Canada capable and willing to use their capabilities; the result is that those Canadian engineers were instrumentals in developing aircraft and spacecraft that ultimately landed the US on the Moon.



Meanwhile, Canada's unaddressed air force requirements were 'met' by purchasing second hand US fighters and deploying US nuclear missiles in Canada.

So, Canada ended up paying twice -- once for developing the Arrow, once for buying inadequate 'replacements' -- and lost en extremely valuable expertise that would have kept Canada at the front of technology.



Whatever research you found that supported cancellation is obviously inadequate and one-sided. Where exactly did you find that?







Edit: to "lowlevel" below. When in heck did you get this claim of better performance from the Rapier that never actually flew? It never even passed the point of mock-up, for crying out loud, a mock up that was first presented one month before the Arrow got cancelled, amid numerous and frequent specification and design changes. The Arrow had been flying with the inferior development engines for nearly a year when it got cancelled; with the Iroquois, it would have beaten the world speed record, and there were development proposals for a version that would have flown faster than the Rapier. And yes, that included replacing key components stock with titanium--the Arrow in its prototype form was already the largest user of that metal at that time.

As for the SAGE 'incompatibility', this is the epitome of ridicule. The SAGE system was limited in range, so the Arrow was _designed_ to be able to work without its support.

As for the impact it had on the aerospace industry, do you know any engineers who worked on the Arrow? I do (actually did, they all retired years ago, and few are alive still) and they did say it has hurt the industry.

Answer 4

Political cold feet and a PM who wanted to suck up to the Americans led to the cancellation. Positives for Canada? None. Not a one. Postives for the US? Brain drain of the best and the brightest engineers and designers going down to work in the US aerospace industry. Canada having to order new jets from the US, rather than invest in our own technology. Diefenbaker gov instructed everything related to the project, blueprints, parts, the jet, everything be completely destroyed. Also, after the project was cancelled, the Canadian gov went ahead and purchased Voodoo jets from the US - the same jets the RCAF rejected as being substandard. The Avro was so far ahead of those jets, it's hard to imagine.

Answer 5

Has Arrow Been Cancelled

Answer 6

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Answer 7

wikipedia probably could