CF105

The CF-105 Arrow was a Canadian supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by Avro Canada in the 1950s to defend North American airspace against potential Soviet bomber threats. Conceived during the early Cold War era, the project aimed to produce a highly capable, all-weather fighter with advanced aerodynamics and avionics.

Designed in Malton, Ontario, the CF-105 featured a delta wing configuration and an integrated radar and fire-control system intended for high-speed interception at high altitudes. It was planned to be powered by the Orenda Iroquois jet engine, a program that faced technical difficulties and escalating costs. The Arrow program included a series of test airframes and flight trials as part of evaluating its performance and systems.

In 1959, the Canadian government canceled the program, largely due to the termination of the Iroquois engine development and shifting defense priorities. The decision, announced on February 20, 1959, halted production and left the Arrow without an operational fleet. No CF-105s entered service, and the project’s termination had lasting consequences for Avro Canada and the broader Canadian aerospace industry, contributing to layoffs and the eventual decline of the company’s large-scale aircraft programs.

Today the CF-105 Arrow is remembered as a notable example of ambitious mid-20th-century aerospace design that did not reach production. Its legacy persists in Canadian aerospace history, scholarship, and in museum collections that preserve artifacts and documentation from the program.