The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian

twinjet A twinjet or twin-engine jet is a jet aircraft powered by two engines. A twinjet is able to fly well enough to land with a single working engine, making it safer than a single-engine aircraft in the event of failure of an engine. Fuel efficien ...

interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Vehicles * Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft * Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car * ...

/ fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to enter mass production. Work commenced during October 1946 in response to a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

(RCAF) specification calling for a new

jet-powered Jet propulsion is the propulsion of an object in one direction, produced by ejecting a jet of fluid in the opposite direction. By Newton's third law, the moving body is propelled in the opposite direction to the jet. Reaction engines operating o ...

interceptor/fighter aircraft suitable for long-distance patrol missions and all-weather operations. On 19 January 1950, the ''CF-100 Mark 1'' prototype, ''18101'', conducted its

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...

, powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Avon RA 3

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...

engines. Both pre-production and production series aircraft were powered by the domestically-developed Avro Orenda engine instead. Flight testing proved the CF-100 to possess a relatively short takeoff run and a high climb rate, making it well suited to its role as an interceptor. On 18 December 1952, Squadron Leader

Janusz Żurakowski Janusz Żurakowski (12 September 1914 – 9 February 2004) was a Polish fighter and test pilot. At various times in his life he lived and worked in Poland, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Early life Żurakowski was born in 1914 to Polish paren ...

, the Avro company chief development test pilot, took the CF-100 Mk 4 prototype up to Mach 1.10 in a dive from ,Page 1981, p. 64. making the type the first straight-winged jet aircraft to achieve controlled supersonic flight. The CF-100 principally served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Armed Forces; it was also procured in small numbers by

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

to equip the

Belgian Air Component The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

. Introduced during 1952 amid the Cold War, the CF-100 was typically deployed at both

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

bases in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and in North America as part of

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD). In addition to the type's use by frontline

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

s, it was also supplied to operational training units and frequently used for other secondary duties, including

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of i ...

and

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

roles. During the early 1950s, the Avro Canada CF-103, an advanced derivative of the CF-100 that adopted a swept wing and was capable of

transonic Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at a speed that generates regions of both subsonic and supersonic airflow around that object. The exact range of speeds depends on the object's critical Mach number, but transoni ...

speeds, was in development, but was terminated. Further development of these concepts ultimately led to the

Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) pr ...

. During 1981, all of the remaining RCAF CF-100s were withdrawn from service, having been succeeded in the electronic warfare role by the CC-117 Falcon.

Design and development

Background

Amid the final years of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, officials in Canada had concluded both that the development of a self-sufficient indigenous military aviation industry would be of considerable national value and that the new field of

jet propulsion Jet propulsion is the propulsion of an object in one direction, produced by ejecting a jet of fluid in the opposite direction. By Newton's third law, the moving body is propelled in the opposite direction to the jet. Reaction engines operatin ...

held considerable promise. As early as July 1944, Canada had commenced work on its own

engine programme, producing the experimental

Avro Canada Chinook The Avro Canada TR.4 Chinook was Canada's first turbojet engine, designed by Turbo Research and manufactured by A.V. Roe Canada Ltd. Named for the warm Chinook wind that blows in the Rocky Mountains, only three Chinooks were built and none we ...

powerplant.Dow 1997, pp. 62-63. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, events such as the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and

Soviet atomic bomb project The Soviet atomic bomb project was the classified research and development program that was authorized by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union to develop nuclear weapons during and after World War II. Although the Soviet scientific community disc ...

had contributed to the rising international tensions of what would become known as the Cold War; the Canadian Government decided to respond by greatly increasing defense expenditure.Dow 1997, pp. 66-70. The

(RCAF) was a major recipient of the expanded budget, reaching 46.6% of overall defense expenditure during FY 1951-1952, some of which is attributable to several major procurement programmes that were conducted.Dow 1997, p. 70. During this period, the RCAF had a strong interest in acquiring its own fleet of jet-powered combat aircraft. Specifically, the service had identified a need for a new

/fighter aircraft that would be able to patrol the vast areas of Canada's north and operate in all weather conditions. Envisaged as a two-seat fighter, to be crewed by a pilot and navigator, it would adopt two powerful engines along with a relatively advanced

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

set and

fire control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a h ...

housed in its nose that would enable the aircraft to be operated in all-weather or night conditions. These requirements were formalized by a RCAF specification that was issued during 1946. According to RCAF Air Marshal

Wilfred Curtis Air Marshal Wilfred Austin Curtis, Order of Canada, OC, Order of the Bath, CB, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom), DSC & Bar, Efficiency Decoration, ED, Canadian Forces Decoration, CD (21 August 1893 & ...

, there was no existing aircraft that could satisfy the specification, nor was there any suitable aircraft already in development elsewhere, thus it was deemed necessary for Canada to develop such a fighter itself.Dow 1997, pp. 64-65. CF-100 Prototype 18102

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.Dow 1997, p. 63-65. Out of this effort would emerge the ''XC-100'', a prototype all-weather fighter, which was 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.Dow 1997, p. 69. At one stage Frost, along with Avro's Chief Aerodynamacist

Jim Chamberlin James Arthur Chamberlin (May 23, 1915 – March 8, 1981) was a Canadian engineer who contributed to the design of the Canadian Avro Arrow, NASA's Gemini spacecraft and the Apollo program. In addition to his pioneering air and space efforts, he ...

, 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.

Flight testing

The ''CF-100 Mark 1'' prototype, ''18101'', emerged from the factory, painted gloss black overall with white lightning bolts running down the fuselage and engines. On 19 January 1950, the CF-100 prototype flew its

with

Gloster Aircraft The Gloster Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1917 to 1963. Founded as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company Limited during the First World War, with the aircraft construction activities of H H Martyn & Co Ltd of Chelt ...

Company Chief Test Pilot

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Bill Waterton William Arthur Waterton, AFC & Bar, GM (18 March 1916 – 17 April 2006) was a Canadian and British test pilot, squadron leader and correspondent for the '' Daily Express''. He was awarded the George Medal for saving the flight data when h ...

(on loan from Gloster, then also part of the Hawker Siddeley group) at the controls. The Mark 1 was powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Avon RA 3

engines, each capable of generating 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. On 5 April 1951, the second prototype was lost in an accident that killed test pilot Bruce Warren. According to aviation author James Dow, this loss resulted in the programme being placed on indefinite hold and questions raised over Avro Canada's competency. In response to the loss and issues encountered, Avro Canada dismissed several members of the design team and established a special working group to rectify a major structural design error identified. To address the latter, a straightforward modification was developed that could be easily retrofitted into the pre-production aircraft. While both prototypes had been powered by Avon engines, the subsequent pre-production and production series aircraft used the locally developed Orenda powerplant instead, the first of which flying during June 1951. As a result of delays encountered in the development of the Orenda, its selection unavoidably impacted the CF-100 programme's timetable as well. Dissatisfied with the pace of development, Cabinet Minister

C. D. Howe Clarence Decatur Howe, (15 January 1886 – 31 December 1960) was an American-born Canadian engineer, businessman and Liberal Party politician. Howe served as a cabinet minister in the governments of prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie ...

informed Avro to suspend work on all other projects and focus its efforts on completing the CF-100.Dow 1997, pp. 70-72. 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 Jacqueline Cochran (May 11, 1906 – August 9, 1980) was an American pilot and business executive. She pioneered women's aviation as one of the most prominent racing pilots of her generation. She set numerous records and was the first woman to br ...

, the Orenda engine responded noticeably smoother than any of the British or American-built jet engines that she had previously flown.Dow 1997, p. 73. Initial teething issues with the pre-production aircraft were soon resolved. The first production version, designated ''Mk 3'', made its first flight during October 1952. The Mk 3 incorporated the APG-33 radar and was armed with eight .50 caliber Browning M3 machine guns. The ''Mk 3CT'' and ''Mk 3DT'' were again dual control versions supplied to operational training units. During mid-January 1955, a CF-100 arrived at

Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, for cold-weather tests in the climatic hangar. A seven-man RCAF team, headed by Flight Lieutenant B. D. Darling, which had previously conducted tests at Namao Air Base,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, were part of the climatic detachment of ''Central Experimental and Proving Establishment''; testing commenced during the following month. In March 1956, a batch of 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 The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

(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 of which 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 The Mk 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR), also known as "Mighty Mouse", was an unguided rocket used by United States military aircraft. It was 2.75 inches (70 mm) in diameter. Designed as an air-to-air weapon for interceptor aircraft to ...

, 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 Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...

, 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'' was to have mounted Sparrow II missiles and been powered by

afterburning An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...

Orenda 11IR engines; this was intended to be adopted as an "interim" fighter prior to the introduction of the more advanced

, which was then under development. An advanced derivative of the CF-100 was the CF-103, which was equipped with a swept wing and projected to be capable of

speeds; this was built in mock-up form during 1951, but was considered obsolete even before the CF-100's demonstrated ability to exceed the speed of sound in a dive. On 18 December 1952, Squadron Leader

, the Avro company chief development test pilot, took the CF-100 Mk 4 prototype to Mach 1.0 in a dive from , becoming the first straight-winged jet aircraft to achieve controlled supersonic flight.

Operational history

Amongst RCAF pilots, the Canuck was affectionately known as the "Clunk",Dow 1997, p. 74. the name has been attributed to the noise produced by the forward

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

during retraction into its well after takeoff. Another common, less attractive, nickname was the "Lead Sled", a reference to its heavy controls and general lack of maneuverability, a nickname that was shared with a number of other 1950s aircraft. Others included CF-Zero, the Zilch, and the Beast, all references to an aircraft many pilots considered less glamorous than RCAF

day fighter A day fighter is a fighter aircraft equipped only to fight during the day. More specifically, it refers to a multi-purpose aircraft that does not include equipment for fighting at night (such as a radar and specialized avionics), although it is some ...

s like the

Canadair Sabre The Canadair Sabre is a jet fighter aircraft built by Canadair under licence from North American Aviation. A variant of the North American F-86 Sabre, it was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) unti ...

. Operationally, many CF-100s functioned under the US–Canadian

North American Air Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD), which protected North American airspace from

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

intruders, particularly the threat posed by nuclear-armed

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

s. Additionally, between 1956 and 1962, as part of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

(NATO), four CF-100 squadrons were based in Europe with 1 Air Division; for some time, the CF-100 was the only NATO fighter that was capable of operating in zero visibility and poor weather conditions. Around the start of the

in the early 1950s, the

(USAF) found itself in urgent need of a jet-propelled, all-weather,

interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose ...

/ surveillance aircraft. This urgency was so great that the USAF was willing to consider two foreign designs: the CF-100 and the

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...

. Following an evaluation, the CF-100 was rejected due to its insufficient

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

and payload capabilities; the rival English Electric design was selected and developed into the

Martin B-57 Canberra The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric ...

. At its peak, the CF-100 served with nine RCAF squadrons in the mid-1950s. Four of these squadrons were deployed to Europe under the NIMBLE BAT ferry program, replacing multiple NATO RCAF squadrons equipped with

day fighters to provide all-weather defense against Soviet intruders. While flown in the North American theatre, the CF-100 would typically retain a natural metal finish; however, those flying overseas were given a British-style disruptive

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

scheme: dark sea gray and green on top, light sea gray on the bottom. During his Avro Canada years, the Chief Development Pilot, S/L Żurakowski, continued to fly as an aerobatic display pilot, with spectacular results, especially at the 1955

Farnborough Airshow The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...

where he displayed the CF-100 in a "falling-leaf." He was acclaimed again as the "Great Żura" by many aviation and industry observers who could not believe a large, all-weather fighter could be put through its paces so spectacularly. His performance has been credited with

's decision to purchase the CF-100 for the Belgian Air Force. Additional efforts were made to sell the Canuck to several other nations, including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, but no other export customers for the type would be secured. Dow reasoned that the Canuck's poor overseas sales performance caused officials to have little confidence for exporting other aircraft, including the CF-105 Arrow. During the type's production life, 692 CF-100s of different variants were manufactured, including the 53 aircraft that were delivered to the Belgian Air Force. Although originally designed for only 2,000 flight hours, it was found that the Canuck's airframe could serve for over 20,000 hours before needing to be withdrawn. The Belgian aircraft were either scrapped after storage or written off in crashes. Consequently, though the Canadian CF-100 would be replaced in its front line role by the faster

CF-101 Voodoo The McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo was an all-weather interceptor aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Forces between 1961 and 1984. They were manufactured by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri for ...

, the Canuck continued to serve with 414 Squadron of the Canadian Forces, based at

CFB North Bay Canadian Forces Base North Bay, also CFB North Bay, is an air force base located at the City of North Bay, Ontario about north of Toronto. The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is the centre for North Ame ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

; during its later years, the type was tasked with

, training and

missions. It was finally withdrawn from service during 1981. After the CF-100 was retired, a number of aircraft still remain across Canada (and elsewhere) as static displays. During the late 1950s, an advanced supersonic interceptor,

CF-105 Arrow The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) ...

along with the sophisticated

Orenda Iroquois The Orenda PS.13 Iroquois was an advanced turbojet engine designed for military use. It was developed by the Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer Orenda Engines, a part of the Avro Canada group. Intended for the CF-105 Arrow interceptor, dev ...

engine, was under development by Avro Canada as an intended successor to the CF-100. However, during 1959, work on the CF-105 was terminated following a controversial decision by the Canadian government.

Variants

* CF-100 Mk 1 : The first two prototypes. ** CF-100 Mk 1P : Proposed photo-reconnaissance version. Not built. * CF-100 Mk 2 : Ten pre-production aircraft. ** CF-100 Mk 2T : Dual control training version of the CF-100 Mk 2. Two built. * CF-100 Mk 3 : Two-seat all-weather long-range interceptor fighter aircraft. First production version for the

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

. Eight .5-inch Browning M3 guns (200 rounds per gun) in a forward firing ventral gun pack. 70 built. ** CF-100 Mk 3A : CF-100 Mk 3 sub-type, powered by two Orenda 2 turbojet engines. 21 built. ** CF-100 Mk 3B : CF-100 Mk 3 sub-type, powered by two Orenda 8 turbojet engines. 45 built. ** CF-100 Mk 3CT : One CF-100 Mk 3 converted into a dual control training aircraft. Later redesignated CF-100 Mk 3D. * CF-100 Mk 4 : Two-seat all-weather long-range interceptor fighter aircraft. Eight .5-inch Browning M3 guns (200 rounds per gun) in a forward firing ventral gun pack. Plus two wingtip pods of 29 x 70-mm (2.75 in) "Mighty Mouse" fin-folding aerial rockets. One pre-production aircraft. ** CF-100 Mk 4A : CF-100 Mk 4 sub-type, powered by two Orenda 9 turbojet engines. 137 built. ** CF-100 Mk 4B : CF-100 Mk 4 sub-type, powered by two Orenda 11 turbojet engines. 141 built. ** CF-100 Mk 4X : Proposed version of the CF-100 Mk 4. Not built. * CF-100 Mk 5 : Two-seat all-weather long-range interceptor fighter aircraft, powered by two Orenda 11 or Orenda 14 turbojet engines. Two wingtip pods of 29 x 70-mm (2.75 in) "Mighty Mouse" fin-folding aerial rockets. 332 built. ** CF-100 Mk 5D : Small number of CF-100 Mk 5s converted into ECM (Electronic Countermeasures), EW (Electronic Warfare) aircraft. ** CF-100 Mk 5M : Small number of CF-100 Mk 5s equipped to carry the AIM-7 Sparrow II air-to-air missiles. * CF-100 Mk 6 : Proposed version armed with the AIM-7 Sparrow II air-to-air missile. Not built.

Operators

; * Belgian Air Force (53 Mk 5s from 1957 to 1964) ** 11 Squadron ** 349 Squadron ** 350 Squadron ; *

Canadian Forces Air Command The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

** 409 Squadron ** 410 Squadron **

414 Squadron No. 414 Squadron RCAF is a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron. It is currently located in Ottawa and conducts electronic warfare support training for other units in the Canadian Armed Forces. History World War II On 13 August 1941, No 414 Arm ...

** 416 Squadron ** 419 Squadron ** 423 Squadron ** 425 Squadron ** 428 Squadron ** 432 Squadron ** 433 Squadron ** 440 Squadron ** 445 Squadron ** 448 Squadron

Notable accidents and incidents

* 11 August 1953: a CF-100 crashed in

Longueuil, Québec Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly acr ...

shortly after take-off, killing both crewmen. Two houses were struck, killing seven on the ground including five children - all six years old and younger. * 15 May 1956: A CF-100 crashed into the Villa St. Louis at Orléans, Ontario, killing both crewmen and 13 civilians on the ground in what is known as the

Convent Crash The Convent Crash, also known as the Orléans air disaster and Villa St. Louis disaster, occurred on May 15, 1956, after a CF-100 fighter jet crashed into Villa St. Louis, a convent in the community of Orleans, Ontario, Canada. The two pilots were ...

. * 25 August 1958: Two CF-100s in a four-aircraft formation collided and crashed at No. 2 (F) Wing, Grostenquin, France. One aircraft crashed into the base hospital and one crashed into a field. Two people were killed in the hospital and three aircrew were killed.

Aircraft on display

Belgium

* 18534 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at the

Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (french: Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire, often abbreviated to MRA, nl, Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, KLM) is a military museum that occup ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Canada

* 18104 – CF-100 on static display at Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost navigable point of Lake Champlain. As of De ...

. * 18106 – CF-100 Mk.2 on static display at the Memorial Military Museum in Campbellford, Ontario. * 18126 – CF-100 Mk.3D on static display at

The Hangar Flight Museum The Hangar Flight Museum, formerly known as the Aero Space Museum of Calgary is a museum located south of Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History The museum was founded in 1975 as the Aero Space Museum Association of C ...

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

. * 18138 – CF-100 Mk.3B on static display at the

Canadian Museum of Flight The Canadian Museum of Flight (formally the Canadian Museum of Flight Association since 1998) is an aviation museum at the Langley Regional Airport in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. The museum has over 25 civilian and military jets, pisto ...

in Langley, British Columbia. * 18152 – CF-100 Mk.3 on static display at the

Bomber Command Museum of Canada The Bomber Command Museum of Canada, formerly the Nanton Lancaster Society Museum, is an aviation museum in Nanton, Alberta. The museum opened in 1986 and was founded to protect and restore Avro Lancaster FM159, one of only 17 remaining in the ...

Nanton, Alberta Nanton is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. Nanton was named after Sir Augustus Meredith Nanton of Winnipeg (1860–1925) who directed firms which offered financing for farms and ranches throughout the west. It is located south of Calgary at th ...

. * 18488 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display in Centennial Park in

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

. * 18500 – CF-100 Mk.5D on static display at CFB North Bay in

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

. * 18506 – CF-100 Mk.4B in storage at the Canadian Air, Land, and Sea Museum in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. It was previously on display at the RCAFA 447 Wing at Hamilton International Airport, Mount Hope, Ontario. * 18602 – CF-100 on static display at Haliburton Highlands High School in Haliburton, Ontario. * 18619 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at Paul Coffey Park in

Malton, Ontario Malton is a neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located to the northwest of Toronto. Malton is bounded by Highway 427 to the east, the Brampton city limits (a Canadian National Railway (CN) rail l ...

. * 18626 – CF-100 Mk.5M on static display at Lee Park in

. * 18731 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

. * 18746 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at the

Royal Military College Saint-Jean , mottoeng = Truth, Duty, Valour , established = 1952 , type = Military college , chancellor = Anita Anand (''ex officio'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Command ...

. * 18759 – CF-100 on static display at the

Reynolds-Alberta Museum The Reynolds-Alberta Museum is an agricultural, industrial, and transportation museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. The museum is situated on an property containing the main museum building, an aviation display hangar, and its storage facility. ...

Wetaskiwin, Alberta Wetaskiwin ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word ''wītaskiwinihk'', meaning "the hills where peace was made". Wetaskiwin is ...

. * 18761 – CF-100 on static display at

CFB Cold Lake Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake , abbreviated as CFB Cold Lake, is a Canadian Forces Base in the City of Cold Lake, Alberta. The facility is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is approximately south of the ...

Cold Lake, Alberta Cold Lake is a city in northeastern Alberta, Canada and is named after the lake nearby. Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake (CFB Cold Lake) is situated within the city's outer limits. History Cold Lake was first recorded on a 1790 map, by the nam ...

. * 18774 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at the

National Air Force Museum of Canada The National Air Force Museum of Canada is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is located on the west side of CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario. The museum is a permanent archive which c ...

Trenton, Ontario Trenton (2001 population 16,770) is a large unincorporated community in Central Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which continues n ...

. * 18784 – CF-100 on static display at Air Force Heritage Park at CFB Winnipeg in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. * 100472 – CF-100 on static display at the Air Defence Museum at

CFB Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, and also known as Bagotville Airport or Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, is a Canadian Forces base located west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay. Located in the centre ...

Saguenay, Quebec Saguenay ( , , ) is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City by overland route. It is about upriver and northwest of Tadoussac, located at the confluence with the S ...

. * 100476 – CF-100 Mk.4B on static display at the

Alberta Aviation Museum The Alberta Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum is located on-site at the former Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport on the southwest corner of the field (11410 Kingsway Avenue). ...

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

. * 100493 – CF-100 Mk.5D on ground display at the

Base Borden Military Museum Base Borden Military Museum is a military museum located on the grounds of CFB Borden, in Borden, Ontario, Canada. Combining four separate museums, it has numerous items, equipment and vehicles from all eras of Canadian military history, including ...

CFB Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, C ...

near Barrie, Ontario. * 100747 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. * 100757 – CF-100 Mk.5D on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. * 100760 – CF-100 Mk.5 in storage at the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in ad ...

. It was previously on display at

CFB St. Hubert Canadian Forces Base St. Hubert was a Canadian Forces Base in the city of Saint-Hubert, Quebec. The base began as a civilian airfield in the 1920s and was later also used by RCAF auxiliary (reserve) squadrons, beginning in the mid-1930s. It beca ...

Saint-Hubert, Quebec Saint-Hubert ( , , ) is a Boroughs of Longueuil, borough in the city of Longueuil, Quebec, Longueuil, located in the Montérégie, Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. It had been a separate city prior to January 1, 2002, when it along with sev ...

. * 100785 – CF-100 Mk.5D on static display at the

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display. Displayed is a ...

in Mount Hope, Ontario. * 100790 – CF-100 on static display at the

Comox Air Force Museum The Comox Air Force Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits artifacts relating to CFB Comox, its squadrons and its units.A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03 The museum is located at th ...

Comox, British Columbia Comox () is a town on the southern coast of the Comox Peninsula in the Strait of Georgia on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Thousands of years ago, the warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil, and abundant sea life ...

United Kingdom

* 18393 – CF-100 Mk.4B on static display at the

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...

Duxford, Cambridgeshire Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, about south of Cambridge. It is part of the Hundred Parishes area. History The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex. One of the ...

United States

* 100779 – CF-100 Mk.5C on static display at the

Peterson Air and Space Museum Peterson Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado focused on the history the of Air Defense Command, Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command. History The museum ...

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the N ...

near Colorado Springs, Colorado. * 18241 – CF-100 Mk.4A on static display at the

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

at Wright-Patterson AFB in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. It is painted in 428 Sqn colours. * 100504 – CF-100 Mk.5 on static display at the

Castle Air Museum Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located in Atwater, California, United States adjacent to Castle Airport, a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base which was closed in 1995, after the end of the Cold War. It ...

at the former

Castle AFB Castle Air Force Base (Castle AFB, 1941–1995) is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base in California, located northeast of Atwater, northwest of Merced, and about south of Sacramento. The Central Valley base in unin ...

Atwater, California Atwater is a city on State Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of . The population as of the 2020 census was 31,970, up from 28,168 in 2010. Geography Atwater is in northe ...

Specifications (CF-100 Mk 5)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Baglow, Bob. ''Canucks Unlimited: Royal Canadian Air Force CF-100 Squadrons and Aircraft, 1952–1963''. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Canuck Publications 1985. . * Dow, James. ''The Arrow.'' James Lorimer & Company, 1997. . * * Lyzun, Jim. ''CF-100 Canuck''. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: SMS Publishing, 1985. . * Milberry, Larry. ''The Avro CF-100''. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: CANAV Books, 1981. . * Milberry, Larry. ''Sixty Years, The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924–1984''. CANAV Books, 1984. . * Page, Ron. ''Canuck: CF-100 All Weather Fighter''. Erin, Ontario, Canada: Boston Mills Press, 1981. . * Taylor, John W. R. and Jean Alexander.''Combat Aircraft of the World''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. . * Whitcomb, Randall L. ''Cold War Tech War: The Politics of America's Air Defense''. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Apogee Books, 2008. .

External links

Avroland Article

Video from 1956 about the Canuck
{{Authority control

CF-100 The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian twinjet Interceptor aircraft, interceptor/fighter aircraft, fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being t ...

1950s Canadian fighter aircraft Cruciform tail aircraft Twinjets Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1950