HINDSIGHT 2020: CF-100 Canuck
Welcome to Hindsight 2020! For this series we will be taking a look at Canada's past fighter purchases and asking a simple question: "Did we make the right decision?" We will look at the aircraft itself, compare it to the alternatives available at the time, and determine whether or not Canada picked the right aircraft. Alright. I'm not even going to pretend that Canada might have had better options than the CF-100 Canuck. The CF-100 Canuck was the first and only Canadian-designed fighter to see production. Its intended successor, the CF-105 was infamously cancelled. While it may seem ungainly and archaic now , remember that the CF-100 was designed in the 40s and first flew in 1950. The "Clunk" was at the forefront of the jet age. Equipped with two jet engines, a radar, and rockets; the CF-100 would have been in the realm of science fiction just 10 years prior to its introduction. Instead of pondering whethe...