BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

It seems that every few weeks, another discussion comes up on the BF4C Facebook group  regarding the Avro Arrow.  More specifically, that an updated Avro Arrow would be the best replacement for the CF-18 Hornet. At first glance, it does seem like an attractive option.  The Arrow was, and always will be a testament to Canadian engineering prowess.  Its resurrection could be seen as correcting a decades-old mistake. The Joint Strike Fighter has not exactly proven itself popular with Canadians , so the timing may be right to bring the Arrow back . Except it isn't. I have brought up the idea of a modernized Arrow plenty of times before, but let me make something abundantly clear:   THE ARROW WOULD NOT BE A SUITABLE CF-18 REPLACEMENT.   Period.  Full stop.  End of sentence. The Avro Arrow was designed towards a single purpose, intercepting Soviet bombers before they could pose a threat to North American targets.  There is a pretty...

Thanks to everybody who voted in last week's "What if..." poll.  The results were pretty straight forward.  A staggering 81% of you believe that the F-35 is the wrong fighter for Canada no matter what the price. Yikes. The inspiration for this week's "What if..." comes from BF4C's new cover picture.  (I got a request to take down the Voodoo...)  The CF-100 Canuck remains Canada's only indigenous fighter design to make production.  While it certainly is not the sexiest aircraft design, it is still fondly remembered for its ruggedness and longevity.  The "Clunk" even managed to find a foreign buyer with Belgium. It really is too bad that Canada's fighter industry died with the CF-100's successor, the CF-105 Arrow. Right now, Canada's fighter selection is rather limited in variety.  While there is a substantial quantity  of choices, the quality leaves a bit to be desired.  Even including two aircraft that are not offici...

Some legends die hard. It seems that nary a week goes by without a mention of the CF-105 Avro Arrow.  Not only is it revered in a historical sense, but many still think it would be the answer to our CF-18 replacement dilemma. Let me get this right out of the way.  I LOVE THE ARROW.  I love the very idea of it.  Canada building a world class interceptor during the hight of the Cold War makes my inner fanboy squeal.  I also think that the Avro Arrow is, without a doubt, the most esthetically pleasing aircraft of all time.  It is simply gorgeous.  It is iconic.  Like the original iPhone , the starship Enterprise , or Jaguar E-Type ; the Arrow has an elegant simplicity to its design that is made even more impressive by the wonderfulness of what lies beneath its skin.  As far as aircraft go, only the Concorde and SR-71 Blackbird come close. Looking back, the Arrow does seem impressive, with a higher top speed than many modern fighters, a...

I just want to give a special shout out to my friend Joe Green. Joe has been a fantastic inspiration to Canadians and has been kind enough to allow me usage of his Super Arrow  concept, among other things...  The Super Arrow is an all-Canadian 6th/7th generation concept meant to be as impressive today as the original Avro Arrow was in the 1950s.  It should NOT be confused with attempts to simply bring back the original Arrow design.  Joe's working on a smaller, simpler version of the Super Arrow , called the Peregrine , that looks even better (keep in mind my preference for single-engine fighters ) in my honest opinion.  Stay tuned. Check out Joe's Super Arrow concept at  http://www.superarrow.ca , as well as his Facebook page .  His ideas may be lofty, but nobody made any breakthroughs by thinking small. Thanks again Joe and keep up the fantastic work!

Turkish TFX concept (that one in the middle looks kinda familiar...) You would think that talk of a JSF "death spiral" would encourage the Pentagon to cling on to every potential F-35 sale like a hungry dog with a turkey leg.  Recent events in Turkey would suggest otherwise, however.  A recent decision to purchase Chinese missile  defense systems has the potential of getting Turkey kicked out of the JSF club . Like Canada, Turkey is a "Level 3 Partner" in the JSF program.  Unlike Canada, however, Turkey is much more committed to the program, looking at ordering 100 (vs 65) airframes in total and possibly buying its first two within months.   The F-35 won't be Turkey's only fighter however, as it recently purchased some F-16s , not to mention plans on an indigenous fifth generation fighter design (with a little help from Saab). Proposed KAI KFX design. Turkey isn't the only country working on its own "5th generation" stealth fig...