#Avro Canada Orenda Engine

[thedailymobile]

“Low Fly Zone: Tree Hugger”

[usafphantom2]

11 October 1952. First flight of the definitive version rocket-armed Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck Mk 4A. Canadian jet interceptor/fighter. Powered by two Orenda 9 turbojet engines.

@ron_eisele via X

[warsofasoiaf]

I've read your criticisms of things like German and Soviet tanks in WW2 recently and it got me thinking....Are you familiar with the Canadian jet project the Avro Arrow that was cancelled? Its regarded in Canada as a "what could have been" for us, but I'm curious if you have a more sobering take on its abilities in a combat role.

I'm familiar with it. For those who aren't familiar, the Avro Arrow was a proposed Canadian high-speed interceptor that first flew in 1958 and was cancelled in 1959. It's mission was simple, in the event of a nuclear war the Arrow would intercept high-altitude strategic bombers (the method by which to deliver nuclear bombs) and destroy them before they could harm the Canadian homeland. It had quite promising specs for an interceptor, testing had indicated that using the Orenda Iroquois engines it could fly at Mach 2 for a sustained period of time.

However, new missile technologies were quickly rendering the high-speed interceptor obsolete. The first were surface-to-air missiles, which were becoming effective by the mid-to-late 50's. SAM's were capable of destroying bombers at a fraction of the cost of interceptors. The second were ballistic missiles, which could deliver a nuclear payload that could not be intercepted with a fixed-wing interception craft. There was a third, opposite problem with the Arrow's air-to-air missile, which required active radar homing that just wasn't feasible. The Iroquois engine too, didn't have the kinks worked out before the project was cancelled. Interceptors themselves were cancelled in the West, not just the Arrow. The Soviet Union kept the interceptor, the most famous of which was the MiG-25 (another plane much mythologized). Only the US F-106 Delta Dart remained in service, but in limited numbers, and interception missions were largely folded into the purview of the F-15 and F-16.

Thanks for the question, Anon. Sorry to burst the dreams of many a Canadian aviation enthusiast.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[barbariankingdom]

11 October 1952. First flight of the definitive version rocket-armed Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck Mk 4A. Canadian jet interceptor/fighter. Powered by two Orenda 9 turbojet engines.

My father started his 37 year RCAF career in the back seat of these jets when only about seven nations in the world had jets in their Air Forces.

[airmanisr]

RCAF Sabre S/N 23096 by Robert Sullivan Via Flickr: RCAF "Sabre" S/N 23096 has just arrived at Boeing Field for its new life as a chase plane in the flight test division. Internet sources giving varying dates when Boeing took delivery – 1962 or December 1967. I say ’62: The Canadian Red Ensign on the tail was replaced by the Maple Leaf in 1965. Okay, maybe they were slow in adding the new flag, but there is more… In the background of photo 2 there is no I-5 freeway. By Dec. 1967, this highway had been completed for almost a year. In 1962, the construction had yet to begin near Boeing Field. Jet Fighter The F-86 "Sabre", built by North American, is best known for its outstanding combat performance during the Korean War. First flown in 1947, the "Sabre" was the United States' first fighter to fly supersonic -- in a dive. Starting in December of 1950, the Russian-made MiG-15 and the F-86 met in combat over Korea. With superior training, experience, and aircraft performance, "Sabre" pilots posted a ten-to-one victory ratio over the similar MiG-15. The last U.S. Sabre was retired from the Air National Guard in 1965. F-86s were built under license in Japan, Italy, Canada, and Australia. The Museum's example, called a CL-13B, is one of 1,815 "Sabre's" built by Canadair. It flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1974, and served The Boeing Company as a chase plane for their flight test division until donated in 1991. Canada: Coast-to-Coast In 1956, Canadian Sabre pilots set out to break the cross-Canada speed record held by a Royal Canadian Navy T-33. R.J. "Chick" Childerhose and Ralph Annis refueled halfway, in Gimli, Manitoba. The 1,400-mile (2,240 km) second leg from Gimli to Halifax stretched the Sabre's range to the limit. While test-flying that leg, Annis landed in Halifax with eight gallons of fuel. Childerhose had five. Yet the official cross-Canada dash went off without a hitch. The "Sabre's", flying on fumes, arrived in Halifax five hours after takeoff from Vancouver, shattering the old record by an hour and twenty minutes. Manufacturer: Canadair Model: CL-13B Sabre Mk. 6 Year: 1954 Serial Number: 23363 Registration: N8686F Wingspan: 38.00ft Length: 38ft Height: 15ft Wing Area: 302.30ft² Empty Weight: 10,618lbs Gross Weight: 14,613lbs Maximum Speed: 606mph Cruise Speed: 489mph Power Plant: One Avro Orenda Mark 14 engine with 7,275 lbs thrust

[triplegreen]

Avro Canada Orenda Jet Engine

[flyboysaviationservices]

The Orenda Iroquois was the intended engine for the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow supersonic interceptor.

[thedailymobile]

“Low Fly Zone: Literally Sticking the Landing”

[usafphantom2]

AVRO Canada CF-105 Arrow 25201 (RL-201) by Wing attack Plan R Via Flickr: The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow, often known simply as the Avro 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 50,000 feet (15,000 m) and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) primary interceptor into the 1960s and beyond. The Arrow was the culmination of a series of design studies begun in 1953 that examined improved versions of the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck. After considerable study, the RCAF selected a dramatically more powerful design, and serious development began in March 1955. The aircraft was intended to be built directly from the production line, skipping the traditional hand-built prototype phase. The first Arrow Mk. I, RL-201, was rolled out to the public on 4 October 1957, the same day as the launch of Sputnik I. Flight testing began with RL-201 on 25 March 1958, and the design quickly demonstrated excellent handling and overall performance, reaching Mach 1.9 in level flight. Powered by the Pratt & Whitney J75, another three Mk. 1s were completed, RL-202, RL-203 and RL-204. The lighter and more powerful Orenda Iroquois engine was soon ready for testing, and the first Mk.II with the Iroquois, RL-206, was ready for taxi testing in preparation for flight and acceptance tests by RCAF pilots by early 1959. On 20 February 1959, Prime Minister of Canada John Diefenbaker abruptly halted the development of the Arrow (and its Iroquois engines) before the scheduled project review to evaluate the program could be held. Canada tried to sell the Arrow to the US and Britain, but no agreements were concluded. Two months later, the assembly line, tooling, plans and existing airframes and engines were ordered to be destroyed. The cancellation was the topic of considerable political controversy at the time, and the subsequent destruction of the aircraft in production remains a topic for debate among historians and industry pundits. "This action effectively put Avro out of business and its highly skilled engineering and production personnel scattered. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (reprint scan) Taken 4 October 1957? The CF-105 certainly has an interesting story.

[airmanisr]

RCAF "Sabre" S/N 23096 by Robert Sullivan Via Flickr: RCAF "Sabre" S/N 23096 has just arrived at Boeing Field for its new life as a chase plane in the flight test division. Internet sources giving varying dates when Boeing took delivery – 1962 or December 1967. I say ’62: The Canadian Red Ensign on the tail was replaced by the Maple Leaf in 1965. Okay, maybe they were slow in adding the new flag, but there is more… In the background of photo 2 there is no I-5 freeway. By Dec. 1967, this highway had been completed for almost a year. In 1962, the construction had yet to begin near Boeing Field. Jet Fighter The F-86 "Sabre", built by North American, is best known for its outstanding combat performance during the Korean War. First flown in 1947, the "Sabre" was the United States' first fighter to fly supersonic -- in a dive. Starting in December of 1950, the Russian-made MiG-15 and the F-86 met in combat over Korea. With superior training, experience, and aircraft performance, "Sabre" pilots posted a ten-to-one victory ratio over the similar MiG-15. The last U.S. Sabre was retired from the Air National Guard in 1965. F-86s were built under license in Japan, Italy, Canada, and Australia. The Museum's example, called a CL-13B, is one of 1,815 "Sabre's" built by Canadair. It flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1974, and served The Boeing Company as a chase plane for their flight test division until donated in 1991. Canada: Coast-to-Coast In 1956, Canadian "Sabre" pilots set out to break the cross-Canada speed record held by a Royal Canadian Navy T-33. R.J. "Chick" Childerhose and Ralph Annis refueled halfway, in Gimli, Manitoba. The 1,400-mile (2,240 km) second leg from Gimli to Halifax stretched the Sabre's range to the limit. While test-flying that leg, Annis landed in Halifax with eight gallons of fuel. Childerhose had five. Yet the official cross-Canada dash went off without a hitch. The "Sabre's", flying on fumes, arrived in Halifax five hours after takeoff from Vancouver, shattering the old record by an hour and twenty minutes. Manufacturer: Canadair Model: CL-13B Sabre Mk. 6 Year: 1954 Serial Number: 23363 Registration: N8686F Wingspan: 38.00ft Length: 38ft Height: 15ft Wing Area: 302.30ft² Empty Weight: 10,618lbs Gross Weight: 14,613lbs Maximum Speed: 606mph Cruise Speed: 489mph Power Plant: One Avro Orenda Mark 14 engine with 7,275 lbs thrust

[skyfire85]

ADVANCES AND REPLACEMENTS

A Mk.6 variant, to act as an "interim" fighter between the Clunk and the forthcoming CF-105 Arrow was proposed. The Mk.6 would have been powered by afterburning Orenda 11R engines and would have been equipped with Sparrow missiles, but development was not pursued.

-Simplified schematic of the Mk.6 showing the extended wingtips, reshaped tail, and AIM-7s. | Illustration: airvectors.com

A more advanced derivative of the Clunk was in the works even as the type was being prototyped. The CF-103 would keep the basic fuselage of the CF-100, but would utilize a swept wing a tail along with uprated afterburning Orenda 17 engines. The CF-103 would offer only modest performance improvements over the Canuck, but was seen as a hedge against the possibility of contacts for the Clunk not materializing. Initial progress was slow, and Avro's concentration on the CF-100 saw work on the CF-103 grind to a halt in 1951. A mockup was completed, but was scrapped in 1952.

-Orthograph of the CF-103. | Illustration: Bzuk

-Mockup of the CF-103 in 1951. | Photo: Avro

The CF-105 Arrow was intended to be the eventual replacement to the Canuck, but that program was canceled with much controversy. With the Arrow dead, two batches of USAF F-101 Voodoo were sold to the RCAF as CF-101s to replace the Clunk, although the CF-100s were actually maintained in RCAF service until 1981 when they were eventually replaced by the CF-188 Hornet.

A number of CF-100s, in various configurations, are preserved around Canada, as well as several more in Belgium, the US and the UK

Avro Canada CF-100 Mk4B Canuck at Duxford in 1975. | Photo: Steve Fitzgerald

FLIGHTLINE: 158 - AVRO CANADA CF-100 CANUCK

Developed after WWII, the Canuck holds the distinction of the only domestically-developed fighter to enter production for Canada.

In the closing years of World War Two, the Royal Canadian Air Force sought to acquire a jet-powered all-weather interceptor to patrol the vast Canadian wilderness. Having judged that no existing aircraft or program then in development met their needs, the RCAF contracted on 13 October 1946 with Avro Canada to design a prototype for the new fighter.

-Orthograph of the CF-100. | Illustration: aviastar

The result, designated the CF-100, was a two seat, twin-engined plane with low-mounted, straight wings. The CF-100 incorporated an advanced radar and fire control system and was armed with eight .50 machine guns. The CF-100 was fitted with Rolls-Royce Avon engines, while the pre-production and production aircraft were to be fitted with Avro TR5 Orenda turbojets, developed in Canada.

CLUNK

The first CF-100 Mk.1 prototype had it's maiden flight on 19 January 1950, while the second flew in July. On 5 April 1951 the second prototype crashed, the victim of a flaw in the design of the Canuck. The accident led to the dismissal of several members of the design team, while a special group was established to find a solution to the problem. The fix turned out to be a minor change, retrofitted to the prototype and pre-production aircraft and incorporated into the forthcoming production CF-100s. The five pre-production Mk. 2 aircraft were completed during 1951, though production was slow due to the delayed development of the Orenda engine.

-Avro CF-100 prototype #18102 in flight. | Photo: Adirector

Testing of the Mk.2s (two of which were fitted with dual controls and were designated the Mk.2T trainer/conversion aircraft) continued through 1951 and 1952, with a few minor issues cropping up and being addressed. The Orenda engine in particular was said to perform more smoothly than contemporary British or American engines. Testing of the Mk.1 and Mk.2 allowed the refinement of the production aircraft, designated the Mk.3, which took flight for the first time on 11 October 1952. In addition to changes in the airframe and control systems, the Mk.3s also incorporated an APG-33 radar and eight .50 cal M3 Browning machine guns grouped in a ventral pack for easy maintenance and reloading.

-Technicians attaching a gun pack to a CF-100. | Photo: RCAF

The CF-100 Mk.3 was accepted by the RCAF in 1953, with 70 aircraft produced. Two sub types, the Mk.3A and 3B, were also produced, with the main difference being upgraded Orenda 2 and Orenda 8 engines respectively. One Mk.3 was also converted to a dual-control trainer, designated the Mk.3CT. The aircraft were well liked by pilots, who called the plane "Clunk", after the sound made by the retraction of the nose gear. The Clunks were soon flying patrols of the vast Canadian wilderness as part of NORAD, maintaining watch for Soviet bombers attempting to penetrate Canada's airspace.

-A formation of Mk.3 Clunks flying in formation. CF-100s in RCAF service flew in unpainted metal for much of their service life. | Photo: RCAF

One Mk.3 was modified to serve as the prototype of the next version, the Mk.4, which would supplement the machine guns with wingtip pods of Mighty Mouse FFARs. The nose of the Mk.4 was also enlarged to accommodate the upgraded APG-40 radar. On 18 December 1952, the prototype broke the speed of sound in a dive, making it the first straight winged aircraft to break Mach 1. The Mk.4 first flew on11 October 1952, and at the end of its test series the RCAF canceled the last 54 Mk.3s on order and replaced them with orders for 137 Mk.4As, which in addition the changes in fire control and weapons were powered by Orenda 9 engines. The Mk.4A was followed by 141 Mk.4Bs, which was fitted with Orenda 11 engines. In March 1956, four CF-100s were flown to Eglin AFB in Florida as part of Project BANANA BELT, a series of comparative armament trials flown by USAF crews.

-A Mk.4B of the 440 Squadron at Prestwick Airport, Scotland, in 1960. | Photo: RuthAS

-Two RCAF Mk.4Bs from 423 Squadron in 1962. The aircraft were training at the Air Weapons Unit in Sardinia while attached to RCAF Station Grostenquin, France. | Photo: Canadian Department of National Defence

The final version of the Canuck was the Mk.5, which was optimized for higher altitude flight. The wingtips were lengthened by 1.06 meters, as wells as an enlarged empennage. The Browning machine guns were removed, with the type relying solely on the rocket pods. The Mk.5s were also fitted with Orenda 11 or 14 turbojets. Production of the Mk.5 totaled 332 aircraft, with an additional 53 produced for the Belgian Air Force, the sole foreign operator of the Clunk. Under the NIMBLE BAT program, four squadrons of CF-100s were deployed to Europe to replace Canadair Sabre squadrons. These forward deployed Clunks were painted in an RAF-style camo of mottled gray and green over light gray. Later in their service life, a small number of Mk.5s were modified into Electronic Counter Measures/Electronic Warfare (ECM/EW) Mk.5Ds, while several others were converted to Mk.5Ms, able to carry and fire AIM-7 Sparrow radar-guided missiles.

-A CF-100 Mk.5M, armed with 4 AIM-7 Sparrows, banks away from the camera plane. | Photo: RCAF

-A Mk.5M fires a Sparrow during a test exercise. | Photo: RCAF

-CF-100 Mk.5Ds of 414 Sqn. at North Bay/Jack Garland Airport in 1979. | Photo: RCAF