General

The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck, (affectionately known as the Clunk), was a Canadian jet fighter serving during the Cold War. It was the first and only Canadian-designed fighter to enter mass-production.

In September of 1950, the RCAF ordered 124 examples of the Mk. 3 version. The first of these entering Royal Canadian Air Force service in 1953. These were armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns. The definitive version rocket-armed Mk. 4A was based on prototype Mk. 4 (a modified Mk. 3) first flying on October 11th, 1952. The nose housed the much larger APG-40 radar with wingtip pods each containing up to 30 Mighty Mouse FFAR (folding fin aerial rockets) in addition to the guns. As the last 54 of an order for the Mk. 3 were changed into the Mk. 4 in 1954. Total orders for the Mk. 4 rose to 510. The Mk. 4B version had more powerful Orenda 11 engines. Five versions, or 'marks' were produced, ending - from 1955 onwards - with the high-altitude Mk. 5 that featured a 1.06m (3 ft. 6 in.) extended wingtip and enlarged tailplane, along with removal of the machine guns.

The CF-100 is not considered to be truly supersonic since it could not exceed the speed of sound in level flight. However, on December 18th, 1952 S/L Janusz Żurakowski - the Avro company chief development test pilot - broke the sound barrier flying the CF-100 Mk. 4 prototype in a dive from 30,000 feet.

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 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 led to Belgium purchasing the CF-100.

Characteristics

In service with 349 squadron

The CF-100 was the first combat aircraft in Belgian service that didn't have guns on board. In the late fifties it was common sense to think that all guns would be ultimately replaced by rockets. This seemed to be a wrong inception causing the CF-100 to have the honour of being the only gun less fighter ever to have served within the Belgian Air Force.

The 'Canuck' was a very strong design having served with 349 squadron for only 7 years before being replaced by the F-104G in 1963.

The most prominent fact in the CF-100 era is operation Simba in July of 1959. This operation saw four aircraft leave Beauvechain/Bevekom AB to Kamina AB (then still in Belgian Congo). The trip was officially envisioned to test the Belgian Air Forces capability to perform overseas operations and in one trip also attend the 10th anniversary of Kamina AB. The operation really was an impressive maneuver of the Belgian government to show the Air Forces possibilities in case of insurgent turmoil which was already going on in Shaba province at the time. These insurgent activities ultimately led to the independence of Belgian Congo only one year later with the Belgian government not intervening with fighter aircraft at that time.