Cold War Fighters - Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945-54 (Paperback)

The mysterious cancellation in 1959 of the CF-105 Arrow,
Canada's state-of-the-art interceptor aircraft, holds such a
strong grip on the imagination of Canadians that earlier developments
in defence procurement remain in the shadows.

Randall Wakelam corrects this oversight - and demystifies
aspects of the AVRO saga - by weaving together a compelling
account of high-level decision making and the daily activities of the
military between 1945 and 1954, a decade when Canada's air force
was expanding rapidly to meet the Soviet threat. During these years,
the cabinet, chiefs of staff, and air marshals were forced to negotiate
competing pressures to arm the air force, please allies, and save
money. Their decisions resulted in the CF-100 Canuck and the F-86
Sabre, Canada's front-line defensive aircraft in the coldest
years of the Cold War. Although historians assume that the Arrow came
on the heels of these successes, Wakelam reveals that neither the air
force nor the government believed that AVRO was up to manufacturing
even the CF-100 Canuck on budget.

By shining new light on an unexplored aspect of Canadian history,
Wakelam also offers fresh insight into current procurement issues,
including the government's decision to purchase the F-35
fighter.

Colonel (ret'd) Randall Wakelam, PhD, teaches
military history and leadership at the Royal Military College of Canada
and is author of The Science of Bombing: Operational Research in
RAF Bomber Command. A pilot in his service career, he also worked
in aircraft procurement.