The Avro CF-105 Arrow RL201 in flight.

The Avro CF-105 Arrow was designed to defend Canada against bomber attacks from the Soviet Union. It represented remarkable achievements in aerodynamics, computer-assisted flight technology, fabrication, flight-control, engine design, and speed. The sleek design and promise of supersonic speeds awed the Canadian public, encouraged by nationalistic advertisements and popular press coverage.

Despite the aircraft’s technological advances—and the publicity it received—the project was cancelled by the Canadian government in 1959, due to a mix of cost overruns, technical challenges, and Cold War politics.