Overview

The cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow in 1959 holds such a grip on the imagination of Canadians that earlier developments in defence procurement remain in the shadows. Randall Wakelam corrects this oversight – and offers fresh insight into the AVRO saga and contemporary procurement issues – by detailing the complexities Canada’s air force faced in buying fighter aircraft and by showing how the RCAF grew by leaps and bounds. Wakelam shows that cabinet members, 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 arrived on the heels of these successes, Wakelam reveals that neither the air force nor the government believed AVRO could manufacture even the CF-100 on budget.

Full Product Details

9780774821490

Table of Contents

Reviews

Very readable and well-researched...Wakelam has made an important contribution to the historiography of the Canadian aircraft industry and the institutional history of the RCAF. By providing the context, analysis, and research strength that was lacking in previous non-scholarly publications on Canadian air force procurement, Cold War Fighters succeeds in bridging the gap between academic and popular history. -- Richard Goette, Canadian Forces College, Royal Military College of Canada Canadian Military History Cold War Fighters confronts the reality of a nation that aspired to great technological advancements in the air and how it dealt with its limitations rooted in the lack of experience designing and producing advanced military platforms. Wakelam is able to properly instill feelings in the reader that range from enthusiasm at Canada's successes and frustration caused by the industrial failures that hindered the potential to become a world renowned producer of jet aircraft. -- Aaron Plamondon, Mount Royal University Left History Journal, Issue 16.2 Wakelam uses his previous experience in the Air Force and within the aircraft procurement environment to contextualize the archival material he has unearthed to render an exceptional examination of aircraft procurement that is as relevant today as during the 1950s. -- Colonel Simon Sukstorf RCAF Journal, Winter 2013, Vol. 2, Issue 1

The two fighter aircraft featured in Cold War Fighters still interest scholars and airmen worldwide. The Orenda-powered Canadair Sabre reached iconic status at the time, and the CF-100 attracts attention not only because of its capabilities, but also because of its all-Canadian designed-and-built pedigree. Wakelam has mined entirely new territory in his compelling history, which should be read by all serious aviation and air historians. - Carl Christie, author of Ocean Bridge: The History of RAF Ferry Command

The two fighter aircraft featured in Cold War Fighters still interest scholars and airmen worldwide. The Orenda-powered Canadair Sabre reached iconic status at the time, and the CF-100 attracts attention not only because of its capabilities, but also because of its all-Canadian designed-and-built pedigree. Wakelam has mined entirely new territory in his compelling history, which should be read by all serious aviation and air historians. <br> - Carl Christie, author of Ocean Bridge: The History of RAF Ferry Command

Author Information

Colonel (ret’d) Randall Wakelam 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.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available