You are correct on that, Cinci.
I beg to differ with the article on several key points.
The Arrow was designed to meet a particular Canadian need to challenge Soviet bombers coming over the pole. It had a long range and two engines which made it ideal for Arctic patrol. It was not a dogfighter, Canada has not needed a dogfighter aircraft since 1945. It was an interceptor and could probably have been modified to be a fighter-bomber, thereby fulfilling Canada's Nato obligations.
The author states: "Both aircraft (the Arrow and the F-35) were obsolete the day they first flew."
This is absolute nonsense.
"The Arrow was a large, fast, high-altitude plane able to intercept subsonic Soviet bombers coming over the Pole. It would not have been much use in a dogfight, or in ground-support roles. And the threat it was designed to counter was ... made obsolete by intercontinental ballistic missiles ..."
Misinformation. Without NORAD and constant USAF and RCAF patrols Soviet bombers would be roaming the polar regions of Canada at will TO THIS VERY DAY.
Cancelling the Arrow was an act of national and industrial suicide. It killed national pride for generations. It also killed a company and an industry that was capable of building world class jet aircraft and engines. A capability that even China does not have today.
The Arrow did not have to be literally axed the way it was. The project could have been scaled down or extended and yearly budgets could have been pared down a bit.
"The Arrow was a large, fast, high-altitude plane able to intercept subsonic Soviet bombers coming over the Pole. It would not have been much use in a dogfight, or in ground-support roles. And the threat it was designed to counter was ... made obsolete by intercontinental ballistic missiles ..." Misinformation. Without NORAD and constant USAF and RCAF patrols Soviet bombers would be roaming the polar regions of Canada at will TO THIS VERY DAY.
The argument for cancelling was that ground based interceptor missiles could take over the role of air defence and manned interceptos wouldn't needed at all.
That was of course a crock, and the RCAF had to buy less capable F-101 Voodoos from the Shermans to do the interceptor job into the 80s.
But not everyone agreed that a big twin enginned Mach 2.5 interceptor wasn't the bird to patrol the near arctic region
Soviet Russia had the Mig-31 Arrowski
Which will outlast the Soviet Union by at least 30 years