If it survived, my guess would have:
1961 - The Avro CF-105 Arrow flies in full form, ready for combat, The Royal Canadian Air Force orders 120 of them for usage as part of their obligations under NATO. First squadron of them is rushed into service in October 1962 as a result of the concerns over the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1963-64 - The CF-104 Starfighters that equipped the RCAF are cycled out of the service, as the far more stable and faster Arrow works better. The high-performance of the Arrow, and the awesome PS-13 Iroquois engine, attracts the attention of several other forces, most notably the Royal Air Force. The RAF tests a trio of CF-105s in late summer 1964 and figures they can work very well as a fighter and air-defense weapon. As the RAF is about to deploy its own TSR-2 Strike fighter, the RAF is keen on supporting the Commonwealth projects in order to gain favor for BAC and keep its projects from being canned by Whitehall.
1964 - The USAF, which has many figuring that the high-altitude bombers now don't make so much sense due to the growing effectiveness of Russian surface to air missiles, cans the XB-70 project in favor of the B-1 project. This doesn't slow the Russians however, as their Mach 3 bomber project goes ahead. Avro is surprised to see the Valkyrie cancelled, but several Avro engineers have an idea for the big bomber - an air-defense weapon. Avro loves this idea, and asks the US to test the XB-70 in October 1964. The USAF allows this and gives a XB-70 to Avro, and Avro gets to work.
Avro rapidly realizes that the XB-70 is truly capable of going huge speeds for long distances. The XB-70, as it is what the Russians are likely to be building towards. This forces the design work on the next generation Arrow to aim very high in terms of speed and altitude.
1965 - The American F-4 Phantom is said by the USAF as being its answer to the Arrow, but it clear early on that the F-4 lacks in maneuverability and range compared to the Arrow.
The RAF, highly impressed with their tests of the CF-105, place an order for 175 aircraft to defend British Airspace. The government, seeing that the British military's new projects are almost exclusively creating projects for Britain and its commonwealth, interfere less with them.
The RAF's decision to buy the Arrow as a primary interceptor stuns the USAF and creates interest in the Arrow from several sources worldwide, notably from India, Australia, Japan, Argentina and South Africa.
The Soviets don't ignore the high-performance interceptor. The US' development of the XB-70 Valkyrie has the Soviets working on a new bomber, so the Arrow's main purpose is still there.
1966 - Australia tests several aircraft for a strike role, and Avro develops the CF-105C in response, an Arrow capable of using all kinds of weapons, instead of just being a dedicated interceptor. Australia likes this idea, and the competition for the prize goes down to the CF-105C and the F-111.
The F-111 has a heavier payload, but the CF-105C has a higher speed and far greater maneuverability. The F-111C's turbofan engines provide better fuel economy than the relatively thirsty PS-13 Iroquois turbojets, but the turbojets were more reliable.
In the end Australia buys both - they buy 24 F-111C and 78 CF-105Cs. The RCAF, noticing that missiles are taking over from bombers, also orders the CF-105C upgrades to their Arrows. The RCAF also wants new turbofan engines for the Arrow, and Orenda engines gets to work on this.
1967 - Avro offers to buy the XB-70 they loaned from the USAF. The USAF, with no use for it, sells it. The RCAF is stunned that Avro does this - but they have an idea which they pitch to the RCAF - a high-altitude aircraft which would be used to control airspace. The idea was that the XB-70 would be loaded up with powerful radars and air-to-air missiles, and then be used to drop missiles on enemy fighters. Avro pitches this as being a combination air defense system with the Avro, giving Canada the best air defense network on the planet.
Prime Minister Pearson is impressed, and goes for it. At the same time, the US comes up with the ideal missiles for the task - the AIM-54 Phoenix.
The RCAF Arrows soon go in for upgrades to the CF-105C standard, and the British versions are soon slated to do the same. South Africa requests the purchase of 36 CF-105Cs, and negotiations begin. Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau is adamantly against the sale of Arrows to South Africa, disgusted with apartheid.
1968 - Orenda shows off the PS-14 Haida engine, the first turbofan from the firm. The PS-14 Haida makes 19,200 lbs of thrust, 26,500 lbs with the afterburner. It says that Canada could afford to add these to the Arrow, which Canada agrees to.
The unification of the Canadian Forces turns the RCAF into the Canadian Forces Air Command (CFAC). Over 18 months of bitter negotiations had resulted in the Navy and Air Force keeping their own traditions, though the unifications saw a number of people depart the forces.
Pierre Trudeau becomes Prime Minister in April. One of his first actions with regards to defense is kill the sale of the Arrows to South Africa, an act which enrages Avro. Trudeau was an adamant supporter of non-proliferation of military hardware. The upgrades to the CFAC and RAF fighters goes ahead, of course.
1969 - Trudeau begins talking of reducing the size of the Canadian Forces, an act which enrages both Canadair and Avro, as well as the military. Avro gets out in the media and talks badly about these plans, saying that "
Canada has always been prepared to defend itself and its people. Trudeau believes we should let the Americans do this for us. We are Canadians, not Americans, Mr. Trudeau." Trudeau's plans to shrink the Canadian military grew to become contraversial.
The decision by Trudeau to scrap HMCS Bonaventure (CVL-22) became one of the contraversial issues of the year - if only because the Navy went into full-blown revolt over it. Trudeau, with his usual brashness, told the Navy to bow down and accept it, and he also famously commented "
they all vote for that bastard Stanfield anyways" to one of his aides. The fights spread across the Canadian Forces, leading to a loss of many of its best officers. Defense Minister paul Hellyer, who was already bitter towards Trudeau, also fought him in Commons, until Trudeau famously sacked him in July 1969.
Stanfield used the ruckus against Trudeau. "
It is clear that the Prime Minister has little appreciation for the worth of the Canadian Forces. They are a provider of not just defense, but also jobs, image and prestige. This is Mr. Trudeau's loss, but not that of Canadians." Trudeau had only been partially right with his assumption that the military tended to vote Conservative, but after his insulting them, he became entirely right.
Avro, feeling threatened by the fights in Ottawa, began to work with Bombardier, and the two companies began to expand its operations to other operations outside of aircraft. The two companies jointly rescued strugging Rail equipment builder American Locomotive Company in 1969, and the two companies began plans to enter the jet airliner business. Avro's massive works at Toronto's Pearson International Airport also was responsible for the maintenance of Air Canada aircraft there. Orenda Aircraft sustained itself by rebuilding and maintaining the
Trudeau did allow some military projects, including the riftting of the PS-14 Haida engines to the RCAF Arrow fleet, which now numbered 116 aircraft. He also allowed Avro to continue development of the XB-70 Air Defense project.
1970 - The defining event of this year was the FLQ crisis, which caused Trudeau to draw a line in the sand when he ordered the forces to enforce martial law in Montreal. Trudeau after this event is said to have somewhat more respect for the Canadian Forces. Included in the operation was a number of CF-105CH aircraft based at Dorval Airport, though these did little more than provide a symbol.
Avro, with prodding for many sources (including the CFAC), begins developing a successor to the CF-105. This, like many designs of the era, will use twin tails and twin engines, expected to be the PS-14 Haida. But Orenda also has plans on the table to build a brand-new engine, the so-named PS-15 Mohawk. Plans begin being laid out. New technology, largely acquired for airliner design, begins being used to develop their aircraft. Avro's extensive experience is soon bolstered by many ex-Canadian Forces personnel that Trudeau had alienated.
1971-72 - Designs evolve rapidly on paper, with the first designs focusing on a semi-delta high-wing design with twin tails. On the advice of many of the pilots working for the company, later designs keep the wing design and add canards in the front. Swing wings like the US F-14 and F-111 were considered but rejected for complexity reasons. This new aircraft would not carry all of its armament in the weapon bay, as most Arrows did.
Data about the F-15 was not exactly unknown by this point, and the Americans weren't all that unhappy to feed info about it to Avro. The F-15 was soon clearly being designed to be a dedicated air superiority fighter, whereas the Arrow's successor would be a multi-role aircraft.......
OOC: More later.
