Why didn't Canada use F-106 Delta Dart?

Or if the Canadians were really ambitious perhaps they could have purchased suitable tankers as well
Offensive strikes, no chance. But we have the tankers. Though not until the 1990s IIRC.

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Offensive strikes, no chance. But we have the tankers. Though not until the 1990s IIRC.

fa2013-5100-10.jpg

Doesn't the F111 need a boom refuling system vs the probe and drouge system ?

I also seem to recall the Canadians had tankers prior to the 1990's (707 based tankers that were IIRC used with the CF5's and the CF18's ?)

I agree there is no chance of the Canadians planning an offensive air defence strategy.
 
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Now they use the AIRBUS from 1992. I was at the ABBOTSFORD AIR SHOW, and the display for that tanker says it will not be replaced until 2040.
 
Now they use the AIRBUS from 1992. I was at the ABBOTSFORD AIR SHOW, and the display for that tanker says it will not be replaced until 2040.
Yikes. Another 23 years.

I imagine had the RCAF held onto its CF-100s until the F-4 Phantom was available (and somehow funded) and chosen, we'd still be operating them today.
 
Yikes. Another 23 years.

I imagine had the RCAF held onto its CF-100s until the F-4 Phantom was available (and somehow funded) and chosen, we'd still be operating them today.
Possibly :)

A Canadian purchase of F4 is an interesting what if with potentially some major ripple effects.

Perhaps:
Thru some twist of fate the F4 was purchased instead of the CF5. (I'd presume the CF101 and CF104 were also previously acquired.) Historically I'm told some of the CF5's went directly into storage so perhaps the same thing could happen with an F4 purchase ?

Once SAGE is out of the picture for NORAD the F4's replace the CF101's.

When the CF104's needed their modernization the govt decides to scrap the CF104 and re task some F4's for use in Europe.

Perhaps some surplus F4 air frames are picked up along the way ?

Once the Cold War ends the CAF is stuck with an aging fleet of F4's and there is no money to buy a new fleet of "teen series" fighters. The home air defence / NORAD mission is considered critical so:

Maybe Canada gets US surplus F16 ADF's (the variant intended for air defence use) for NORAD use (similar to how Canada got the CF101 ?) Perhaps in this case the U.S. more or less gives them to the Canadians for free on the condition they are for air defence use only (with the expectation the Canadians will at some point buy new teen series fighters.). I have no idea if there were any strings attached to the historical CF101 acquisition.

A few F4's are kept airworthy to provide a token ground attack / overseas expeditionary capability.
 
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Archibald

Banned
The RCAF (pre -1967) badly wanted Phantoms but got F-5s instead. Not the same performance ! On the other hand the Phantom was a maintenance hog, no an easy task in the freezing artic winter...
 
The F-111B was a real dog.Tomcats, however... which bring us to the 80's and this failed deal about Canada buying out Iran 79 F-14s...

by that point and barring the Blue Circle debacle with the F2 version vs the fully equipped F3s, Tornado ADV ...
 
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F-4s from Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, flying over Mt. McKinley.

BTW, just learned that an Arrow model has been found in Lake Ontario. I'm always the last to know.
 

Archibald

Banned
Dang, I've found that Canadian enthusiasts are building a 60% scale, flyable Arrow replica. I really want to see that bird fly.
 
The RCAF (pre -1967) badly wanted Phantoms but got F-5s instead. Not the same performance ! .... ..

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Only way the RCAF would have gotten F-4s would involve license production in Quebec.

OTL RCAF never wanted CF-5 and struggled to find a role for its Freedom Fighters. The biggest limitation was CF-5's small payload. It could never carry enough fuel to seriously patrol the Arctic.
A pair of Boeing 707 tankers was not nearly enough to support fighter operations in the Arctic. They were barely enough to allow Canadian fighter pilots to "punch their ticket" for air-to-air refuelling a couple of times per year.
CF-5's. tiny payload also limited its usefulness for ground attack. It was capable of bombing the end of its own runway!
In the end CF-5 was most valuable as a lead-in trainer for Voodoo, Starfighter and Hornet pilots.
OTOH CF-5 achieved its primary goal of buying enough votes - in Montreal - to prevent Quebec from separating
 
OTL RCAF never wanted CF-5 and struggled to find a role for its Freedom Fighters. The biggest limitation was CF-5's small payload. It could never carry enough fuel to seriously patrol the Arctic.
CF-5 did not have radar and could never patrol the arctic in the interceptor role. I don't know if it could even navigate over featureless tundra.

The CF-5 was for ground attack, and was never intended for interceptor work.

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Now, the radar-equipped F-20, that's another story. A good fighter, but still with short legs.

F-700%20N.jpg
 
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I always enjoy your posts Beez! I cant say much about Eielson AFB, but for those of us regularly deployed in the Aleutians and along the Soviet/US border, we prayed regularly that the Zoomies at Elmendorf would not spare the gas if we needed them. Elmendorf had a pretty fair number of fighters back in the late 70's early eighties. Also, I don't know what was permanently stationed at NOB Adak (aside from P-3's) but we always hoped there was something nearby.
 
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