Monday 12 December 2016

Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck Mk.4

The CF-100 Mk.4 was the first variant of the Canuck armed with rockets. It made it's maiden flight as a modified version of an Mk.2 on 11th October 1952. When tested, it outrunned the Canadair Sabre but it wasn't as agile as this one. It even managed to reach mach 1 in a dive on 4th December of that same year.
The prototype was used also to test a belly rocket pack mounted behind the guns with 48 FFAR rockets, but it caused several buffeting after being extended and therefore was discarded.
That prototype was lost on 23rd August 1954 during an accident where the pilot successfully ejected but the navigator, unfortunately couldn't.

The first production version of the Mk.4 appeared in September 1953 and it featured a modified cockpit with a one-piece canopy and an internal modification to make it easier for the navigator to eject after the pilot had ejected.
It was powered by two Orenda 9 engines delivering each of them 2950kgp of thrust, which required modified nacelles. Regarding avionics, it was equipped with the Hughes MG-2 fire control system and an AN/APG-40 radar in the nose, copying that way the Northrop F-89D Scorpion.
On the wingtips there was a provision for 29 Mighty Mouse rockets which could be swapped by wingtips tanks, which we have chosen to draw.
The early production of this variant lacked an autopilot, but it's not clear if it was fitted later on or not and some of them had a production tail bumper but most of them were removed, specially in the late production variants.
The Mk.4 was the true first satisfactory production variant, so when this one rolled out, the production orders for the Mk.3 were called off. Totally 137 Mk.4 were built and when an uprated Orenda 11 engine appeared, it became the standard for the Mk.4 which were designated as Mk.4B and those powered by the Orenda 9, were retroactively called Mk.4A. Only two Mk.4A were converted to Mk.4B configuration.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Canada_CF-100_Canuck
2. http://www.airvectors.net/avcf100.html
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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