The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet (15,000 m) and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) primary interceptor into the 1960s and beyond.

[4] On 20 February 1959, Prime Minister of Canada John Diefenbaker abruptly halted the development of both the Arrow and its Iroquois engines before the scheduled project review to evaluate the program could be held.

[6] In the post-Second World War period, the Soviet Union began developing a capable fleet of long-range bombers with the ability to deliver nuclear weapons across North America and Europe.

[7] The main threat was principally from high-speed, high-altitude bombing runs launched from the Soviet Union travelling over the Arctic against military bases and built-up industrial centres in Canada and the United States.

The next year the company began the design of Canada's first jet fighter for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Avro CF-100 Canuck all-weather interceptor.

[16] German research during the Second World War had shown the onset of wave drag was greatly reduced by using airfoils that varied in curvature as gradually as possible.

At the time we laid down the design of the CF-105, there was a somewhat emotional controversy going on in the United States on the relative merits of the delta plan form versus the straight wing for supersonic aircraft ... our choice of a tailless delta was based mainly on the compromise of attempting to achieve structural and aero elastic efficiency, with a very thin wing, and yet, at the same time, achieving the large internal fuel capacity required for the specified range.

For the interceptor role these were minor concerns, as the aircraft would be spending most of its time flying in straight lines at high altitudes and speeds, mitigating these disadvantages.

This resulted in several changes including the addition of a tailcone, sharpening the radar nose profile, thinning the intake lips, and reducing the cross-sectional area of the fuselage below the canopy.

[40] The Arrow's thin wing required aviation's first 4,000 lb/in2 (28 MPa) hydraulic system to supply enough force to the control surfaces,[citation needed] while using small actuators and piping.

[50][51] The CF-105 demonstrated excellent handling throughout the flight envelope, in large part due to the natural qualities of the delta-wing, but responsibility can also be attributed to the Arrow's Stability Augmentation System.

The former problem was partly due to the tandem main landing gear[Note 1] being very narrow, in order to fit into the wings; the leg shortened in length and rotated as it was stowed.

[58] The only occasion when a test flight was diverted occurred on 2 February 1959, when a Trans-Canada Airlines Vickers Viscount crash-landed in Toronto, necessitating a landing at RCAF Trenton.

It was also clear that new versions of the Soviet M-4 bomber would be available in 1959 that would outperform their existing Gloster Javelins, leaving a several-year gap where the RAF would have no effective anti-bomber force.

[72] The infamous 1957 Defence White Paper,[73] described as "the biggest change in military policy ever made in normal times", led to the cancellation of almost all British manned fighter aircraft then in development,[74] and completely curtailed any likelihood of a purchase.

Acting on media speculation that the Iroquois engine program was also in jeopardy of being cancelled, the French government chose to end negotiations in October 1958[76] and opted for an upgraded version of the indigenous Snecma Atar, instead.

Both of these programs were cancelled during the mock-up stage, as it was believed the need for a manned interceptor of very high performance simply did not exist as the Soviets were moving their strategic force to ICBMs.

[87] Declassified records show Avro management was caught unprepared by the suddenness of the announcement by the government; while executives were aware that the program was in jeopardy, they expected it to continue until the March review.

A similar project initiated by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (Boscombe Down) had resulted in Avro vice-president (engineering) Jim Floyd's preparing a transatlantic ferry operation.

[92] The action has been attributed to Royal Canadian Mounted Police fears that a Soviet "mole" had infiltrated Avro, later confirmed to some degree in the Mitrokhin Archives.

[93] Rumours had circulated that Air Marshal W. A. Curtis, a World War I ace who headed Avro, had ignored Diefenbaker and spirited one of the Arrows away to be saved for posterity.

[96] The Space Task Group team eventually grew to 32 Avro engineers and technicians, and became emblematic of what many Canadians viewed as a "brain drain" to the United States.

[103] With specifications comparable to then-current offerings from American and Soviet design bureaus, at the time of its cancellation, the Arrow was considered by one aviation industry observer to be one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.

[9] The Arrow's cancellation eventually led to the end of Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada) and its president and general manager, Crawford Gordon Jr. was fired shortly afterward.

[106] The proposal, promoted by former Canadian Forces infantry officer Lewis MacKenzie, was rejected by Ottawa in 2012 as being too risky, too costly and too time-consuming given the need to re-engineer the 1950s-era aircraft with modern communication, targeting and stealth features.

At the time of cancellation of the entire program, the first Arrow Mk 2, RL-206, was ready for taxi trials;[52] Avro expected it to break the world speed record, but it never flew.

[116] The 2018 Annual report from the museum[117] updates the previous predictions, and states We look forward to more exciting progress in the coming year as we work towards the goal of having the Arrow II on its landing gear and able to be presented as a work in progress static display at the 2019 Springbank Airshow.The Canadian Air and Space Museum (CASM), previously located at the Toronto/Downsview Airport (CYZD), featured a full-size replica Arrow built by volunteers with materials supplied by local aerospace firms.

[121] In September 2017, the Raise the Arrow Project confirmed the discovery of one of the 1/8 scale[122] Delta Test Vehicle (DTV) models at the bottom of Lake Ontario.

In 2021, the National Research Council of Canada digitized and released 595 Avro Arrow reports stored in their rare book room and the NRC Archives, both located in Ottawa.

Although highly acclaimed, receiving praise from film historian and former Avro employee Elwy Yost[133] and winner of numerous awards including the Gemini that year,[134] the miniseries was also criticized for its "docu-drama" style and departing from a strict factual account.