Project Terminated: Famous Military Aircraft Cancellations of the Cold War and What Might Have Been

by Erik Simonsen

Throughout aerospace history, production contracts for military aircraft programs have been awarded and then cancelled as political, technological, and operational dictates mandated. Many legendary airplanes like the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing, the Canadian CF-105 Arrow, and the Mach 3 Lockheed YF-12 Interceptor were actually built and flown successfully before being cancelled. Others, such as the North American F-108 Rapier, never made it past the mock-up stage. This book shows, for the very first time, what might have happened had these cancelled designs, often fraught with corporate politics and industrial intrigue, actually entered production and operational service.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a conceptually very interesting book, and at first glance the hypothetical illustrations are interesting.

The book itself, however, is very poorly written and edited, with much duplication and little information that isn't easily found on Wikipedia.

There is an underlying thesis about the relationship between prototype testing, procurement, 'national resolve' and the outcome of the Cold War that is poorly supported, not borne out by history and increasingly grating by the end of the book.

Aircraft cancellations are invariably viewed as a mistake of national crisis proportions, while the notion that they weren't practical or necessary is ignored (particularly in the case of the later interceptors).

A more useful line of discussion is touched on in the costs to a company and nations science and technical base through precipitously canceling a project, but even this doesn't get beyond simple and repetitive.

I really wanted to live this book, and I'm definitely a fan of the 'what if' (not to mention of the Avro Arrow), but the book is really only worth looking at the pictures and glancing at their captions.

Disappointing.

[Chris Passingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit meh. All of this content could be read for free on Wikipedia. It's only saving grace are the 'What if' illustrations

[Merritt Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book on developmental aircraft in the cold war. In the early 60s and the late 50s there was some tremendous development going on in the aerospace industry. The one thing I noticed about these aircraft is that they were very big. Their basic mission was to be able to fly very high and very fast to intercept Soviet bombers.

The F-108 looked like a miniature XB-70. The Canadian CF-105, Arrow carried advanced hydraulic systems that were not seen again until the 1970's. Many people do not realize that at one time Canada had a very advanced aerospace industry. With the cancellation of the Arrow that industry was virtually destroyed. The Arrow was overrun and behind schedule, but it took a bit of nuclear blackmail for the US to help force cancellation of the arrow and thus eliminating a prime competitor. This cancellations destroyed the Canadian aerospace Industry and the effects of this cancellation are felt in this day in Canada.

The US threatened to deploy Bomarc anti-aircraft missiles at the Canadian border. The US claimed these muscles were needed because the Arrow could not be dependent upon to protect from Soviet bombers. This created the prospect of nuclear armed Bomarc missiles flying and conducting interceptions over Canada. The Canadians were rightly concerned about the US deciding when and where to detonate nuclear weapons over their territory in the event of any war.

There was a lot of amazing technology developed by many different nations. In some cases prototypes were built and flew often demonstrating amazing performance. In general these aircraft were rendered obsolete before they were even built by the fact that the Soviet Union used missles as their primary nuclear deterrent. And the existence and development of advanced surface to air missile's made these airplanes vulnerable if used in a strike role.

All in all this is a good book about some amazing technology developed during one period in the cold war.