NATO's Most Valuable Aircraft? The Avro Canada CF-100

As the Cold War loomed on the horizon shortly after World War 2, Canada worried about the possibility of Soviet bombers flying over the Arctic Ocean ready to deliver nuclear payloads on North American targets.

Consequently, Canadian Air Force officials made a bold decision and built their own indigenously-developed fighter-interceptor from scratch.

Flying for the first time on January 19, 1950, Avro Canada's CF-100 Canuck was a long-range, all-weather interceptor with an advanced radar system fitted on the nose.

During its run, Canada's good ol' Canuck was one of the world's best all-weather fighters and one of NATO's most valued aircraft.

And for a while, it was the only fighter of its type used by the organization's forces in Europe, where it excelled at protecting the Western skies from continuous Soviet attacks in extremely harsh zero-visibility conditions…

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