+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Canadair’s impressive CF-151 ‘Kodiak’ interceptor had a long development story, and the fact that Canada developed an indigenous high-end fighter after the demise of Avro Canada’s CF-105 ‘Arrow’ in the late 50ies was an amazing achievement.
The Kodiak’s stillborn predecessor, the Avro Canada CF-105 ‘Arrow’, was a heavy interceptor aircraft, designed and built by Avro Canada as the culmination of a design study that began in 1953. Considered to be both an advanced technical and aerodynamic achievement for the Canadian aviation industry, the delta wing CF-105 held the promise of near Mach 3 speeds at altitudes likely exceeding 60,000 ft. (18,000 m), and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) primary interceptor in the 1960s and beyond.
It was a very promising aircraft, but not long after the 1958 start of its flight test program, the development of the Arrow (including its Orenda Iroquois jet engines) was abruptly and controversially halted before the project review in 1959 had taken place, sparking a long and bitter political debate. UK also had interest in the Arrow, but this, too, was halted when the Government decided that the age of manned fighters had come to an end – the EE Lightning was just lucky enough to survive this decision.
Anyway, this sudden end to the national interceptor project left Canada with a touchy defense gap in the vast Northern Territories. In 1961, the RCAF obtained 66 CF-101 Voodoo aircraft, one of the American designs the RCAF originally rejected, to serve in the role originally intended for the Avro Arrow. But this was only seen as a stopgap solution – what was needed was a missile-equipped long range interceptor with excellent range, loiter time and the ability to make prolonged dashes at high speed. A true dogfight capability was not required, since it was expected that the targets would be heavy bombers, coming in at high altitudes and subsonic speed.
With the technical advances in the late 60ies, variable geometry aircraft became a promising solution to combine these requirements in a single airframe. Canadair (at that time heavily linked with General Dynamics in the USA) started in 1962 a design study for a heavy swing wing interceptor for the RCAF, which would replace the Voodoos in the 70ies. This was surely driven by the multi-purpose F-111 development for both USAF and USN at that era, but the Canadian aircraft would be a completely new design, tailored to the local needs and with an indigenous weapon system.
The project received the internal code of CL-151 and was an impressive, if not elegant aircraft: with its low-set wings and the tandem cockpit for pilot and system operator it differed greatly from the F-111.
Most fuel was carried in the fuselage, between the air intake ducts and the fixed wing roots. Only the outer wing parts were moveable – a much simpler construction than the F-111. The main weapons, exclusively missiles, were carried semi-recessed under the fuselage, even though pylons under the fixed wing parts, just outside of the landing gear wells, could carry drop tanks. Additional smaller hardpoints on the inner wings' leading egdes could carry up to two Sidewinder AAMs each for short range combat and self-defense. An internal gun was not mounted, even though external SUU-23 gun pods were an option.
Unique features of the CL-151 were its ability to take-off and land on semi-prepared airstrips (specifically, on packed snow and soggy ground), so it received a massive landing gear with low presure twin wheels on all legs, as well as an arrestor hook for forced landings. In order to fit the main landing gear into the wing roots without sacrificing too much depth in the fuselage it received tandem bogies, similar to the Swedish Saab A37 Viggen. Another novel feature was an APU, which was installed together with a heat exchanger in the fin root, so that the CL-151 could be operated with as little maintenance infrastructure as possible.
Core of the CL-151 weapon system was the indigenous CMG-151 radar. This was a state-of-the-art all-weather, multi-mode X-Band pulse doppler radar system with a huge 38” dish antenna in the aircraft’s nose - light years ahead of the vintage Hughes MG-13 fire control radar of the F-102, which was also installed in the CF-101, a design of the early 50ies.
Functionally the CMG-151 was very similar to the American AN/AWG-9, even though less capable. It was designed to detect bomber-sized targets at ranges exceeding 60 miles (100 km) and it featured look-down/shoot-down capabilities, making the fighter suitable to various interception tasks, e .g. against low flying tactical bombers.
The CMG-151 offered a variety of air-to-air modes including long-range continuous wave velocity search, range-while-search at shorter ranges, and the first use of an airborne track-while-scan mode with the ability to track up to 16 airborne targets, display 8 of them on the cockpit displays, and launch against 4 of them at the same time. This function was originally designed to allow the CL-151 to shoot down formations of bombers at long range. The CMG was also coupled with an infrared sighting and tracking (IRST) under the aircraft's nose, which offered with a fire control system enhancement against hostile ECM. This feature was incororated in parallel to "Project Bold Journey", which was an CAF F-101B upgrade programm, running from 1963-66.
There was also a projected, corresponding long-range missile, the AIM-151 ‘Swan’. This was a derivate of the US-American Bendix AAM-N-10 ‘Eagle’, which had been developed for the US Navy’s fruitless ‘Missileer’ program. During its development, the capabilities of the new missile grew tremendously. Growing ever larger, the missile's range was extended to 100 miles (160 km), using an Aerojet-General XM59 solid-fuel motor. Since this would be beyond the range of effective semi-active homing, a new active-radar terminal seeker was added to the missile. But things got more and more complicated, and in the end the AIM-151 was cancelled in 1966. Nevertheless, the CL-151 needed a guided weapon to fulfil its task - and the aircraft' armament were also an important political decision, since the CF-101’s unguided, nuclear AIR-2A ‘Genie’ missiles had been a constant issue of debate and controversy.
In the end, and as a cost-effective compromise, an updated version of the AIM-7E 'Sparrow' was bought, the AIM-7EC. This version was optimized for a longer range (50ml/80km) and equipped with better avionics, making it comparable to the British Sky Flash AAM. Four of these weapons could be carried under the fuselage, and up to four more could be mounted on the wing hardpoints.
Overall, the CL-151 system was a very ambitious and prestigious project – just like the failed CH-105 before. It was not before 3rd of April 1968 until the first prototype made its maiden flight in Montreal. The aircraft’s all light-grey livery and sheer, massive size earned it the nicknames ‘Moby Dick’ and "Grey Goose'. Officially, with its service introduction in November 1969 as CF-151A, the aircraft was christened ‘Kodiak’.
The Kodiak proved to be THE interceptor Canada had long been searching for – but it was costly, could have achieved more and fell victim to ever new political controversy, so that effectively only 43 airframes (two prototypes, one static test airframe, five pre-series aircraft and finally 35 serial aircraft) were eventually built at slow pace until 1973. There had been hopes to find foreign customers for the CF-151, but potential users of sucha specialized, complex and simply large aircraft limited the circle of potential users.
Great Britain was already settled on the Tornado ADV and Sweden, as a neutral country, preferred a national solution which would lead to the JA37 Jaktviggen and later to the JAS 39 Gripen. So, the CAF would be the only user of the Kodiak, and all machines, except for the three initial development airframes, were allocated to various interceptor squadrons and served alongside the ageing CF-101 Voodoos, primarily in long-range patrol duties in Canada's far north.
Time did not stand still, though, and technology developed in a fast pace: through the 1970s, the increasing obsolescence of the CAF’s CF-101 and the CF-104 led the CAF to plans for their joint replacement by a single type. This respective ‘New Fighter Aircraft’ program was launched in 1977 with the intention of finding a replacement for the CF-5, CF-104 Starfighter and CF-101 Voodoo. An updated Kodiak as well as Grumman F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, Panavia Tornado and the Dassault Mirage F1 (later replaced by the Mirage 2000) were all considered and evaluated as potential replacements.
Cost considerations eventually reduced the choice to the F-16 and F-18, and the F-18 ultimately prevailed, likely because of the additional safety of twin engines when flying in remote areas. The decision for the (C)F-18 was announced on 10 April 1980.
This was the end of the CF-151A, just after one decade of successful service. Ironically, the CF-101s, which the CF-151 had been supposed to replace, soldiered on until retirement in the 1980s. When these had been replaced with McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fighters, the death knell for the big and complex Kodiak rang, too.
The CF-151 was quickly becoming outdated and an aircraft of very limited use, despite its formidable capabilities as a heavy interceptor. But potential war scenarios had changed, and economical as well as political developments could not justify the expensive (and small) Kodiak fleet anymore. Consequently, the last CAF CF-151 flight took place on August 18th 2000, when the last indigenous Canadian fighter type was replaced by CF-18s, too.
Canadair CF-151A general characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 21.2 m (69 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: spread (20° sweep): 17.14 m (66 ft 3 in); swept (65° sweep): 11,65 m (38 ft 3 in)
Height: 5.55 m (18 ft 2 in)
Empty weight: 47,200 lb (21,400 kg)
Loaded weight: 82,800 lb (37,600 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 100,000 lb (45,300 kg)
Powerplant:
2× GE TF30-P-3 turbofan jet engines, rated at 12,000 lbf (53 kN) dry and 18,500 lbf (82 kN) at full afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.5 (1,650 mph, 2,655 km/h) at altitude and in clean configuration
Combat radius: 1,330 mi (1,160 nmi, 2,140 km)
Ferry range: 4,200 mi (3,700 nmi, 6,760 km)
Service ceiling: 66,000 ft (20,100 m)
Rate of climb: 25,890 ft/min (131.5 m/s)
Armament:
4× AIM-7E3 'Sparrow' medium-/long-range AAMs, semi-recessed under the fuselage
4× AIM-9M 'Sidewinder' short range AAMs on wing hardpoints
2× drop tanks under the outer fixed wings
Theoretical external ordnance of up to 15.200lb (6.900kg)
The kit and its assembly
A bold and weird project. It all started when I was pondering the idea of a whiffy, large VG fighter in the class of a F-4 or MiG-25. While reading book about OKB Tupolev, when I realized that the Tu-22M had pretty fighter-like lines, even for a bomber. Some math revealed that reducing the aircraft by 50% in any dimension would yield a proper airframe, and so I started out searching for a 1:144 kit which would be turned into a fine 1:72 interceptor!
Strangely, respective kits are rare and expensive. The Dragon kit is 1st choice, but I found a re-boxed Dragon kit from 1985 under the obscure “New Craft” label (supposed to come from Japan) in North Carolina, only for US$12.
Its fuselage and wings would be taken 1:1. Three areas needed modification/donations, though. One issue is the tail fin. The Tu-22M’s fin, with its broad root section and the tail barbette, would not look good on a 1:72 kit, so it was completely replaced with a fin from a Panavia Tornado (Italeri). On the other end of the kit, I decided to implant a new front with a tandem cockpit. At first I just wanted to cut open the fuselage’s upper side, implant some seats and cover it with a TF-104 canopy, but I discarded it as impractical. Additionally, too much of the Tu-22M’s silhouette would be left.
As a surprising solution I found that the forward fuselage from a Su-15 (I had fuselage parts from a PM single-seated version still in the scrap box from my Ha-410 project) could be easily transplanted onto the Tu-22M fuselage, just in front of the air intakes! Dimensions and shape fit VERY well, and since the PM kit is cheap and widely available I ordered a NiB Su-15UM (a two-seater) from PM as a donation kit, for just US$8, instead of fighting with the single-seater.
The rest were rather minor modifications: the cockpit interior was built from scratch, with dashboards from a Tornado IDS, two IAI Kfir ejection seats and side consoles made from styrene strips. Nothing fancy, but the PM kit is totally bleak... Externally, the fairing for the 1:144 AS-6 ‘Kingfisher’ missile was closed (with a piece of styrene, cut to size), jet nozzles from a Tornado IDS added (drilled open and simply glued onto the Tu-22M nozzles), and a spine implanted between the canopy and the fin.
The landing gear is also completely new: the front wheel comes from a F-18 (reversed, though), the tandem bogies for the main landing gear are leftover pieces from a VEB Plasticart Tu-20/95 bomber kit, placed on struts from a F-117 kit and fitted with wheels which actually belong to the dolly in a Amodel X-20M missile kit.
The missiles are leftover pieces from a wrecked Italeri Tornado F.3. The drop tanks belong to a Revell F-16 - I originally wanted to use even bigger ones, from a vintage "box-scale" F-100 from Revell, but these proved to be to bulbous: they'd contact the landing gear.
Painting and markings
While a lot of Soviet design went into this aircraft, the idea of a Canadian alternative/successor to the F-101 and CF-105 prevailed. Additionally, I also organized a complete marking set for CAF CF-101s (from Wintervalley in Canada), so that authentic markings could be applied. While it sounds a bit boring, the simple, all-grey livery of CAF interceptors suits the Kodiak’s elegant lines well. Hence, the whole aircraft was painted in glossy FS16515 (Testors 2039), with a black radome and a blue fin rudder with three black stripes (a 409 Squadron marking) – very simple.
In order to emphasize details and pint out panel lines the model received a wash with thin black ink, as well as some dry-painting with lighter shades of grey on the upper surfaces. Canadian aircraft look rather tidy, so a thorough weathering or true worn look was not intended.
Cockpit interior was painted in medium grey (Humbrol 140), the landing gear as well as the air intakes in white (Humbrol 130). The landing gear interior was painted white, too, everything was kept rather simple. Additionally, some weathering and stains were added with dry-brushed shades of grey.
As mentioned before, all markings come from an aftermarket decal sheet from Wintervalley Model Products from Canada (now Canuck Models). Great stuff - if you search for authentic and high quality markings for ‘something Canadian’, look there!
Finally, everything was sealed under a coat of Tamiya Semi Gloss acryllic varnish, just the glare shield in front of the cockpit became totally matt.
What should I say? An idea that lingered for months finally became hardware, and it is a big and impressive bird. Surely, with the real CF-105 background, this model has a melancholic touch... Who knows what might have been if the CF-105 had not been axed in the late 50ies...? Maybe the Kodiak! ^^
