With the establishment of a subsidiary of Avro in Canada, work quickly began after World War II of an advanced radar equipped all-weather fighter which became the CF-100 Canuck. Suprisingly for a country with no previous experience in designing a completely indigenous combat aircrat, the CF-100 was regarded by many as one of the finest fighters of its time and was quickly trusted with defending Canada's vast territory against Soviet intruders. Of all metal construction, later versions of the CF-100 were equipped with a locally built Orenda turbojet, yet another example of the capabilities of the Canadian aircraft industry, as well as unguided missiles. CF-100s were eventually deployed to Europe and for a time were the only NATO aircraft capable of operating in zero visibility and poor weather, they were also exported to Belgium before being phased out by 1961 although trainers and electronic warfare versions continued to serve until 1981.

First flight of the prototype CF-100 Mk. 1 took place on 19 January 1950 and were equipped with Rolls-Royce Avon engines. Orenda engines were first installed in the pre-production Mk. 2 and the production Mk. 3. The Mk. 4A was a considerably improved variant with new radar and unguided missiles while the Mk. 4B was similar but with an upgraded powerplant. The last major version was the Mk. 5 with a modified structure and increased span wings and tailplane. A proposed Mk. 6 would have included Sparrow air-to-air missiles and afterburning engines but did not enter production.