[Renegade 13]

There are unfortunately many examples of great aircraft that were scrapped due to politics.

A classic example is the Avro Arrow (CF-105). In the '50's, Canada commissioned the creation of a new fighter-interceptor to counter the threat of new Soviet long-range bombers. It was feared the Soviets would send their bombers the short way to North America, over the North Pole. These fighters were designed to intercept, and destroy the bombers before they reached inhabited areas.

In 1958 after 4 years of production, the first Arrow was completed. However, shortly thereafter, the current government was voted out. The new government, for some inexplicable reason, killed the project, even after a few prototypes had been constructed. All prototypes, blueprints, everything the gov't could get their hands on was destroyed. If the Arrow was allowed to enter service in the Canadian Airforce, they'd in some ways be more advanced than the aircraft of the Canadian military today.

I've left a lot out of the story, but it was simply tragic what happened to the project, if you are familiar with it's history.

If you're curious about the aviation "firsts" that the Avro Arrow incorporated, take a look at This List , it shows the many innovations the Arrow had (remember the year was 1958!)

Some more interesting info on thrust:weight ratios:

At a combined 60,000-Ib thrust for an approximate 60,000-Ib aircraft, the Iroquois would have provided a 1:1 thrust to weight ratio. This would have given the Arrow a better than Mach 2 speed and perhaps Mach 3, limitations due to structural heating, not lack of power.

Another webpage with historical, political, and technical information