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Saunders-Roe SR.53. The RAF’s choice for development of a high-performance mixed- propulsion interceptor to counter the anticipated Soviet bomber threat. Saunders-Roe via Bill Rose Saunders-Roe SR.177 proposed mixed-propulsion interceptor to counter the expected Soviet bomber threat. Saunders-Roe via Bill Rose Republic’s XF-103 turbo-ramjet interceptor was the USAF’s high-tech solution to intercepting Soviet bombers crossing the North Pole. This advanced project was never completed. via Bill Rose ments. There were nine submissions from major contractors to the MX 1554/WS-201A requirement and the choice was then nar- rowed down to designs from Consolidated Vultee (later Convair), Lockheed and Repub- lic. The USAF finally selected Republic’s AP-57 proposal for a very exotic high-altitude Mach 3.7, turbo-ramjet-powered interceptor and this received the official designation XF-103. At the same time Convair’s delta-winged design, based on research undertaken by Dr Alexander Lippisch, was revised and also received the green light, eventually becoming the lower-performance F-102A Delta Dagger. In 1951, the USAF ordered two prototype XF-103s with airframes built from exotic titanium alloy, but development was painfully slow. Although there were some major tech- nical challenges for Republic’s design team lead by Alexander Kartveli (who had been responsible for the P-47 Thunderbolt) most of the issues concerning the XF-103 manned 55 Canada’s Cold War Saucers