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This drawing shows the principal features of the Avro Canada MX 1794 which used a very powerful turbo-ramjet propulsion system. USAF craft was to be entirely fabricated from 300- series stainless steel of 0.43in (10.92mm) thickness. Studies conducted by the Hughes Aircraft Company and Ramo-Wooldridge Corp in 1956 indicated that the radar/fire con- trol system for this aircraft would weigh 2,055 Ib (932kg) and require 41ft* (1.16m*) of space. There was also the question of exactly where to position the radar dish at the front of the aircraft. As an interceptor Project 1794 would have been armed with a 20mm Gatling Gun and two Sparrow air-to-air missiles (AAMs) or conceivably two AIR-2A Genie rockets with nuclear warheads or two long-range AIM-26A. nuclear-tipped Falcon AAMs. The USAF did not favour carrying external weapons and fuel tanks because the aircraft’s performance was dependent on its aerodynamic cleanli- ness, but it finally decided that the easiest option was to mount both missiles on exter- nal launch rails. This gave a noticeable reduc- tion in performance when the additional drag was taken into account. As a fully equipped interceptor the aircraft would weigh approxi- mately 32,000 Ib (14,514kg). Studies were conducted into adapting the Project 1794 aircraft for daylight high-altitude photo-reconnaissance operations and an internal camera system similar to that used in the U-2 spyplane would have been carried, although no technical details of this variant have been released by the USAF. Interesting enough, Dick Cantrell of Lockheed’s Skunk Works is said to have once remarked that a flying saucer shape represented the ultimate in low observability and this wouldn’t have escaped the attention of designers during the 1950s. The possibility of turning Project 1794 into an interdictor or light bomber was exam- ined briefly, but any recommendations are unknown. Needless to say, any ordnance would have been carried externally. Amore robust cockpit canopy than that on Silver Bug was proposed for the operational 1794 aircraft, which would have coped well with sustained high-speed flight, although vis- ibility might have been degraded by the use of extra metal sections. The USAF recognised that any pilot flying a discplane with a cen- trally located cockpit would experience seri- ous visibility restrictions because a good proportion of the ground is obscured in level flight, so a periscope system was suggested to provide a view below the aircraft. As Project FLIGHT CONTROL SHUTTERS TRIM FLAME HOLDERS INTERNAL AIRFLOW DUCTS PILOT'S CANOPY IMPELLER ASM-VIPER 8 ENGINE ENGINE AIR INTAKE 6-VIPER DUCTED FAN RAMJET DESIGN TURBINE ENGINE ACCESS PANEL UPPER INTAKE INTEGRAL FUEL TANKS LOWER INTAKE UPPER IMPELLER AND TURBINE UPPER AND LOWER INTAKES FAME HOLDERS OUTER a wring INNER WING DIFFUSER SECTION ‘TURBINE EXHAUST LOWER IMPELLER AND TURBINE PLoT’s COCKPIT 6A. S.M. VIPER 8 ENGINES ENGINE TAILPIPE SECTION A-A 69 Avro Canada MX 1794 drawings. USAF Canada’s Cold War Saucers