Q&A · 1:30:14-1:31:31

The CL-84 Dynavert and the limits of contemporary flight controls

Further development of the Canadian CL-84 could have produced a Commonwealth VTOL aircraft by the Falklands War, with control technology identified as a likely obstacle.

Question

What might have happened if the Canadian CL-84 Dynavert had entered service?

Short answer

It could have provided a Commonwealth VTOL aircraft by the Falklands War, although control technology appears to have lagged behind the rest of the design.

Notes

The Canadian CL-84 had demonstrated that its experimental concept could work. Continued development could have put a VTOL aircraft into Commonwealth service by the Falklands War. That creates a possible alternative history in which the aircraft served in the conflict and remained in wider use afterward. Control technology appears to have been a principal difficulty because it had not kept pace with the other technology.