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Throughout its first century of service (1924-2024), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) personnel have taken to the skies to assist, defend and represent Canadians, at home and abroad. As Canada’s Air Force marks its centennial, the $2 commemorative circulation coin features a design that spans 100 years of RCAF missions, machinery and milestones. Each Non-colourized Special Wrap Roll contains 25 engraved-only $2 coins featuring historic RCAF aircraft, past and present, that have been used to perform different roles throughout the RCAF’s first century of service—from air defence to search-and-rescue efforts.

Honouring one of Canada’s most fabled aircraft, the Avro Arrow.

Heralded in the 1950s as “the symbol of a new era for Canada in the air,” the Avro CF-105 Arrow was one of this nation’s greatest engineering achievements, its impressive altitude and Mach-2 speed capabilities making it one of the most advanced supersonic interceptor jets of its time. It captured the imagination of the Canadian public, and, long after the project’s cancellation in 1959, the Arrow lives on as a delta-winged symbol of Canadian ingenuity and technical achievement.

The first Arrow, RL-201, is featured on this 1 oz. fine silver coin, where the spirit of innovation that produced the storied aircraft is reflected in the waters of Lake Ontario—the very waters over which different scaled models were launched during the development phase between 1954 and 1957.

Remembering a made-in-Canada aeronautic marvel.