The Arrow was a slick ship. The most citied explanation for her demise is budget troubles.
I used to think I knew a lot about military aircraft but now realize my knowledge is pretty limited. I was lucky in a couple of respects.
During the 50’s and 60’s when I was growing up, my Father worked at Eglin AFB. He was responsible for heating and AC for both the King Hangar and a large office bldg. beside it.
When he was on the night shift, he would sometimes let me go to work with him. Daddy always kept a pot of coffee on and got to know all the APs. They would let a ten year old boy roam around all the planes with no problem. They just told me not to get inside them.
There was always a few dozen from F100s, F104s, F105’s B52’s, B58’s, and all kinds of others. By the time I was grown there were F4’s. One day I noticed a new black one. It was the SR71 or whatever they called it back in the early 60’s.
Also where we lived, I could go up to the highest part of our pasture with binoculars and watch fighters and fighter-bombers go on their bomb/strafing runs. I would not see them deliver the ordinance but could hear the guns and both feel and hear the bombs going off. Then I would see them zoom back in the air basically making a circle for another run.
I bought a used Nippon Kogaku binocular at a pawn shop in Ft. Walton Bch. They had been pawned by some airman I guess and no one knew what they were. They were actually Nikon and extremely good. Just the thing for viewing aircraft in the air.