Air Power

Martin EB-57B 'Canberra'

The B-57 is a modified version of the English Electric Canberra which was first flown in Britain on May 13, 1949, and later produced for the Royal Air Force (RAF). After the Korean Conflict began in 1950, the USAF looked for a jet medium bomber to replace the aging Douglas B-26 Invader. In March 1951, the USAF contracted with the Glenn L. Martin Co. to build the Canberra in the U.S. under a licensing agreement with English Electric. The Martin-built B-57 made its first flight on July 20, 1953, and when production ended in 1959, a total of 403 Canberras had been produced for the USAF.

The aircraft pictured is one of 202 B-57Bs built by Martin. In the early 1960s it was assigned to Aeronautical Systems Division at Wright-Patterson AFB as a test aircraft. In 1965 it was selected for return to combat configuration to replace combat losses in Southeast Asia. It arrived at Clark AB, Phillipines on March 20, 1967 and was assigned to the 8th Bomb Squadron at Phan Rang, South Vietnam, from where it flew combat missions for 2 1/2 years. Then, it was brought back to the U.S., converted to an electronic countermeasures EB-57B, and assigned to the Kansas Air National Guard (ANG) and later to the Vermont ANG.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 64 ft.
Length: 65 ft. 6 in.
Height: 15 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 58,800 lbs. max.
Armament: None
Engines: Two Wright J65-W-5s or two Buick J65-BW-5s of 7,220 lbs. thrust each
Crew: Pilot and electronic warfare officer
Cost: $1,264,000

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 570 mph.
Cruising speed: 450 mph.
Range: 2,000 miles
Service Ceiling: 49,000 ft.