B-57B Canberra

rogerio almeida
1 The plane

1.1 Intro:
The Canberra Martin B-57 is a tactical bomber (aimed at destroying targets of immediate military value, such as ground troops, installations and military equipment), twin-engined jet built in the 1950s. It's the British version of English Electric Canberra produced under license from the Glenn L. Martin Company. Initially built models (B-57A) were very similar to the English ones; From the B-57B version on were introduced modifications that brought personality to the North American plane.

B-57B:
[img1]

1.2 Origins:
It was developed by English Electric during the mid-to-late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havilland Mosquito fast-bomber. Amongst the performance requirements for the type was the demand for an outstanding high altitude bombing capability in addition to flying at high speeds.
Rather than devote space and weight to defensive armament which historically could not overcome fighter aircraft, the Canberra was designed to fly fast and high enough to avoid air-to-air combat entirely.
In the United States, due to Korean war, the US Air Force had identified the need to replace the obsolete B-26 Invader and had determined that, at the time, no home-produced aircraft designs could get close to what the Canberra could already offer. Following a competition against rivals such as the Martin XB-51, it was decided to order a total of 403 Canberras. These aircraft were manufactured as the B-57 Canberra under licence by Martin, who would develop several versions of the aircraft themselves. The first examples were the identical to the original English Electric aircraft, following which tandem crew seating was introduced, but later B-57 models were considerably modified.

The first prototype flew in England on 05/13/1949; The entry into service at the RAF occurred two years later in August 1951. In the case of B-57, in 1951 English Electric provided to Martin factory 2 units to serve as a starting point for the american production, as well as for performance testing and validation of possible structural changes. The first Canberra flight built in the USA (B-57A) occurred on 07/20/53. The definitive version (B-57B), which incorporated significant improvements, flew on 06/18/1954.

B-57A (note side-by-side cockpit lado-a-lado and front bomber compartiment):
[img1]

1.3 Brief operacional historic:

Canberras served in the Suez Crisis, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Indo-Pakistani wars, and numerous African conflicts. In several wars, each of the opposing sides had Canberras in their air forces. The Canberra had a lengthy service life, serving for more than 50 years with some operators. In June 2006, the RAF retired the last of its Canberras, 57 years after its first flight. Three of the Martin B-57 variant remain in service, performing meteorological work for NASA, as well as providing electronic communication (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node or BACN) testing for deployment to Afghanistan.

Nasa's Canberra: [img1]

The Canberra was used extensively during the Vietnam War in a bombing capacity; dedicated versions of the type were also produced and served as high-altitude aerial reconnaissance platforms (the Martin RB-57D Canberra), and as electronic warfare aircraft.

1.4 Main versions of the B-57:

Several other minor differences were also present between early US-built and UK-built Canberras; these changes included the canopy and fuselage windows being slightly revised, the crew being reduced from three to two, the adoption of wingtip fuel tanks, engine nacelles were modified with additional cooling scoops, and the conventional "clamshell" bomb bay doors were replaced with a low-drag rotating door originally designed for the XB-51. As a result of these changes, the bomb bay of the US-built aircraft was slightly smaller than its UK-built counterparts in order to allow the American aircraft to carry more fuel; however, the overall external shape of the Canberra remained unchanged

B-57A: Initial version, built practically without modifications from the English variant B2, only with change of engines;
B-57B: Of the external changes, the most significant was the adoption of a fighter-style canopy accompanied by a flat-panel windshield and a tandem seating arrangement, providing for greater transparency and an improved view for both the pilot and navigator, as well as allowing for a gunsight to be equipped, the corresponding glazed bombing nose of the B-57A was deleted along with the starboard crew entrance to the cockpit. In terms of armaments, a total of four hardpoints attached to the outer wing panels were installed on this variant, capable of mounting external bombs and rockets; In addition, hydraulically-operated triangular air brakes were installed on the rear fuselage, which worked in addition with the existing 'finger'-type brakes installed in the wings; the new brakes gave the pilots a greater level of controllability, improving the accuracy of low-level bombing runs.
B-57C: Training version;
RB-57x: Photo-reconnaissance;
EB-57x: ECM aircraft;
WB-57: Air Weather Service;

1.5 Relevant facts:
When the Canberra was introduced to service with the Royal Air Force (RAF), the type's first operator, in May 1951, it became the service's first jet-powered bomber aircraft.
In February 1951, a Canberra set a world record when it became the first jet aircraft to make a non-stop transatlantic flight.
In 1957, one Canberra established a world altitude record of 70,310 ft (21,430 m).
The B-57 Canberra holds the distinction of being the first jet bomber in U.S. service to drop bombs during combat.
In 1983, the USAF opted to retire the type; the B-57 Canberra's retirement marked the ending of the era of the tactical bomber.
The global production for the Canberras totaled 1,352 aircraft.

1.6 General characteristics and performance (B-57B):
1.6.1 General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot,navigator )
Length: 65 ft, 6 in (20.0 m)
Wingspan: 64 ft 0 in (19.5 m)
Height: 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m)
Empty weight: 27,090 lb (12,285 kg)
Loaded weight: 40,345 lb (18,300 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 53,720 lb (24,365 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright J65-W-5 turbojets, 7,220 lbf (32.1 kN) each

1.6.2 Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 0.79 (598 mph, 960 km/h) at 2,500 ft (760 m)
Cruise speed: 476 mph (414 knots, 765 km/h)
Stall speed: 124 mph (108 knots, 200 km/h)
Combat radius: 950 mi (825 nm, 1,530 km) with 5,250 lb (2,380 kg) of bombs

1.6.3 Armament
Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M39 cannon, 290 rounds/gun
Bombs:
4,500 lb (2,000 kg) in bomb bay, including nuclear bombs
2,800 lb (1,300 kg) on four external hardpoints, including unguided rockets

1.7 Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wik..sh_Electric_Canberra (access in 07/04/2017)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_B-57_Canberra (access in 07/04/2017)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_bombing (access in 07/04/2017)

1.8 To learn more:
Book at Amazon: amazon.com.br/Englis..ctric+canberra+bruce