B-57 Canberra

The B-57 Canberra was a modified version of the English Electric Canberra, first flown in Britain on May 13, 1949. In March 1951, the USAF contracted the Glenn L. Martin Co. to build the B-57 in the United States under a licensing agreement with Britain. The Martin-built B-57 made its first flight on July 20, 1953, and production ended in 1959 after 403 B-57s were produced for the USAF. Known as the "Night Intruder," the B-57 Canberra was a medium jet bomber intended to replace the aging Douglas B-26 Invader. The B-57B was the most produced model and included tandem seating for the crew, a bomb door with bombs mounted on its inner surface, and armament of machine guns or cannons. This EB-57B, serial number 52-1516, was last flown by the 158th Air National Guard at Burlington, VT, and was one of only 22 B-57Bs converted to EB-57Bs. The B-57 served in Vietnam, where 94 were assigned to the theater and 51 were lost in combat. This aircraft is depicted in its black "Night Intruder" paint scheme as a B-57B assigned to the 8th Bomb Squadron, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Phan Rang AB, Vietnam.

Florida · United States