Printer-friendly version
PDF version
B-57 Canberra jet aircraft became a familiar sight at Hill Air Force Base during the mid- and late 1950s. Two of the base's early associate flying units were equipped with them; namely, Tactical Air Command's 461st Bombardment Wing (Light), and Air Defense Command's 4677th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron. Both units were assigned here initially in late 1953. Upon their arrival, both flew World War II vintage propeller-driven aircraft: the 461st with twin-engine B-26s and the 4677th with four-engine RB-29s.
On Nov. 19, 1954, Headquarters, Tactical Air Command, or TAC, announced that the 461st Bombardment Wing would convert from the B-26 to the B-57. Later, the 4677th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron converted from the RB-29 to the RB-57. After training, in part, from this base, both units provided B-57 capabilities in air combat operations throughout Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
Within the U.S. Air Force, the Korean Conflict and shortcomings of the weary B-26 accounted for the urgent procurement of a light tactical bomber. The new bomber became the Martin B-57, a by-product of the English Electric Canberra, the first British-built jet bomber, initially flown in 1949.
Manufactured by the Glen L. Martin Company, the B-57 air-to-ground combat series, also called "Night Intruder," could fly up to 500 knots, had a range of 2,000 miles, and a service ceiling of 42,000 feet. Each of the plane's twin engines had a thrust of 7,200 pounds. The B-57 Night Intruder was 64 feet long with a wing span of 65 feet. One of several American additions was a rotary bomb door instead of the British clam-shell door, which enabled quicker bomb release at high speed and in extreme maneuvers.
Other U.S. Air Force additions to the original B-57 included eight 50-caliber machine guns mounted along the wings and the capability to carry five-inch rockets and napalm tanks under the wings. The cockpit and canopy were also redesigned for more flight visibility for the pilot. These and other features, such as the addition of speed breaks on both sides of the aircraft, made this light bomber superior to prior models of similar planes.
Production of the B-57 occurred from 1953 to 1957 with a total of 403 built. They were operated by the Air Force, NASA, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Commerce Department, the Pakistan air force and the Republic of China air force. Of the 403 B-57s built, only two remain in flying condition, with NASA.
The B-57 is displayed in museums throughout the United States. In April of 1968, a photo reconnaissance B-57 was delivered to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. In 1982, it was transferred to the Hill Aerospace Museum where it commemorates our rich lineage and heritage in service to the country.
