01431 MARTIN B-57A/RB-57A NIGHT INTRUDER

The Martin B-57 Canberra was an American tactical jet bomber from the Cold War period. The flight of the plane took place in 1953, and its service in the US Air Force lasted from 1954-1983. In total, about 400 aircraft of this type were built. The propulsion - in the B-57 B version - was provided by two Wright J-65-W-5 turbojet engines. The on-board armament of the aircraft consisted of four 20 mm Mk.39 cannons. The machine could also carry bomb loads of up to 2,000 kilograms. The Martin B-57 Canberra was in fact a license version of the British English Electric Canberra. The first B-57s were virtually identical to British planes, but over time, the share of elements produced by the American aviation industry increased, as well as new versions more and more different from the British prototype were created. In the course of production, many development versions of the B-57 were created, among which the following can be indicated: B-57E (training version), B-57G (version with enriched avionics) or RB-57A (photo recognized version). Machines of this type were exported to, among others: Pakistan. They took part in the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975) and the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.