English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first - generation jet - powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s . The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70 , 310 ft ( 21 , 430 m ) in 1957 . Due to its ability to evade the early jet interceptor s , and its significant performance advancement over contemporary piston - engined bombers , the Canberra was a popular export product and served with many nations . In addition to being a tactical nuclear strike aircraft , the Canberra proved to be highly adaptable , serving in varied roles such as tactical bombing and photographic and electronic reconnaissance . Canberras served in the Suez Crisis , the Vietnam War , the Falklands War , the Indo - Pakistani Wars , and numerous African conflicts . In several wars , both of the opposing forces had Canberras in their air forces . The Canberra was retired by its first operator , the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) , in June 2006 , 57 years after its first flight . Two 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 . Development . Background . The Canberra had its origins in a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the de Havilland Mosquito – a high altitude , high - speed bomber with no defensive armament . Several British aircraft manufacturers submitted proposals . Among the companies short - listed to proceed with development studies was English Electric , a well - established industrial manufacturer with very little aircraft design experience , though when a desperate need for bombers arose during the early years of the Second World War , English Electric had built the Handley Page Hampden and later the Handley Page Halifax four - engined bomber under licence . In 1944 , Westland Aircraft ' s technical director and chief designer W . E . W . Petter prepared a design study for a twin - engined fighter bomber , the P . 1056 , based on two fuselage - mounted Metrovick F . 2 / 4 " Beryl " engines . The authorities doubted its suitability for operations from unprepared fields and at low altitude but could see its potential as a bomber design ; numerous manufacturers refused to take on the design . Petter left Westland to join the English Electric company in December 1944 , where he was encouraged to develop his design , EE formed its own in - house aircraft design team in the following year . In June 1945 , the design of the aircraft that was to become the Canberra bore many similarities to the eventual design , despite the placement of a single , centrally - mounted turbojet engine ; two wing - mounted engines were adopted later that year . On 7 January 1946 , the Ministry of Supply placed a contract for the development and production of four English Electric A . 1 aircraft . It continued to be known as the English Electric A . 1 until it received the name " Canberra " after the capital of Australia in January 1950 by Sir George Nelson , chairman of English Electric , as Australia was the first export customer for the aircraft . The Canberra had a simple design , looking somewhat like a scaled - up Gloster Meteor with a mid wing . The fuselage was circular in cross section , tapered at both ends and , cockpit aside , entirely without protrusions ; the line of the large , low - aspect ratio wings was broken only by the tubular engine nacelles . The use of swept - wings was examined but decided against as the expected operational speeds did not warrant it , and it would have introduced unresolved aerodynamic problems to what was aimed at being a straightforward replacement for the RAF ' s Hawker Typhoon and Westland Whirlwind fighter - bombers . Although jet powered , the Canberra design philosophy was very much in the Mosquito mould , providing room for a substantial bomb load , fitting two of the most powerful engines available , and wrapping it in the most compact and aerodynamic package possible . Rather than devote space and weight to defensive armament which historically could not overcome purpose - designed fighter aircraft , the Canberra was designed to fly fast and high enough to avoid air - to - air combat entirely . Prototypes and first flights . The Air Ministry specification B . 3 / 45 had requested the production of four prototypes . English Electric began construction of these in early 1946 . All the prototypes were built on jigs . However , due to post - war military reductions , the first aircraft did not fly until 13 May 1949 . By the time the first prototype had flown , the Air Ministry had already ordered 132 production aircraft in bomber , reconnaissance , and training variants . The prototype proved vice - free and required only a few modifications . A new glazed nose had to be fitted to accommodate a bomb - aimer because the advanced H2S Mk9 bombing radar was not ready for production , the turbojet engines were upgraded to the more powerful Rolls - Royce Avon R . A . 3s , and distinctive teardrop - shaped fuel tanks were fitted under the wingtips . The resultant aircraft , designated the Canberra B2 , first flew on 21 April 1950 , piloted by Roland Beamont . Proving to be fairly free of problems , this first flight was almost immediately followed by the manufacturing of production Canberras , entering squadron service with RAF No . 101 Squadron in May 1951 . In a testament to the aircraft ' s benign handling characteristics , the transition program consisted of only 20 hours in the Gloster Meteor and three hours in the dual - control Canberra trainer . With a maximum speed of 470 kt ( 871 km / h ) , a standard service ceiling of 48 , 000 ft ( 14 , 600 m ) , and the ability to carry a payload , the Canberra was an instant success . It was built in 27 versions that equipped 35 RAF squadrons , and was exported to more than 15 countries , including Australia , Argentina , Chile , Ecuador , Ethiopia , France , India , New Zealand , Pakistan , Peru , Rhodesia , South Africa , Sweden , Venezuela and West Germany . Photo - reconnaissance and conversion roles . The strategic reconnaissance role within the RAF had been carried out by the de Havilland Mosquito ; in 1946 the Air Ministry issued Specification PR . 31 / 46 as a jet - powered replacement for the Mosquito . To meet the requirement , the B2 design was modified by adding a bay forward of the wing behind the cockpit to house seven cameras . It also had an additional fuel tank in the forward part of the bomb bay and only needed a two - man crew . The prototype , designated PR3 , first flew on 19 March 1950 , followed by the first of 35 production aircraft on 31 July 1952 . It entered service in December 1952 when No . 540 Squadron RAF began to convert from the Mosquito PR . 34 . The Canberra PR3 was the first purely photographic aircraft ever designed for the RAF . To enable crews to convert to flying the Canberra , a trainer version was developed to meet Air Ministry Specification T2 / 49 . The prototype designated T4 first flew on 12 June 1951 . It was the same basic design as the B2 apart from the introduction of side - by - side seating for the pilot and the instructor and the replacement of the glazed nose with a solid nose . The first production T4 flew on 20 September 1953 and the variant entered service with No . 231 Operational Conversion Unit RAF in early 1954 . As well as the operational conversion unit , all the B2 - equipped bomber squadrons received at least one T4 for training . Manufacturing abroad . In the United States , where the US Air Force needed to replace the B - 26 Invader , 403 Canberras were manufactured under licence by Martin as the B - 57 Canberra in several versions . The first examples were almost the same as the English Electric pattern aircraft , apart from the tandem crew seating but later models were substantially different . In Australia , the Government Aircraft Factory ( GAF ) built 48 for the Royal Australian Air Force , broadly similar to the British B2 but with a modified leading edge , increased fuel capacity and room for three starter cartridges , although in practice all three cartridges would sometimes fire , leading to the triple starter units being loaded singly . In the United Kingdom , the demand for Canberras exceeded English Electric ' s ability to manufacture the aircraft ; thus several other British aviation firms , Handley Page , Avro and Short Brothers , manufactured the Canberra under licence . A total of 901 Canberras were manufactured in the UK , of world production of 1 , 352 aircraft . Design . The Canberra is constructed mostly of metal , only the forward portion of the tail - fin being made from wood . The wing is of single - spar construction that passes through the aircraft ' s fuselage ; the wingspan and total length of the Canberra were almost identical at just under 20 metres . Outboard of the engine nacelles , the wing has a leading - edge sweep of 4° and trailing - edge sweep of −14° . Controls are conventional with ailerons , four - section flaps , and airbrakes on top and bottom surfaces of the wings . The fuselage of the Canberra is of semi - monocoque construction with a pressurised nose compartment . Due to the use of a new alloy , DTD683 , the undercarriages of the Canberra suffered from stress corrosion , which caused them to decay within a few years . The extreme hazard posed of undercarriages collapsing during landings , especially if the aircraft were carrying nuclear weapons , led the RAF to institute regular inspections , at first using radiography before moving to more effective and reliable ultrasound technology . Thrust was provided by a pair of 30 kN axial flow Rolls - Royce Avon turbojets . The manufacturer specified that Coffman engine starter s should be used to start the engine . An improvised method of starting the engine using compressed air was heavily discouraged by Rolls - Royce , but some operators successfully operated the Canberra ' s engines in such a manner , the benefit being significant cost savings over cartridges . The aircraft ' s maximum take - off weight was a little under 25 tonnes . It was designed for a crew of two under a fighter - style canopy , but delays in the development of the intended automatic radar bombsight resulted in the addition of a bomb aimer ' s position in the nose . Each crew member has a Martin - Baker ejection seat except in the B ( I ) 8 and its export versions where the navigator makes use of an escape hatch and parachute . The Canberra could deploy many conventional weapons , typical weapons used were 250 - pound , 500 - pound , and 1000 - pound bombs , the total bomb load could weigh up to . Two bomb - bays are housed within the fuselage , these are normally enclosed by conventional clam - shell doors ; this was substituted for a rotating door on the Martin - built B - 57 Canberras . Additional stores up to a total of could be carried upon underwing pylons . Operators such as Rhodesia developed their own munitions such as anti - personnel bomblets , the " Alpha bomb " , and adapted these for use by their Canberra fleets . Anti - personnel flechette bombs were tested successfully from the Canberra by Rhodesia , but not used operationally due to international agreements . In part due to its range limitation of just , and its inability to carry the early , bulky nuclear bombs , the Canberra acted as more of a tactical bomber than a strategic one . Many Canberras that were stationed at remote overseas locations did not undertake modifications to become nuclear - capable until as late as 1957 . Operational history . Royal Air Force . The Canberra B2 started to enter service with 101 Squadron in January 1951 , with 101 Squadron being fully equipped by May , and a further squadron , No . 9 Squadron equipping by the end of the year . The production of the Canberra was accelerated as a result of the outbreak of the Korean War , orders for the aircraft increased and outpaced production capacity , as the aircraft was designated as a " " super priority " " . A further five squadrons were able to be equipped with the Canberra by the end of 1952 ; however , production in the 1951 – 52 period had only been half of the level planned , due to shortages in skilled manpower , material , and suitable machine tools . The Canberra replaced Mosquito s , Lincolns and Washingtons as front line bombers , showing a drastically improved performance , and proving to be effectively immune from interception during air defence exercises until the arrival of the Hawker Hunter . The Canberra also replaced the RAF ' s Mosquitos in the reconnaissance role , with the Canberra PR3 entering service in December 1952 . The improved Canberra B6 , with more powerful engines and a greater fuel capacity , started to supplement the B2s in the UK based squadrons of Bomber Command from June 1954 , when they replaced 101 Squadrons B2s . This freed up older B2s to allow Canberra squadrons to form overseas , with bomber and reconnaissance Canberra wings forming in RAF Germany and on Cyprus , with squadrons also being deployed to the Far East . The PR7 variant of the Canberra , equipped with longer , fuel - filled wings and the Avon 109 engines , executed a 1953 reconnaissance flight over the Soviet rocket launch and development site at Kapustin Yar , although the UK government has never admitted the existence of such a flight . Warned by either radar or agents inside the British government , the Soviets damaged and almost shot down the aircraft . Further reconnaissance flights are alleged to have taken place along , and over , the borders of the Soviet Union in 1954 under the code name " Project Robin " , using the Canberra B2 " WH726 " . The USAF also used the Canberra for reconnaissance flights . The aircraft were no longer required after June 1956 , following the introduction of the US Lockheed U - 2 purpose - built reconnaissance aircraft ; " Project Robin " was then terminated . These RAF Canberra overflights were later featured in the 1994 BBC " Timewatch " episode ; " Spies in the Sky " , and included interviews with some of the Soviet MiG - 15 pilots who had attempted to intercept them . The Canberra was the victorious aircraft flown in The Last Great Air Race from London to Christchurch in 1953 , piloted by Flight Lieutenant Roland ( Monty ) Burton , which touched down at Christchurch 41 minutes ahead of its closest rival – after 23hr 51min in the air ; to this day the record has never been broken . The Vickers Valiant entered service in 1955 , capable of carrying much heavier weapon loads ( including the Blue Danube nuclear weapon ) over longer ranges than the Canberra . This led to the Bomber Command force of Canberras equipped for high - level conventional bombing to be gradually phased out . This did not mean the end of the Canberra in front line service , as it proved suitable for the low - level strike and ground attack role , and versions dedicated to this role were brought into service . The interim B ( I ) 6 , converted from the B6 by adding provision for a pack of four Hispano 20 mm cannon in the rear bomb bay and underwing pylons for bombs and rockets , entered service in 1955 , with the definitive , new build B ( I ) 8 , which added a new forward fuselage with a fighter - style canopy for the pilot , entering service in January 1956 . An important role for the new low - level force was tactical nuclear strike , using the Low Altitude Bombing System ( LABS ) to allow a nuclear bomb to be delivered from low level while allowing the bomber to escape the blast of the weapon . RAF Germany ' s force of four squadrons equipped with the B ( I ) 6 and B ( I ) 8 could carry US - owned Mark 7 nuclear bomb s , while three squadrons based on Cyprus and one at Singapore were armed with British - owned Red Beard nuclear weapons . Bomber Command retired the last of its Canberras on 11 September 1961 , but the Germany , Cyprus and Singapore based squadrons continued in the nuclear strike role . The Cyprus based squadrons and one of the RAF Germany squadrons disbanded in 1969 , with the Singapore based unit followed in 1970 . The three remaining RAF Germany units , which by now had replaced the old Mark 7 bombs with newer ( but still US - owned ) B43 nuclear bomb s , remained operational until 1972 , the last Canberra bombers in RAF service . The RAF continued to operate the Canberra after 1972 , employing it for reconnaissance ( with Squadrons equipped with PR7s and PR9s being based at RAF Wyton in the UK and RAF Luqa in Malta . The PR9s were fitted with special LOROP ( Long - Range Optical Photography ) cameras , reportedly based on those used by the Lockheed U - 2 , to allow high - altitude of targets deep into Eastern Europe while flying along the inner German border , as well as infrared linescan cameras for low level night reconnaissance . The RAF used Canberras to search for hidden arms dumps using false - colour photography during Operation Motorman in July 1972 , when the British Army re - took Irish republican held " no go areas " in Belfast and Derry . Canberras were used for reconnaissance during the Bosnian War during the 1990s , where they were used to locate mass graves and during the Kosovo War in 1999 . They were also operated from Uganda during the First Congo War , where they were used to search for refugees . Small numbers of specially equipped Canberras were also used for signals intelligence , being operated by 192 Squadron and then 51 Squadron from 1953 to 1976 . During the Falklands War , a plan to supply two PR9s to the Chilean Air Force , and secretly operate them with RAF crews over the war zone , was abandoned for political reasons . The aircraft got as far as Belize before the operation was cancelled . The PR9 variant remained in service with No . 39 ( 1 PRU ) Squadron until July 2006 for strategic reconnaissance and photographic mapping , seeing service in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and , up to June 2006 , in Afghanistan . During a ceremony to mark the standing down of 39 ( 1 PRU ) Squadron at RAF Marham on 28 July 2006 , a flypast by a Canberra PR9 on its last ever sortie was conducted . Royal Australian Air Force . Shortly after the end of the Second World War , the Australian government began reorganising the armed forces . The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) developed Plan " D " for its postwar structure , built around the concept of a small , agile air arm employing leading edge technology . The RAAF decided to acquire the Canberra to replace or complement the Avro Lincoln , though fears were raised that the new design was not especially advanced . While Australia never introduced nuclear weapons into service , the Canberra ' s ability to carry such a payload was a factor in its acquisition ; Australia ' s planned force of 48 Canberras , with the potential for being nuclear - armed , was viewed as far more potent and deterring than the entire RAAF ' s wartime forces of 254 heavy bombers . The first Australian - built Canberra first flew on 29 May 1953 at Avalon and was delivered to the RAAF for service trials a few weeks later . The Canberra entered Australian service in December 1953 . From July 1950 to July 1960 , during the Malayan Emergency , Canberras from Australia , New Zealand and the UK were deployed into the Malaysia to fight against Communist guerillas . In 1967 , the RAAF deployed eight Canberras from a squadron of B20s to the Vietnam War . The unit , No . 2 Squadron , was later commended for its performance by the United States Air Force . The Canberras were typically operated in the low - level bombing role , taking over South Vietnam ' s southern most military regions III and IV responsibilities allowing USAF bombers to deploy their aircraft to the Ho Chi Minh trail . While USAF Canberras were equipped with . 50 caliber machine guns or 20mm cannons for strafing , Australian Canberras were deployed to South Vietnam without guns , hence were deployed strictly for low level bombing missions . Upon their re - deployment from Vietnam in 1971 , No . 2 Squadron had flown approximately 12 , 000 sorties and dropped 76 , 389 bombs , and lost two of their aircraft to missiles and ground fire during the course of the war . As early as 1954 , Australia recognised that the Canberra was becoming outdated , and evaluated aircraft such as the Avro Vulcan and Handley - Page Victor as potential replacements . The Canberra was incapable of providing adequate coverage of Indonesia from Australian bases , and was evaluated as having a " very low " chance of survival if it encounted modern fighters like the MiG - 17 . Political pressure for a Canberra replacement rose to a head in 1962 . Australia evaluated the BAC TSR - 2 , Dassault Mirage IV , McDonnell Douglas F - 4 Phantom II and North American A - 5 Vigilante , and initially appeared to favour the TSR - 2 , but chose to procure the General Dynamics F - 111C in October 1963 . Due in part to delays in the delivery of the F - 111Cs , the Canberra continued to be used by Australia for a total of 29 years before its retirement in June 1982 . Indian Air Force . The Canberra was the backbone of the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) for bombing raids and photo - reconnaissance for many decades . Negotiations to acquire the Canberra as a replacement for the short - lived and obsolete Consolidated B - 24 Liberator bombers then being used by India began in 1954 . During the extended negotiations between Britain and India , the Soviet Union is alleged to have offered their own jet bomber , the Ilyushin Il - 28 , at a significantly lower price than that asked for the Canberra ; by April 1956 , however , the Indian government was in favour of the purchase . In January 1957 India placed a large order for the Canberra ; a total of 54 B ( I ) 58 bombers , eight PR57 photo - reconnaissance aircraft , and six T4 training aircraft were ordered , deliveries began in the summer of that same year . A total of 12 more Canberras were ordered in September 1957 , as many as 30 more may have also been purchased by 1962 . First used in combat by the IAF in 1962 , the Canberra was employed during the UN campaign against the breakaway Republic of Katanga in Africa . During the Indo - Pakistani Wars of the 1960s and 1970s , the Canberra was used by both sides . One of the worst combat loss incidents occurred on 1 September 1965 , when four Indian Canberras were shot down by Pakistani fighters . The most audacious use of the bomber was in the " " Raid on Badin " " during the Second Kashmir War , when the Indian Air Force sent in the Canberra to attack a critical Pakistani radar post in West Pakistan . The raid was a complete success , the radars in Badin having been badly damaged by the bombing and put out of commission . A later raid by the IAF was attempted on Peshawar Air base with the aim of destroying , amongst other targets , several Pakistani B - 57 bombers , American - built Canberras . Due to poor visibility , a road outside of the base was bombed , instead of the runway where PAF B - 57 bombers were parked . During the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 , Indian Canberras flew a strategically important sortie against the Karachi oil tanks , this had the effect of helping the Indian Navy in their own operations , a series of missile boat attacks against the Pakistani coast . On 21 May 1999 , prior to the commencement of the Kargil War , the Indian Air Force Air HQ assigned a Canberra PR57 aircraft on a photographic mission near the Line of Control , where it took a severe blow from a FIM - 92 Stinger infrared homing missile on the starboard engine ; the Canberra successfully returned to base using the other engine . The entire Indian Air Force Canberra fleet was grounded and then retired following the crash of an IAF Canberra in December 2005 . After 50 years of service , the Canberra was finally retired by the IAF on 11 May 2007 . Africa . During the Suez Crisis the RAF employed around 100 Canberras , flying conventional bombing and reconnaissance missions from airfields in both Malta and Cyprus . A total of 278 Canberra sorties were flown , dropping 1 , 439 1000 lb ( 450 kg ) bombs ; however low - level strikes by smaller fighters were judged to be more effective than the night time bombing operations performed by both the Canberra and the Vickers Valiant . In addition , many of the bombs , intended to hit Egyptian airfields , missed their targets , failing to inflict much damage to the Egyptian Air Force or to badly demoralise the enemy . While interception of the Canberra was within the capabilities of Egypt ' s MiG - 15 s and MiG - 17s , as shown by the interception of Canberras by MiG - 15s prior to the Anglo - French invasion , these did not result in any losses . The only Canberra shot down during the Suez campaign was a PR7 shot down by a Syrian Gloster Meteor fighter on 6 November 1956 , the last day of the war . The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland considered the Canberra an important objective to holding greater diplomatic sway in the African continent , and ongoing negotiations over the Baghdad treaty , and a step towards decolonisation . The Suez Crisis caused a delay in the sale , but in August 1957 18 Canberras had been earmarked to be refurbished and transferred from the RAF to the Royal Rhodesian Air Force ( RRAF ) . Both Rhodesia and South Africa used Canberras in their respective Bush War s ; numerous aircraft were lost in the conflicts . Rhodesian Canberras carried out attacks on Mozambique , often armed with cluster bombs , more limited raids on Zambia , and an attack upon a terrorist base in Angola . Ethiopia n Canberras were used against Eritrea and again against Somalia during the 1970s . Europe . The Swedish Air Force purchased two Canberras from the RAF in 1960 and had these modified to T11s by Boulton Paul . The aircraft were secretly modified in Sweden as espionage aircraft for eavesdropping on primarily Soviet , Polish and East German military radio transmissions , although this was not publicly admitted until 10 years later . The Canberras were given the designation Tp 52 , and taken into service as " testing aircraft " , until they were replaced by two Tp 85 Caravelle s in 1971 . South America . On 20 April 1960 , the Venezuelan Air Force used its Canberra B2 and B ( 1 ) 8s to bomb the airport at San Cristóbal , Táchira , which had been seized by rebels , led by General Jose Maria Castro León . The rebels surrendered shortly afterward . The Argentine Air Force received 10 B62s and two T64 trainers at the beginning of the 1970s . During the Falklands War in 1982 , eight of them were deployed to Trelew , 670 miles ( 1 , 080 km ) from the islands , to avoid congestion on the closer southern airfields . They were within operating range of the British task force , but the Canberra was judged to be a limited threat due to its poor manoeuvrability compared with the Sea Harrier s on air defence duties . On 1 May 1982 , during an attack on the British ships sailing towards the islands by several Israeli - built Dagger s and 3 Canberras , one of the bombers and at least one Dagger was shot down by responding Sea Harriers , firing AIM - 9L Sidewinder missiles , for no losses on the British side . Following this engagement , Argentina stopped using the Canberra on such missions . Nonetheless , from 1 May to 14 June 1982 , Argentine Canberras made 54 sorties ; 36 of them bombing missions , of which 22 were at night against ground troops . Two aircraft were lost in combat , the first to a Sea Harrier by an AIM - 9L Sidewinder air - to - air missile on 1 May 1982 . On 13 June 1982 , a single Canberra Mk . 62 of , " B - 108 " was shot down while flying at 12 , 000 m ( 39 , 000 ft ) . It had been en route to bomb British troops at Port Harriet House when it was struck by a Sea Dart missile fired from HMS " Cardiff " . The pilot ejected safely but the navigator was killed . It was the last Argentine aircraft to be lost in combat during the Falklands War , the Argentine forces surrendering the next day . Argentina retired its last Canberras in April 2000 . Peruvian Air Force Canberras flew combat sorties against Ecuadorian positions during the Cenepa War in 1995 . On 6 February 1995 , a Canberra Mk . 68 disappeared over the operations zone ; the aircraft had apparently struck a hill in poor weather conditions . Peru retired its Canberras in June 2008 . Development and trials aircraft . A number of Canberras were used by English Electric for development work and trials on new equipment . It was also used by government establishments such as the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Royal Radar Establishment . The Canberra proved to be a useful platform for such work and was used by a number of British tests and trials establishments . As well as those operated by English Electric , a number of engine manufacturers were also loaned Canberras as engine test beds ; Armstrong Siddeley for the Sapphire , Bristol Siddeley for the Olympus , de Havilland Engine Company for the Gyron Junior turbojet and Rolls - Royce Limited for the Avon . Ferranti used four different Canberra B2s for avionics development work . One example is " WV787 " which was built as a Canberra B2 in 1952 , it was loaned to Armstrong Siddeley and was fitted with Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engines . It was later transferred to Ferranti for trials for the Blackburn Buccaneer radar and fitted with a B ( I ) 8 type nose and a Buccaneer style radome . It next was moved to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment where it was modified to be used as a water - spray tanker aircraft for de - icing trials . It would fly in front of the aircraft being tested which would fly into the artificial cloud created by the sprayed water to induce icing . It was retired in 1984 and later preserved at the Newark Air Museum and is a National Benchmark airframe on the National Aviation Heritage Register . Survivors . Several ex - RAF machines and RB - 57s remain flying in the US for research and mapping work . About 10 airworthy Canberras are in private hands today , and are flown at air displays . The Temora Aviation Museum , in Australia , has a former RAF Canberra acquired in 2001 . The aircraft was fully restored to airworthiness and painted to represent the Canberras flown by No . 2 Squadron RAAF during the Vietnam war . It is Australia ' s only airworthy Canberra . Two American - built WB - 57Fs are still operated by NASA for high altitude research , as well as providing electronic communication ( Battlefield Airborne Communications Node or BACN ) testing for deployment to Afghanistan . In addition , two British - built Canberras are registered to High Altitude Mapping Missions , Inc . of Spokane , Washington . These are N30UP , a Canberra B ( I ) 8 / B . 2 / 6 , originally operated as WT327 , and N40UP , a Canberra B6 , originally operated as XH567 . These two aircraft were previously operated by Air Platforms Inc in Lakeport California . At least two Canberras retired from the Argentine Air Force have been preserved in Argentina : A Canberra T Mk . 4 " 457 " ( 71543 ) of the South African Air Force is displayed at the South African Air Force Museum , Swartkop Air Force Base , Pretoria . The South Australian Aviation Museum at Port Adelaide has a non - flying Canberra B2 , WK165 The Midland Air Museum based at Coventry Airport in England , has a PR . 3 version WF922 on static display . It was retired from the RAF in 1975 . WF922 was recently fully restored . A PR7 Canberra ( WH773 ) is on static display at the Gatwick Aviation Museum in West Sussex , United Kingdom . WH773 was the first production PR . 7 Canberra . A PR9 Canberra ( XH134 ) has been restored at Cotswold airport . It undertook its first flight in July 2013 , and Midair plans to have a special display team ( XH134 and two Hawker Hunter s for the 2014 airshow season . A ? ? ? Canberra is on static display at Queensland Aviation Museum at Caloundra Airport , Queensland Australia .