EE Canberra, Evolution, Variants and Projects

[hesham]

By the way,

the STOL Canberra is a real Project and called BAC P.47.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Air Vice-Marshal Barry Newton, did airborne ‘sampling’ of Britain’s first atomic bombs – obituary

Newton and his crew of ‘sniffers’ captured particles of radioactive cloud from explosions in pods attached to the wings

www.telegraph.co.uk

Air Vice-Marshal Barry Newton, who has died aged 88, flew a Canberra bomber during the British nuclear and hydrogen bomb test programme in the 1950s. He later filled senior posts with Britain’s reserve forces.

Newton was a pilot on No 76 Squadron when the unit deployed to RAAF Base Edinburgh near Adelaide, Australia, in the summer of 1956 to participate in Operation Buffalo, the testing of the first four British low-yield atomic weapons.

He flew one of the five Canberras that were positioned at Maralinga airfield, 500 miles north-west of Adelaide, to gather data from the tests carried out in the Woomera weapon’s range. Flying at high level, the aircraft were tasked with meteorological reconnaissance, cloud sampling and cloud tracking after the explosion: the pilots used the call-sign “sniffer”.

The first test was carried out on September 27 1956 when Newton and his crew monitored the atomic blast and captured air samples, in pods attached to the wings, from the radioactive cloud caused by the explosion.

Three more tests were carried out, including the first to be dropped from an aircraft, a Vickers Valiant of No 49 Squadron. Newton flew in support of these test flights, which concluded on October 22. The aircraft were fitted with Geiger counters to monitor radiation levels in the cockpit.

He remained with the squadron, which later deployed to Christmas Island for Operation Grapple, a series of four tests of Britain’s first hydrogen bomb. The first drop, from a Valiant, took place on May 14 1957 when Newton and his colleagues, flying their Canberras, monitored the tests.

At the end of 1957 he left 76 Squadron and was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for his part in the nuclear testing programme.

 

[CJGibson]

Dave Forster's Sniffing and Bottling - 1323 Flight and its Successors might be of interest.

Chris

 

[fortrena]

This chatty text might perhaps be of some interest.

Several thousand words on the English Electric Canberra / Martin B-57 Canberra and the small role played by Canadair Limited in its history | The Channel

ingeniumcanada.org

 

[Grey Havoc]

Air Vice-Marshal Barry Newton, did airborne ‘sampling’ of Britain’s first atomic bombs – obituary

Newton and his crew of ‘sniffers’ captured particles of radioactive cloud from explosions in pods attached to the wings

www.telegraph.co.uk

Air Commodore Tom Bennett, pilot who gathered air samples following Pacific nuclear tests – obituary

After his Pacific duties he flew helicopters in Malaya, evacuating casualties, and Ulster, where he supported the security services

www.telegraph.co.uk

RIP

 

[yellowaster]

Air Vice-Marshal Barry Newton, did airborne ‘sampling’ of Britain’s first atomic bombs – obituary

Newton and his crew of ‘sniffers’ captured particles of radioactive cloud from explosions in pods attached to the wings

www.telegraph.co.uk

Air Commodore Tom Bennett, pilot who gathered air samples following Pacific nuclear tests – obituary

After his Pacific duties he flew helicopters in Malaya, evacuating casualties, and Ulster, where he supported the security services

www.telegraph.co.uk

RIP

Tom Bennett flew the Hastings courier aircraft that ferried radioactive samples, collected by RAF Canberras during Operation Castle, on their first leg back to the UK. His recollections of those events are recorded in "Sniffing and Bottling"

 

[Wobbley Orange]

While in one of the more obscure corners of the interweb, I came across a proposed Canberra variant I had not seen before (and annoyingly one I can not find again!!). This was a project to use a modified canberra to transport SAC Bomber Crews. It got to the mock up stage as the photographs showed an extended nose section with IIRC 6 seats. I belive this would have been late 50s early 60s and guess that it never went ahead because Lockheed invented the Biz Jet with their Jetstar. Has anyone come across this Canberra project?

 

[Grey Havoc]

I remember coming across that as well, but I can't remember where at the moment.

EDIT: I think it was in a 2019 edition of Aeroplane, can't think which one it was unfortunately. I believe I had also come across mention of it before on the internet.

 

[robunos]

B-57 Combat Transport . . .

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Grey Havoc]

I had thought I had seen it here, but then I thought my memory was just playing tricks on me when I couldn't find it!

 

[Grey Havoc]

On another note: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/docume...urnal_43a_Seminar_The_Canberra_in_the_RAF.pdf

 

[Wobbley Orange]

Thanks Robunos, I was beginning to think I had imagined the whole thing. Much appreciated

 

[hesham]

From Aeroplane monthly 1985.

 

[Erdosain]

"Aeroplane - Canberra the Iconic Jet Bomber"

An early drawing of the proposed A.1 ilustrates one of the company's first twin engine layouts, with the two engines positioned adjacent to the fuselage, and main landing gear placed outboard. The subsequent repositioning of the engine was - with hindsight - a questionable step, as it endowed the aircraft with potentially lethal asymmetrical handling qualities at low speed

 

[TsrJoe]

 

[Erdosain]

"Aeroplane - Canberra the Iconic Jet Bomber"

In addition to creating a variety of initial bomber designs for A.1, the company also considered the possibility of creating a 34 - passanger airliner , using the same wings and tail structure, although the project never progressed beyond the concept stage

 

[robunos]

i've got some more info from another source, P.28, based on the B.8 airframe with a PR.9 nose housing a 'blue parrot' radar, pilot has opening canopy from PR.9, nav has ejection seat, span reduced by six feet each side by clipping wingtips, 500 gal tip tanks fitted.
Engines were to be 11,250 lb st RA24s, or lower powered RA29s, giving more range. max weight was to be 55,996 lb,with 23,294 lb fuel and 8,000 lb weapon load. Fuel could be traded for increased weapons load. Target penetration speed was to be 500 kt IAS.

there are also some images, but as the original source is an Ian Allen publication, i'm wary of posting them.

cheers,
Robin.

Re-reading this thread brought me back to my earlier post above. Anyway, since the original book was published way back in 1984, and Ian Allen no longer exists, here's the image I'm referring to.



'English Electric Canberra', Roland Beamont & Arthur Reed, Ian Allen publications 1984, page 147.

cheers,
Robin.

 

[TsrJoe]

EE. P.28

 

[Accidental Loggie]

EE. P.28

@TsrJoe You may well see a representation of the P.28 at Telford in November...

 

[robunos]

A couple more, source as above . . .





@TsrJoe; do you have any details of the various phases shown in your post above ?

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Erdosain]

One of the first Canberra cutaways distributed by the Air Ministry

 

[Rule of cool]

Lately I've been metaphorically banging my head against a brick wall as to why the RAF had no plans from the mid 50s to replace all of the fighter-bomber sqns in 2TAF/RAFG and other parts of the world. Only in 1958 is there a definite programme to replace the 6 Venom FB sqns and other cats and dogs in the Mid and Far East.

However in the last few days I've has a closer look at the later Canberra variants: B(I).6, B(I).8, B.15 and B.16. These appear to be abandoning or at least de-emphasising the classic 'bomber' role/mission in favour of a more battlefield support role, even if the battlefield is defined pretty widely as including deeper interdiction. The B(I).6-8 both carry a gun pack and compensated for the loss of bombs in the bomb bay with wing pylons for bombs. The B.15 (and B.16, I can't find anything?) lacked the gun pack but could carry rocket pods on the wings and later even AS30 missiles. These are weapons for small battlefield targets like artillery, trucks etc rather than larger operational targets like rail yards, airfields and bridges.

Acknowledging that these Canberras kept and even improved their nuclear and regular bombing capability, would it be fair to suppose these later models took on some of the missions that would have been formerly done by fighter-bombers therefore reducing the need for FB replacements? Indeed a B(I).8 with 4 x 20mm guns and 5 x 1,000lb bombs and night capability or a B.15 with 2 x 2" rocket pods and 6 x 1,000lb bombs is a real heavy hitter compared to a Venom FB or whatever else was pushed aside.