Canberra PR9 XH134
The English Electric Canberra was developed during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havilland Mosquito fast bomber. As such it had to have outstanding high-altitude bombing capability and high speed. It did just that and throughout most of the 1950s, the Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other aircraft in the world. In 1957, a Canberra established a world altitude record of 70,310 feet.
Like the Hawker Hunter , the Canberra became a popular aircraft on the export market. Since its first flight on 13 May 1949, a total of 1,376 Canberras have been built worldwide. Of these 925 were built in the UK, 48 under licence by Australia and 403 under licence by the USA - the Martin B-57. Of the 925 built in the UK, nine were prototypes, 143 were built for export and 773 were built for the RAF. The Canberra has also seen active service in such conflicts as Suez, Malaya/Borneo and, with the Indian Air Force, the Congo and the Indo/ Pakistan war. The Argentinean Air Force used them in the Falkland Islands conflict too, and they have been deployed in Bosnia, the Balkans and most recently Afghanistan and Iraq. In several wars, each of the opposing sides had Canberras in its air force.
The aircraft in my photo is the PR9 variant of the bomber, a photo-reconnaissance version that first flew on 8 July 1955 that has more powerful engines and a new long-span wing. This particular aircraft was retired in July 2006 after more than 45 years of Royal Air Force service. Now in private ownership, a major service was carried out in 2012 before taking to the skies again in 2013. During the winter of 2013, XH134 was re-sprayed in an overall silver scheme that was intended to be a blank canvas for sponsors advertising etc. - however, that never materialised and as a result XH134 only flew for two seasons before Midair, who now owned the aircraft, ran low on money and grounded her once again. And parked on the ground she has slowly deteriorated and it’s very unlikely that she will ever fly again, so I was lucky to get this photo of one of the last of her kind.
Canberra PR9 XH134
The English Electric Canberra was developed during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havilland Mosquito fast bomber. As such it had to have outstanding high-altitude bombing capability and high speed. It did just that and throughout most of the 1950s, the Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other aircraft in the world. In 1957, a Canberra established a world altitude record of 70,310 feet.
Like the Hawker Hunter , the Canberra became a popular aircraft on the export market. Since its first flight on 13 May 1949, a total of 1,376 Canberras have been built worldwide. Of these 925 were built in the UK, 48 under licence by Australia and 403 under licence by the USA - the Martin B-57. Of the 925 built in the UK, nine were prototypes, 143 were built for export and 773 were built for the RAF. The Canberra has also seen active service in such conflicts as Suez, Malaya/Borneo and, with the Indian Air Force, the Congo and the Indo/ Pakistan war. The Argentinean Air Force used them in the Falkland Islands conflict too, and they have been deployed in Bosnia, the Balkans and most recently Afghanistan and Iraq. In several wars, each of the opposing sides had Canberras in its air force.
The aircraft in my photo is the PR9 variant of the bomber, a photo-reconnaissance version that first flew on 8 July 1955 that has more powerful engines and a new long-span wing. This particular aircraft was retired in July 2006 after more than 45 years of Royal Air Force service. Now in private ownership, a major service was carried out in 2012 before taking to the skies again in 2013. During the winter of 2013, XH134 was re-sprayed in an overall silver scheme that was intended to be a blank canvas for sponsors advertising etc. - however, that never materialised and as a result XH134 only flew for two seasons before Midair, who now owned the aircraft, ran low on money and grounded her once again. And parked on the ground she has slowly deteriorated and it’s very unlikely that she will ever fly again, so I was lucky to get this photo of one of the last of her kind.