53-3982 RB-57D Canberra
The Cold War Gallery offers one of the few opportunities to gain an overview of some of the vast range of exhibits at the NMUSAF.
A dedicated reconnaissance variant of the B-57, the RB-57's wingspan was lengthened by 42 feet to 106 feet overall. The chord (width) of the wing was also increased, which when combined with the increased length, gave the wing a very high-lift capability.The second major change was the addition of Pratt & Whitney J57 engines in place of the Wright J65s used on all earlier B-57s. The two J57s produced about 20,000 pounds total thrust, about 6,000 pounds more than the two J65s. Other changes in the D model included removal of all fuselage fuel tanks and the addition of "wet wing" fuel cells. All defensive armament was removed, and the bomb bay was also removed and replaced by avionics equipment. The horizontal stabilizer was changed to the variable incidence or "all flying" type. Spoilers were added the outboard wings to assist the ailerons in roll axis control.
53-3982 RB-57D Canberra
The Cold War Gallery offers one of the few opportunities to gain an overview of some of the vast range of exhibits at the NMUSAF.
A dedicated reconnaissance variant of the B-57, the RB-57's wingspan was lengthened by 42 feet to 106 feet overall. The chord (width) of the wing was also increased, which when combined with the increased length, gave the wing a very high-lift capability.The second major change was the addition of Pratt & Whitney J57 engines in place of the Wright J65s used on all earlier B-57s. The two J57s produced about 20,000 pounds total thrust, about 6,000 pounds more than the two J65s. Other changes in the D model included removal of all fuselage fuel tanks and the addition of "wet wing" fuel cells. All defensive armament was removed, and the bomb bay was also removed and replaced by avionics equipment. The horizontal stabilizer was changed to the variable incidence or "all flying" type. Spoilers were added the outboard wings to assist the ailerons in roll axis control.