C wrote on Jul 8^th, 2009 at 1:14pm:


Sorry, I should have been a little more clear. I meant since it entered service on a world wide basis;The Canberra played a part in many conflicts, being employed as a bomber by the RAF during the Suez Crisis; by the UK, New Zealand, and Australia in the Malayan Emergency; by the United States and Australia in Vietnam; by Ethiopia against Eritrea and then Somalia during the 1970s; by both Rhodesia and South Africa in their respective Bush Wars and by Argentina in the Falklands War. The Canberra was the backbone of the Indian Air Force for bombing raids and photo reconnaissance. It was first used in 1962 by the IAF as part of the UN campaign against the breakaway Katanga republic in Africa. During the Indo-Pakistani Wars of the 1960s and 1970s, the Canberra was used by both sides. 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 bomb a vital Pakistani radar post in West Pakistan. The raid was a complete success with the radars in Badin being badly damaged and put out of commission.[5][verification needed] In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 they flew a very important sortie hitting the Karachi oil tanks, helping the Indian Navy to carry out their missile boat attacks.[6] On 21 May 1999, prior to the commencement of the Kargil War, the Air HQ of the Indian Air Force assigned a Canberra PR57 aircraft on a photographic mission near the LOC (Line of Control), where it took a severe blow from a FIM-92 Stinger infrared homing missile on the starboard engine and with only one operational engine left it still managed to return to base. The Canberras were finally retired by the IAF after 50 years of service on 11 May 2007. During the Vietnam War, GAF Canberras from 2 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force were valued because of their optical bombsights; these meant they could carry out bombing raids from higher altitudes, often with total surprise. More modern bombers and attack aircraft either used less-accurate electronic targeting equipment and/or dive bombing tactics, which risked greater losses to Viet Cong and North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire (cut from Wiki).......Had no idea that it was used against UK forces during the Falklands Conflict

Matt

C wrote on Jul 7^th, 2009 at 10:39am:


France: Breguet Atlantique
Dassault Mirage IIIR

UK: English Electric Canberra PR.9
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MRII

Under Development: Kawasaki P-1 (Japan)

just to name a few.

Hagar wrote on Jul 8^th, 2009 at 3:22am:
One summer, when I still worked in Alaska, NASA had their version of the RB57 up there.  Their altitude, when queried, was always "in excess of 60,000 ft" then, when descending, they took forever to lose altitude.

Enemy Recon Plane!