2 Squadron RAAF Canberra Bombers in Vietnam

Discussion in 'Vietnam' started by CL1, Sep 16, 2019.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    No 2 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, deployed from Butterworth, Malaysia to Phan Rang air base, 35 kilometres south of Cam Ranh Bay, a large USAF base in the far east of South Vietnam, on 19 April 1967. 2 Squadron ‘Magpies’ were part of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing and were tasked by HQ 7th Air Force in Saigon, for eight sorties per day for seven days a week, in all areas of South Vietnam from 23 April 1967 until return to Australia in 1971. The Americans referred to the Canberra bombers as B57’s.



    2 Squadron RAAF Canberra Bombers in Vietnam
     
  2. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    A version of the Canberra was built under license in the USA by Martin as the B57. This was later developed into a very high altitude spy plane and continued to operate long after the last RAF or RAAF Canberra. It was also used as a NASA chase plane.
     
  3. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    In Bomber Command,No101 Squadron was first to convert to the Canberra B2 at Binbrook in June 1951 from the Lincoln B 2.....a general programme of replacing piston aircraft. with jet engined aircraft

    At Hemswell, Nos 109 Squadron converted to the Canberra B2 in August 1952 and No 139 Squadron converted to the Canberra B2 in November 1952,both from the Mosquito B35. The B2s were soon replaced by the B6s in Bomber Command.The B6s were equipped with the highly secret radar gear,Blue Shadow,sideway viewing display....No 109 Squadron being the first BC squadron to receive the new gear.

    The BC Canberras were envisaged to be fitted with H2S Mark 9,a development from the H2S Mark 4A as fitted on the Lincoln B2 but development was found to be slow with the result that the gear was fitted to the Valiants,the first V Bomber to enter service later.

    While the Dambusters film airfield scenes at Hemswell were being conducted in the summer of 1954,Canberra aircraft were dispersed elsewhere to prevent them being caught up in the airfield scene filming.

    A look at the technical specification of the Avon engine reveals the relatively low turbine temperature compared with modern developments.However a single Avon was capable of generating 14 MWs for the land version and could generate 15 MWs at low ambient temperatures.
     

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