English Electric's Canberra saw an unbroken 46 years of service in the
UK as a test and trials aircraft from 1951 until final retirement in
1994. Flown by Government research establishments, military units and
military defense contractors on a vast range of tasks, the versatile
Canberra contributed to the development of aircraft engines, airborne
radars, reconnaissance sensors, aircrew equipment, nuclear weapons,
conventional armament, missiles and much more.
The Canberra was flown in particular as a platform for the majority of
post-war UK-developed airborne interception radars, from AI.18 through
AI.20, AI.23 and a number of experimental radars, to AI.24 Foxhunter and
beyond.
Other projects covered included missile program; electro-optical sensors
for the TSR-2 optical linescan; reconnaissance radars for the V-Force
and the TSR.2's P.391 SLAR and the ASTOR SAR that led to the Sentinel
R.1. The UK stealth program and the 'Rubber Duck' Canberra is examined
as are Double Scorpion and Spectre rocket engines as well as aiming
systems and the Q-band strike radar.
The huge variety of airframe modifications and color schemes of these
special aircraft are fully illustrated making this an invaluable book
for the aviation enthusiast, modeler and historian.