The English Electric Canberra was a prolific British jet bomber, one of the first of its kind, renowned for setting numerous world records and seeing combat around the globe.

Gallery:

Features:

• Recreated with blueprints
• Fairly realistic performance...
• A simple cockpit
• Cameras for the Pilot, Bomb Aimer, and Bomb Bay

Nonstandard Controls:

• AG 1 Bomb Bay Doors Open/Close
• AG 2 Activate Nose Wheel Steering, then Yaw to use
• VTOL for Flaps
• Trim for trim

Notes:

• Fly with mouse as joystick
• Don’t mirror it
• Never release bombs when in a dive!
• This is the earliest Canberra; the basic B.2 variant. I’ll probably make more variants in the future.
• See you in like another month lol

Background:

English Electric’s Canberra was born out of a requirement for an aircraft similar to the Mosquito of WW2 fame: a high-altitude, high-speed bomber with simple construction that could fulfill a variety of roles. And with an aerodynamic airframe, two of the strongest engines available, and no defensive weapons, the Canberra was indeed fast.

The Canberra entered service with the RAF in 1951, and its performance was so impressive that the United States chose to license-produce the Canberra as the B-57 over indigenous designs like the XB-51. But the United States wasn’t the only other country to use the Canberra: it was exported to over a dozen countries around the world. And as a result, it saw use in a number of conflicts: the Suez Crisis, Vietnam, the Falklands, India & Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and more. There were even wars where the air forces of both sides had Canberras!

The Canberra matured into a respectable low-altitude interdictor aircraft, frequently fitted with a fighter-style canopy, wing-mounted guns, and external pylons carrying bombs and rockets. It also saw use as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft, among other roles. The RAF finally retired the Canberra in 2006 after a service life of 55 years. Canberras remain in use today with NASA as the WB-57, a high-altitude weather research aircraft.