#1611
Martin B-57 Canberra
🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1953· tactical bomber
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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Martin B-57A USAF 52-1418: USAF· Public domain
- 2. 345th Bombardment Wing B-57B Canberras 1957: United States Air Force· Public domain
- 3. Air Zoo December 2019 124 (Martin B-57B Intruder): Michael Barera· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. EB-57A Canberra: Service Depicted: Air Force· Public domain
- 5. Martin B-57E 55-4241 4577 DSES: United States Air Force· Public domain
- 6. Martin B-57 schnozz: USAF· Public domain
- 7. Martin RB-57E -Patricia Lynn- 3-4 front view at Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, January 1960 61031-F-1234P-010: US Goverment· Public domain
- 8. 3d Bombardment Group B-57s Johnson AB Japan 1957: United States Air Force· Public domain
- 9. B-57 Canberra Armament, PAF Base Sargodha: Pakistan Air Force· Public domain
- 10. B-57E target towing aircraft ADC: 1959· Public domain
what is it?
The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric Canberra, manufactured by the Glenn L. Martin Company. Initial Martin-built models were virtually identical to their British-built twinjet counterparts; Martin later modified the design to incorporate larger quantities of US-sourced components and produced the aircraft in several variants.
How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 19.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 73 years ago, in 1953.
- Top speed is 7.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 19.5 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 4 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Can fly 1.6× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1953-07-20
- introduced
- 1954
- retired
- 1983
- status
- still flying
- number built
- 403
- role
- tactical bomber
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Glenn L. Martin Company
- engines
- 2× Wright J65-W-5
- crew
- 2
- length
- 20 m
- wingspan
- 19.5 m
- height
- 4.5 m
- max take-off weight
- 24.4 t
- top speed
- 960 km/h
- cruise speed
- 765 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 13,745 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q1306563, Wikipedia: Martin B-57 Canberra (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.