The RB-57 Canberra high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft is a flying relic of the Cold War.
In the early 1950s, the United States developed interest in reconnaissance aircraft that could operate at altitudes inaccessible to fighter-interceptors and anti-aircraft guns. artillery, which was supposed to ensure their invulnerability. The high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft that reached the production stage were the North American RB-45C Tornado, Martin RB-57D Canberra, and Lockheed U-2A Dragon Lady.
The first on this list, the RB-45C, was produced from June 1950 to October 1951. 39 aircraft were built, 33 of which were converted from the B-45C bomber version.
North American RB-45C Tornado high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
The RB-45C had a 27,28-meter-span wing, allowing it to fly for extended periods at altitudes above 14,000 meters. With a maximum takeoff weight of 49,895 kg, the aircraft had a range of approximately 1500 km. Instead of bombs, a reconnaissance system consisting of twelve cameras was housed in the converted bomb bay. Cruising speed at high altitude reached 737 km/h. The crew consisted of three: a pilot, a navigator/reconnaissance equipment operator, and a gunner for the twin 12,7-mm aft defensive mount. To increase range, two drop tanks of 810 liters each were used. Solid-fuel boosters were used for takeoff at maximum weight.
During the Korean War, RB-45C aircraft photographed the rear areas of the DPRK and carried out several reconnaissance flights over China. However, one reconnaissance aircraft was lost, and the entire crew was killed. Due to the improvement of Soviet fighter aircraft, aviation The RB-45C reconnaissance aircraft became obsolete by the mid-1950s. Their service with the US Air Force's tactical reconnaissance squadrons ended in 1958.
The Tornado reconnaissance aircraft was replaced by the RB-57D and U-2A, which at one point were competitors. But while Martin based its high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft on the British English Electric Canberra bomber, Lockheed designed the U-2A from scratch.
Lockheed U-2A high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
For a time, the RB-57 and U-2 were operated in parallel by the US Air Force, but in the early 1970s, the Canberra reconnaissance aircraft lost the technological race to the continuously improved U-2, which was equipped with new, more powerful and fuel-efficient engines and advanced reconnaissance equipment (including side-looking radar). In 1974, the US Air Force placed all RB-57Fs into storage, but four aircraft, redesignated WB-57Fs, were transferred to NASA.
Meanwhile, the aircraft, created by the brilliant Clarence Leonard Johnson, who headed Lockheed's Skunk Works research division for over forty years, is still actively used for its intended purpose. In 2024, the US Air Force had 27 Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady aircraft, 24 of which were airworthy.
Google Earth satellite image of U-2S aircraft at Beale Air Force Base. This image was taken in August 2025.
All U-2S reconnaissance aircraft are assigned to the 9th Operations Group, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, 16th Air Force, Air Combat Command, USAF, and serve with the 1st Composite Squadron, based at Beale Air Force Base, California.
Martin RB-57A/E Canberra tactical reconnaissance aircraft
In 1953, the US Air Force adopted the B-57A Canberra tactical jet bomber, which was a redesigned version of the British English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 by engineers from the American company Martin.
B-57A Canberra bomber
In parallel with the bomber version, production of the RB-57A reconnaissance aircraft was underway. These featured a camera system mounted in the rear of the bomb bay. This included interchangeable cameras, allowing for day and night photography from high and low altitudes. For night photography, flares could be carried. The camera system could be removed, and the aircraft used as a full-fledged bomber. However, in practice, this was rarely done.
RB-57A Canberra reconnaissance aircraft
The Canberra reconnaissance aircraft were planned to replace the piston-engined Douglas RA-26D Invaders. However, due to engine problems and other teething problems, this plan was never fully realized.
The operation of the RB-57A in combat squadrons stationed in the UK, Germany, and Japan was plagued by numerous flight accidents, and within a few years, the first-generation Canberra reconnaissance aircraft were replaced by the Douglas RB-66B Destroyer and McDonnell RF-101A Voodoo. The remaining RB-57As were then transferred to the Air National Guard, and some of the tactical reconnaissance aircraft were converted into aircraft. EW EB-57A.
In 1954, production of an improved bomber version, the B-57B, began, followed shortly thereafter by the EB-57B electronic warfare aircraft. A total of 202 B-57B and EB-57B were built, six of which were converted into RB-57E reconnaissance aircraft. These differed from the base model by removing the armament and installing a wide range of special equipment.
Several more B-57B bombers were modified into WB-57B weather reconnaissance aircraft. To increase their range, the aircraft were equipped with drop tanks from the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bomber. These aircraft had a dual purpose: in addition to monitoring hurricanes, they were used to collect air samples in areas where nuclear weapons were being tested on the ground. weaponsFor this purpose, special containers were installed on the wingtips instead of fuel tanks. Also, about a dozen WB-57C "weather reconnaissance" aircraft were built on the basis of the two-seat B-57C trainer.
In 1963, Canberra reconnaissance aircraft began to be used to monitor the border areas of South Vietnam, and from 1964, to support the combat use of strike aircraft against northern communications in Laos.
An RB-57E tactical reconnaissance aircraft at Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam, January 1964.
During the combat missions, two RB-57E aircraft were hit by anti-aircraft fire, but the crews managed to eject safely and were subsequently picked up by rescue services.
Martin RB-57D Canberra high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
Even at the design stage of the reconnaissance versions of the Canberra, created on the basis of tactical bombers, the US Air Force command was aware that the aircraft, which in terms of speed and altitude characteristics were no different from the basic models, would be just as vulnerable to fire from the ground and attacks by fighters.
In response, the development of the RB-57D high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft with a 32,3-meter-span wing was initiated in 1953 as part of the secret Bald Eagle project. Changes, primarily aimed at lightening the structure, increasing altitude and flight endurance, and optimally accommodating reconnaissance equipment, affected the fuselage, nose, and fuel tanks. The aircraft was equipped with more powerful Pratt & Whitney J57-P-9 engines producing 4540 kgf (9,000 lbf) of thrust, necessitating a redesign of the engine nacelles. Landing flaps and air brakes were eliminated to save weight.
A high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft RB-57D and a bomber B-57A in the same formation.
The aircraft, with a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 27,800 kg, had a practical range of approximately 4,000 km and a ceiling of 21,000 m. Its maximum speed at an altitude of 14,000 m was 966 km/h. Its cruising speed at an altitude of 19,000 m was 780 km/h.
The RB-57D first flew on November 3, 1955. The seven aircraft in the first series were equipped with various equipment. Six aircraft carried photo reconnaissance cameras, and one was equipped with several radars, including a side-looking radar. Five high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft of the second series carried cameras, and one carried equipment for detecting and locating ground-based radar positions. Some aircraft had provisions for in-flight refueling.
In April 1956, the RB-57Ds were assigned to the 4025th Reconnaissance Squadron of the 4080th Reconnaissance Wing, part of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Command. Initially assigned to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, the aircraft were soon transferred to Turner Air Force Base, Georgia.
Strategic high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, which provided American intelligence agencies with unprecedented capabilities, were used at the “edge of the Cold War” and, at the time of their introduction, were virtually invulnerable to Soviet weapons. Defense.
Four months after its formation, the 4025th Squadron achieved combat readiness, and six aircraft were deployed to Yokota Air Base in Japan, where tactical RB-57As were already stationed. This air group's area of interest was the Soviet Far East and mainland China. On December 11, 1956, three RB-57Ds violated Soviet airspace near Vladivostok. The high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft surveyed a vast area of Primorye. Although they were detected by radar, MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters were unable to intercept the aircraft, which were flying at an altitude above 17 km. A Soviet note of protest was issued in response to the American actions, but it was ignored, and RB-57Ds continued to violate the Soviet border. Several high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft flying from Eielson Airfield in Alaska photographed Soviet Navy installations in Kamchatka and air defense fighter bases with impunity, while aircraft equipped with electronic reconnaissance equipment uncovered the coordinates of ground-based radar stations. Aircraft flying from Rhein-Main Air Base in West Germany conducted reconnaissance missions in Eastern Europe and the Baltic. RB-57Ds were also spotted over the Black Sea coasts of the USSR, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The highly successful use of high-altitude aircraft inspired the US CIA, which now had a tool at its disposal that allowed it to survey vast territories of any country with impunity. In the second half of the 1950s, the Diamond Lil program was launched, under which three RB-57D aircraft were transferred to Taiwan and local pilots were trained. However, all flights of Taiwan's Canberra reconnaissance aircraft and the resulting intelligence were monitored by the Americans. US intelligence agencies were primarily interested in the progress of China's nuclear program, the construction of new aircraft factories, and missile polygons.
Taiwan Air Force RB-57D high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
From January to March 1959 alone, Taiwanese Air Force RB-57D aircraft violated Chinese airspace 10 times, conducting reconnaissance flights over thirteen Chinese provinces.
However, the USSR wasted no time, and on December 11, 1957, the SA-75 Dvina SAM system, capable of engaging high-altitude aerial targets and possessing a certain degree of mobility, entered service. Due to the inability of fighter aircraft to intercept high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, and despite deteriorating relations between Beijing and Moscow, at the personal request of Mao Zedong, five new and then-scarce SA-75 Dvina systems and 62 V-750V SAMs were delivered to China in 1958–1959, under strict secrecy. A group of Soviet advisers and technical specialists also arrived in China to organize the training, deployment, and maintenance of the SAM system. Under their leadership, live-fire training exercises with anti-aircraft guided missiles against La-17 radio-controlled targets were conducted in the summer of 1959 at a training ground in the Gobi Desert. In the fall of 1959, the first divisions, manned by Chinese crews, began combat duty.
The Chinese military-political leadership wanted to provide anti-aircraft cover for Beijing in time for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and this task was successfully accomplished.
The SA-75 combat crew deployed near Beijing didn't have to wait long. On October 7, 1959, a Taiwanese Air Force RB-57D high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by a salvo of three missiles at an altitude of 20,600 meters, killing the pilot. A tape recording of the pilot's communications with Taiwan ended mid-sentence, and judging by it, he saw no danger. Soviet military adviser Colonel Viktor Slyusar played a direct role in the destruction of the Kuomintang high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
The warhead's proximity to the aircraft caused its disintegration, with fragments scattered over a radius of 5-6 kilometers. The official Chinese government news agency, Xinhua, announced the destruction of the intruder aircraft, but concealed the use of a new type of weapon from the general public.
The Republic of China Air Force command and CIA officers who oversaw Taiwan's high-altitude reconnaissance flights attributed the loss of the RB-57D to a technical malfunction. American experts dismissed the possibility that China had developed an anti-aircraft system capable of intercepting airborne targets flying at an altitude of 20 kilometers.
Taiwanese pilots subsequently continued to fly reconnaissance missions over China using U-2A aircraft, for which they received six high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft built by Lockheed. These aircraft were capable of photographing from altitudes exceeding 21,000 meters. Flight duration was 6,5 hours, with en-route speeds of approximately 600 km/h. However, the fate of these aircraft and their pilots was unenviable: all were lost in crashes or fell victim to SA-75 air defense missiles. Between November 1, 1963, and May 16, 1969, four high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft were hit by anti-aircraft missiles, and two more crashed in flight accidents. Two Taiwanese pilots, who ejected from the downed aircraft, were captured.
Although the RB-57D reconnaissance aircraft achieved impressive results in its initial phase, its active service life was short. Numerous onboard equipment failures and engine reliability issues occurred during service. Due to the designers' desire to make the aircraft as lightweight as possible, the initial airframe lifespan was only 500 hours. The long wings were weak and prone to folding even under moderate G-forces. Cracks regularly appeared in the fuel tank walls. Before their retirement, at least four RB-57Ds were lost in accidents involving airframe failures.
In early 1959, several RB-57Ds were placed in storage due to fatigue failures. In June, the 4025th Reconnaissance Squadron was disbanded. The aircraft remaining in Europe were consolidated into the newly created 7407th Squadron, and they continued to fly from Rhein-Main Air Base, albeit at a reduced rate, until 1964.
Three RB-57Ds were assigned to the 4926th Test Squadron (later the 1211th Test Squadron) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. These aircraft, redesignated WB-57Ds, supported atomic bomb tests at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands and at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site from 1957 to 1963.
Airplanes flying at high altitude took samples from the nuclear explosion cloud for analysis.
The decision to ground the RB-57D was made after a wing sheared off the aircraft while taking off from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on January 4, 1964, at an altitude of 15 kilometers. The reconnaissance Canberra crashed into a schoolyard in Dayton, but no one was injured. The pilot ejected safely.
But just two years later, the Air Force command commissioned Martin to repair eight aircraft. During the restoration work, the onboard equipment was updated and the most vulnerable airframe components were reinforced. At the same time, their service life was extended to 3000 hours. The aircraft, designated ER-57D, equipped with jamming stations and chaff-releasing equipment, simulated Soviet long-range bombers in exercises. The last ER-57D was withdrawn from service in July 1979 due to a wing spar failure.
General Dynamics RB-57F Canberra high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
The reconnaissance capabilities of the RB-57D aircraft in the mid-1950s and early 1960s were quite satisfactory to the US Air Force command, but the labor-intensive and costly maintenance of this type of high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft fleet raised many concerns, and operational reliability left much to be desired. Consequently, General Dynamics, which had been providing technical support and maintenance for the RB-57D during its final years in combat service, in March 1962 announced a design for a new modification with improved flight and operational characteristics. The proposal was to modernize the existing reconnaissance aircraft by improving its altitude capability, payload capacity, reliability, manufacturability, and service life. This was to be achieved through the introduction of a number of innovations: a redesigned wing with an even longer span (37,3 meters), new twin-fan engines, and more advanced onboard equipment. The new modification, designated RB-57F, was not built from scratch, but was based on production B-57B bombers taken from storage. By March 1967, only B-57Bs were converted to the new RB-57F variant.
The contract for the first two RB-57F aircraft was signed on October 2, 1962. To increase the strength of the extended wing, it was constructed with three spars and utilized sandwich panels with a honeycomb core of aluminum and fiberglass, originally developed for the Convair B-58A Hustler supersonic bomber. Directional stability was improved by nearly doubling the vertical tail area compared to the original B-57A. The wing design generated enormous lift, causing the aircraft to tend to take off even at low speeds while taxiing. The takeoff roll at sea level was only 790 m (2,450 ft), and if an engine failed during takeoff, thrust was limited to 70% of capacity to maintain directional stability. After completing a flight mission, the RB-57F, with its fuel tanks depleted, was difficult to land, especially in a headwind, which created additional lift.
The upgraded RB-57F was equipped with four engines: two Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-11A turbofan engines producing 7485 kgf (16,500 lbf) thrust each, and two auxiliary Pratt & Whitney J60-P-9 turbofan engines producing 1315 kgf (2,800 lbf) thrust, housed in underwing nacelles. The auxiliary engines were started when it was necessary to increase flight altitude. The claim, found in some sources, that the Pratt & Whitney J60-P-9 engines were also used to shorten the takeoff run is erroneous, as they could only be started in flight. Subsequently, the auxiliary turbofan engines were sometimes removed and replaced with pods containing reconnaissance equipment. The nose was enlarged to accommodate new reconnaissance systems. A new autopilot and modern navigation and communications equipment were installed on board. Particular attention was also paid to reducing aerodynamic drag, for which purpose all gaps were reduced to a minimum and a wax-based coating was applied to the skin.
RB-57F high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
The two-seater aircraft, with a maximum takeoff weight of 32,659 kg, could carry up to 4400 kg of payload. Its high-altitude cruising speed was 760 km/h (470 mph). Flight endurance reached 6,5 hours, and its range exceeded 4600 km (2,800 mi). Altitude estimates vary, but the RB-57F could apparently fly for extended periods at approximately 19,000 m (62,000 ft). For high-altitude flights, crews wore A/P22S-2 and A/P22S-4 pressure suits manufactured by the David Clark Company.
The same high-altitude spacesuits were used by pilots of the U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.
The lead RB-57F took to the air on June 23, 1963, and successfully completed a flight test. The first two aircraft were used in nuclear tests. These aircraft carried gas analyzers, air sampling devices, radiometers and dosimeters, as well as data recorders and a voice recorder. They also carried a vertical panoramic camera used to capture the explosion itself and the resulting cloud. The avionics of the other high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft included a high-altitude camera (NTAS) weighing approximately 2 tons and a wide range of electronic reconnaissance systems.
In late 1963, two RB-57Fs modified for reconnaissance missions in Eastern Europe were deployed to Rhein-Main Air Base in West Germany, where they were flown by crews of the 7407th Reconnaissance Squadron.
An RB-57F aircraft of the 7407th Reconnaissance Squadron at Rhein-Main Air Base.
Aircraft flying along the GDR border at high altitude captured images of vast swathes of East Germany without violating airspace, and their sophisticated electronic reconnaissance equipment, by the standards of the time, allowed them to detect surveillance radars, SAM guidance stations, and active radio stations. Flights were also conducted over the Baltic Sea, along the coast of Poland and the Kaliningrad region.
Testing of the RB-57F as a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was successful, but officially all aircraft built by 1965 were assigned to the 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing, headquartered at McClellan Air Force Base in California. This unit's primary mission was hurricane tracking and search and rescue missions. RB-57Fs also sprayed precipitation-inducing agents and monitored atmospheric radiation.
At their peak, RB-57Fs were assigned to the 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (McClellan AFB, California), the 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Yokota AFB, Japan), the 57th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Avalon Airport, Victoria, Australia), and the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Kirtland AFB, New Mexico). The primary mission of the RB-57Fs was to gather information on Chinese nuclear tests. One RB-57F participated in laser weapons tests.
As part of the covert Operation Pee Wee III in 1964, the United States transferred three RB-57Fs to Pakistan, initially intended to intercept missile launch telemetry from the Kapustin Yar test site. These aircraft later monitored Chinese nuclear tests at the Lop Nur test site in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
In 1965, during the India-Pakistan War, RB-57F aircraft manned by Pakistani crews carried out reconnaissance flights deep within Indian territory. The Canberra reconnaissance aircraft, flying to an altitude of approximately 20 km, were considered invulnerable to the Indian Air Force's MiG-21 and Mosquito fighters.
On September 7, 1965, an RB-57F, sent to photograph air bases and railway junctions in northern India, was promptly detected by radar, and after entering the engagement zone of a Soviet-made SA-75MK Dvina air defense system deployed in the Amritsar area, the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was fired upon by three anti-aircraft missiles.
The warheads of two B-750V surface-to-air missiles detonated near the intruder, causing serious damage. However, the Pakistani pilot remained in control and made an emergency landing in Peshawar. The damaged reconnaissance aircraft was subsequently sent to the United States for repairs, but it proved beyond repair and was written off. It's worth noting that the Pakistani RB-57F pilot was extremely lucky – in similar situations, B-750V anti-aircraft missiles shot down several American-made RB-57 and U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft over China, the USSR, and Cuba. After this incident, the RB-57F reconnaissance aircraft were returned to the United States. Some sources claim that another aircraft was mistakenly shot down by friendly anti-aircraft artillery while returning to its airfield, but it is possible that this was a B-57B bomber.
On December 14, 1965, an RB-57F, taking off from Turkey, disappeared during a reconnaissance flight along the USSR's Black Sea coast. The cause of the crash was undetermined, but a two-week search recovered a fragment of an externally damaged wing. According to one theory, the missing RB-57F entered Soviet airspace due to a navigational error, was struck by a surface-to-air missile, and crashed into the sea. Six months after the incident, the pilots were presumed dead. On November 7, 1966, while flying instrumentally in poor weather, the RB-57F crashed into Mount Sandy in New Mexico; the crew did not survive.
From 1965 to 1968, four RB-57Fs equipped with specialized reconnaissance equipment served with the 6091st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, and the 7407th Reconnaissance Squadron at Rhein-Main Air Base. In 1968, the RB-57Fs of the Air Meteorological Service were redesignated WB-57Fs.
By the end of 1968, each WB-57F had accumulated over 2500 flight hours. Cracks began to appear in the spars and ribs of all WB-57Fs located behind the main engines, leading to the cancellation of many operational missions. Fuel system problems also caused in-flight engine shutdowns, leading one aircraft to make an emergency belly-landing in a field near Albuquerque, New Mexico. In mid-1972, also near Albuquerque, another WB-57F exceeded its speed limit at an altitude of approximately 15 feet, experienced flutter, and broke apart in mid-air. Some of the aircraft were sent to General Dynamics for repairs to extend their service life, but due to excessive costs, the five aircraft with the heaviest wear in 1972 were stored at Davis-Monthan. Three more aircraft joined them in 1973.
A WB-57F aircraft stored at Davis-Monthan.
Satellite imagery shows that as of early 2024, there were still three WB-57Fs at the world's largest aircraft storage base in Arizona.
Google Earth satellite image of WB-57F aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. This image was taken in February 2024.
The last 58th Squadron flying the WB-57F was disbanded on July 1, 1974. But that was it. story The Canberra's high-altitude missions weren't over. As early as 1968, one aircraft was transferred to the US Space Agency for testing optoelectronic sensors, which were later planned for use on satellites. The Air Force contracted with NASA for the aircraft on the condition that its sensor pod could be easily removed, if necessary, for rapid refitting to meet national security requirements. In 1972, due to the upcoming decommissioning of combat aircraft, the WB-57F was finally transferred to the Space Agency. After the disbandment of the 58th Reconnaissance Squadron, three more aircraft were transferred to NASA, and all "space" WB-57Fs were assigned civilian registration numbers. Their permanent home base became Ellington Field, a joint reserve base in Texas also used by units of the Air National Guard, Marine Corps aviation, and the Coast Guard.
Google Earth satellite image: WB-57F aircraft at Ellington Field airbase. Photo taken in November 2020
For NASA-designed missions, WB-57Fs are equipped with a removable 2700 kg payload pod, located in the bomb bay. The payload can include the ARES remote sensing instrument, designed for satellite data calibration, a combined hyperspectral radiometer with a 2D focal plane array, and various cameras.
During the Space Shuttle program, aircraft were equipped with a specialized high-resolution camera and other sensors in an adapted gimbaled ball turret mounted in the nose, known as the Ascent Video Experiment (WAVE), to track and film space shuttle launches and landings from high altitude.
In October 2005, a single WB-57F, taking off from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, conducted a series of flights over British airspace. The official purpose of the mission was to collect microparticles left in the upper atmosphere by the burnup of small meteorites. During the mission, the WB-57F crews also tested new radios and avionics, confirming that they could interface correctly with European air traffic control towers. There was also an unconfirmed report that the aircraft was flying for the British Ministry of Defence, testing sensors designed for use on unmanned aerial vehicles.
In August 2006, a WB-57F arrived at Mildenhall Air Force Base, completely stripped of all normal insignia, including serial numbers and NASA logos. The only identifying mark was a small American flag on the tail and several more flags under the left side of the cockpit. The lack of insignia possibly indicated that the aircraft was operating for another US government agency. After test flights to check its onboard equipment, the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft departed via Souda Bay Air Base on the island of Crete for Kandahar Airport. The aircraft then completed several flights over Afghanistan and returned to the US via the same route. According to the official version, the WB-57F was carrying out geophysical and remote sensing research for a scientific team consisting of representatives from the US Geological Survey and the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, as part of the US reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. During 28 missions, the WB-57F collected data needed to analyze mineral resource information.
Google Earth satellite image of the WB-57F aircraft, Drones and other aircraft at Kandahar Air Base. This photo was taken in August 2011.
From November 2010 to August 2011, a WB-57F aircraft carrying the High-Altitude Lidar Operational Experiment (HALOE) system, based in Kandahar, surveyed over 70,000 square kilometers, or approximately 10% of Afghanistan's territory. An updated HALOE package was subsequently installed on a Bombardier Global Express BD-700 business jet.
In March 2011, a WB-57F flying from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was testing new equipment designed to relay radio signals and provide communications between command and control centers and ground troops located in the mountain valleys of Afghanistan.
In the past, WB-57F aircraft regularly flew outside the United States on undisclosed missions. For example, in September 2012, an American high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft belonging to NASA landed at Laies Air Base in Portugal.
A WB-57F aircraft at the Portuguese Air Force Laies Air Base, September 2012.
An example of the effectiveness of the American aircraft storage and restoration system is WB-57F, NASA serial number 927. The aircraft began its service as a B-57B bomber with the 8th Tactical Bombardment Squadron and was then converted to an RB-57F in 1964. The high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was decommissioned and placed into storage in 1972, remaining at Davis-Monthan until May 2011. The aircraft was then disassembled and transported by truck to the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) facility at Centennial Airport, Colorado, where it was repaired and restored to airworthy condition before being flown to Ellington Field, Texas, on August 9, 2013.
This aircraft currently has the longest period of extended storage before being returned to service (41 years). However, its flight career was not as long as that of other WB-57Fs owned by the space agency. On January 27, 2026, WB-57F 927 was forced to belly-land due to a technical malfunction. The crew was uninjured, but the aircraft sustained mechanical damage and is currently at Ellington Field. Given that NASA 927's designated service life ends on July 31, 2029, it is unlikely to be restored. However, two other WB-57Fs are still airworthy. For example, on April 10, 2026, NASA 926 was monitoring the Artemis II reentry mission west of the San Diego coast. However, time takes its toll: NASA 928 is scheduled to be decommissioned in June 2028, and NASA 926 is expected to serve until August 31, 2029.
Information