The first jet bomber to serve with the Royal Air Force, the English Electric Canberra was designed with no defensive armament, relying instead on high speed, an operational ceiling of 48,000 feet, and great manoeuvrability to avoid opposing fighter aircraft. The fact that the Canberra is still in service today is testimony to the quality of the original design. Currently the RAF operates two versions of the aircraft, the T4 is a dual control trainer, and dedicated reconnaissance missions are undertaken by the venerable Canberra PR9, a specialist aircraft that contributes significantly to meeting the RAF's reconnaissance task through the use of a wide range of vertical and oblique cameras.

Powerplant: Two Rolls-Royce Avon 206 turbojets of 11,250lb st
Span: 67ft l0in (20.66m)
Length: 66ft 5in (20.36m)
Max Speed: 547mph (876km/h)
Accommodation: Crew of 2
Recognition: The PR9 has a long 'pencil' fuselage with a distinctive single-seat cockpit offset to the port side. Deep-chord wings taper towards the tips. Engines mounted in the wings and projecting forward. Angular fin and rudder, with the dihedralled tailplane set on top of the fuselage cone.