Its crew would number three to spread the workload about and the cockpit was mounted well forward in the design. Petter - interested the Air Ministry for their outstanding B.3/45 requirement.Įnglish Electric engineers devised a conventional and clean aircraft. The company evolved its internal abilities by arranging an engineering team in 1945 to which the company's new design -attributed to William E.W. It participated in the grand manufacturing phase of the Allies in World War 2 when it built Handley Page Hampden and Halifax bombers for the war effort. The English Electric concern held a long-running history in industry prior to aircraft building. A requirement for a new high-speed bomber was arranged during 1944. Such was the success of the line that it was further expanded to include dedicated night-fighter, photo-reconnaissance, and maritime strike types in short order. It became a classic British participant of World War 2 and saw production reach 7,781 units from 1940 to 1950. The Mosquito was an outright success - known as the 'Wooden Wonder' for its heavy use of wood in its construction - and served in the fast bomber role with distinction since its introduction in 1941. In the latter war years of World War 2 (1939-1944), the British Air Ministry was already on the lookout for the eventual replacement for its classic, two-man, twin-engined de Havilland 'Mosquito'. The Canberra impressed American officials enough to order it as the locally-produced Martin B-57 (detailed elsewhere on this site). Largely out of service today (2014), some flyable forms still exist and others make up indoor museum exhibits or outdoor showpieces. It was widely exported to various UK-aligned forces around the world and saw considerable operational service into the 2000s. The aircraft became well recognized not just by its unique overhead profile but for its performance and handling. The English Electric Canberra was a strike-minded, jet-powered medium bomber platform that made up Britain's critical bomber/reconnaissance squadrons of the 1950s and 1960s.

Canberra bomber crew positions