WB-57F from 1361st Photographic Squadron? Never have seen that version before wth the enlarged inlets. Made by General Dynamics. Makes for an interesting read.
In the early 60's there was a need for another high flying reconnaissance platform. Actually, at that time there was the U-2 and the RB-57D available in the fleet but the RB-57D aircraft got grounded in 1962 with wing spar problems. There was something about poor material selection for the wing spars and the resulting stress corrosion cracks after a few short years of service. There is an interesting picture in the B-57 Mikesh book showing an incident with a RB-57D in very compromised position with a wing broken off.
The General Dynamics Corporation was approached by the USAF to see if they could make a better all around performance aircraft with higher payload capacity, and extended fatigue life reconnaissance aircraft out of the B-57s.
In October of 1962, General Dynamics Fort Worth was given the contract for the development of two redesigned aircraft under the designation RB-57F.
A new 122ft wing span aircraft emerged with a honeycomb design structure wing able to carry the aircraft's fuel internally. The wing had a great anhedral dialed into it, mid span ailerons and spoilers and no flaps. It also got a bigger tail but kept the fuselage and horizontal tail wings. GD also gave it bigger 18,000 lb Pratt Whitney TF33-P-11A turbofans giving the RB-57F more than twice the power compared with the older Canberras. On top of that two small 3300 lb Pratt Whitney J60-P-9 turbojets housed in a detachable pod underneath each wing became available. These aux jets had no starters and had to be windmilled up to 32,000 feet altitude, where they started becoming effective all the way to altitudes above 40,000 feet. The J60s added 2500 feet to the maximum ceiling. The J60s could be removed for maximum range missions.
The RB-57F could carry high-altitude reconnaissance cameras, ELINT/SIGINT equipment and special air-sampling pods on the leading edge of the wings.
The first operational trials were done in Late in 1963 out of the 7407th Combat Support Wing at Rhein-Main base in Germany. The RB-57Fs carried out high-altitude reconnaissance flights over the East German border and the Baltic sea. In February 1964, after completing the trials they were transferred to the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico.
After that the USAF asked for 19 more RB-57Fs with production ending by 1967. Most of the RB-57Fs were assigned to the meteorological role with duties involving high altitude atmospheric sampling and radiation detection work in support of nuclear test monitoring. Four of the 19 RB-57Fs were operated as reconnaissance aircraft with two flying out of Yokota and two operating with the 7407th Combat Support Wing at Rhein-Main in Germany (where rumor has it that a certain Bondo Phil Brandt sighted his first one ever!).
In 1968, the Air Weather Service's RB-57Fs were redesignated WB-57F and continued to be used in the atmospheric sampling role on behalf of the US Atomic Energy Commission.
Sadly, after a few years of service stress cracks began appearing in the wing spars and ribs of the RB-57Fs. Some were repaired by General Dynamics at very high cost. Nine were placed in storage at AMARC Davis-Monthan AFB in 1972. The 58th WRS deactivated on July 1, 1974 after placing its WB-57s in storage at Davis-Monthan. Click here to see my photo walk around of the aircraft.
In 1968, NASA contracted with the Air Force for operating a RB-57F (number 925) for NASAs Earth Resources Technology Satellite program. This aircraft retired in 1982. It currently resides in the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, AZ. (Mike add a link to the walk around here if you like).
After the 58th WRS deactivated, NASA 926 went to Ellington Field Houston where it is still flying missions today! More recently, NASA acquired another WB-57F, numbered NASA 928.
NASA 926 and NASA 928 are the only two WB-57s still flying in the world today.