Douglas B-66 Destroyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_B-66_Destroyer

The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a United States Air Force light bomber based on
the U.S. Navy's A-3 Skywarrior carrier-based heavy attack aircraft. The B-66 was
intended to replace the Douglas A-26 Invader, and an RB-66 photo-reconnaissance
version was ordered simultaneously. The USAF B-66 retained the three-man crew
from the US Navy A-3, but incorporated ejection seats that the US Navy variant
lacked.

At first, the United States Air Force intended the conversion to be an easy
matter of removing the carrier-specific features, so no prototypes were ordered,
just five pre-production RB-66A models (the reconnaissance mission being
considered a high priority). The list of modifications grew, and before long,
the supposedly easy conversion became what was substantially a new aircraft.
Many of the changes were due to the USAF's requirement for low-level operations,
while the Navy version had originally been designed and employed as a
high-altitude nuclear strike bomber. Two major differences between the A-3 and
the B-66 consisted in the types of jet engines used, and the emergency crew
escape systems. The A-3 had two J57 turbojet engines, whereas the B-66 had two
Allison J71s. The B-66 was equipped with ejection seats whereas the A-3 was not.

The first RB-66A pre-production aircraft flew in 1954, whereas the first
production RB-66B aircraft flew in the beginning of 1955.

The basic B-66 design proved to be a versatile one, and was produced or modified
into a variety of other versions, including the EB-66, RB-66, and the WB-66.
Likewise, many variants of the A-3 Skywarrior were produced.


Role
Light bomber

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Douglas Aircraft Company

First flight
28 June 1954

Introduction
1956

Retired
1973 (USAF)

Primary user
United States Air Force

Number built
294

Unit cost

US$2.55 million (RB-66B)


Developed from
Douglas A-3 Skywarrior

Developed into
Northrop X-21

Deliveries to the Air Force began in 1956, with 145 of this model produced.
RB-66s were used as the primary night photo-reconnaissance aircraft of the USAF
during this time, many examples serving with tactical reconnaissance squadrons
based in the United Kingdom and in West Germany. A total of 72 of the B-66B
bomber version were built, 69 fewer than originally planned. A total of 13 B-66B
aircraft later were modified into EB-66B electronic countermeasures (ECM)
aircraft for the cold war with Russia, and were stationed at RAF Chelveston with
the 42nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron who did the conversion in the early
1960s. They would rotate out of an alert pad in Spain during the time that the
42nd had them. These and the RB-66Cs that the 42nd had would eventually be sent
to Vietnam. Unlike the U.S. Navy's A-3 Skywarrior, which performed some bombing
missions, the Destroyer was not used as a bomber in Vietnam.

The RB-66C was a specialized electronic reconnaissance and ECM aircraft with an
expanded crew of seven, including the additional electronics warfare experts. A
total of 36 of these aircraft were built with the additional crew members housed
in what was the camera/bomb bay of other variants. RB-66C aircraft had
distinctive wingtip pods and were used in the vicinity of Cuba during the Cuban
Missile Crisis and later over Vietnam. In 1966, these planes were renamed into
EB-66C.

Unarmed EB-66B, EB-66C and EB-66E aircraft flew numerous missions during the
Vietnam War. They helped gather electronic intelligence about North Vietnamese
defenses, and provided protection for bombing missions of the F-105s by jamming
North Vietnamese radar systems. Early on, B-66s flew oval "racetrack" patterns
over North Vietnam, but after one B-66 was shot down by a MiG, the vulnerable
flights were ordered back, just outside North Vietnam.

On 10 March 1964, a 19th TRS RB-66C flying on a photo-reconnaissance mission
from the Toul-Rosières Air Base in France, was shot down over East Germany by a
Soviet MiG-21 after it had crossed over the border due to a compass malfunction.
The crew ejected and were taken prisoner briefly before being repatriated.

The final Douglas B-66 variant was the WB-66D weather reconnaissance aircraft;
36 were built.

The EB-66C/E was removed from US Air Force service by 1975. Most were scrapped
in place, or stored for eventual scrapping.

Specifications (B-66)

General characteristics
Crew: 3 (Pilot, Navigator and EWO)
Length: 75 ft 2 in (22.9 m)
Wingspan: 72 ft 6 in (22.1 m)
Height: 23 ft 7 in (7.2 m)
Wing area: 780 ft² (72.5 m²)
Empty weight: 42,540 lb (19,300 kg)
Loaded weight: 57,800 lb (26,200 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 83,000 lb (38,000 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Allison J71-A-11 or -13 turbojets, 10,200 lbf (45 kN) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 631 mph (548 kn, 1,020 km/h)
Combat radius: 900 mi (780 nmi, 1,500 km)
Ferry range: 2,470 mi (2,150 nmi, 3,970 km)
Service ceiling: 39,400 ft (12,000 m)
Rate of climb: 5,000 ft/min (25 m/s)
Wing loading: 74.1 lb/ft² (361.4 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.35

Armament

Guns: 2 20 mm M24 cannons in radar-controlled/remotely operated tail turret
Bombs: 15000 lb (6,803.9 kg)

Avionics

APS-27 and K-5 radars




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