Douglas B-66 Destroyer
The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is an American strategic bomber. It was used by the US Air Force during the Cold War and the Vietnam War. It could carry a nuclear weapon. It is a variant of the A-3 Skywarrior. It was used between 1956 and 1975. Some variants were built as reconnaissance aircraft or electronic warfare, as RB-66 and EB-66.
| B-66 Destroyer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Douglas B-66B (53-506) in flight | |
| 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[1] |
| Unit cost | US$2.55 million (RB-66B)[2] |
| Developed from | Douglas A-3 Skywarrior |
| Developed into | Northrop X-21 |
Douglas B-66 Destroyer Media
RB-66B of 19 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron based at RAF Sculthorpe England in 1957
Douglas EB-66E Destroyer in flight. Aircraft of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 41st or 42nd TEWS based at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base over Southeast Asia on 30 March 1970.
A RB-66B Destroyer at the National Museum of the U.S.A.F. in Dayton, Ohio. The Douglas B-66 Destroyer was a Strategic Air Command light bomber based on the United States Navy's A3D Skywarrior, and intended to replace the Douglas B-26 Invader. A RB-66 photo-reconnaissance version was ordered simultaneously.
WB-66D display at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB
3-view line drawing of the Douglas B-66B Destroyer
References
- ↑ "Douglas B-66 Destroyer." Archived November 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 5 August 2010.
- ↑ Knaack, Marcelle Size. Post-World War II Bombers, 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1988. ISBN 0-16-002260-6.
