Fighter Planes: B-66 Destroyer / A3D Skywarrior

Fighter Planes : F-16 Fighting Falcon

The Douglas finished B-66 ‘Destroyer' was a light bomber based on the United States Navy's A3D Sky warrior, and intended to replace the A-26 Invader. Deliveries of the Aircraft started in 1956, and 145 of this model were produced. They were used as the major night photo-reconnaissance aircraft of the USAF.

The Air Force actually bought the B-66 for lack of any better choice. The B/RB-66 was to be an interim weapon, primarily earmarked for tactical reconnaissance. The Air Force requirements proved too ambitious, too hasty, and the B-66 program fell behind schedule.

Exacting requirements given by the USAF were levied which, in view of the program's urgency, proved totally unrealistic. The future B-66 Destroyers, as the Air Force versions of the Navy aircraft were designated, had to be fast, highly maneuverable, and able to perform in all types of weather, at very high or low altitudes, and from makeshift or short runways.

The B-66s also had to have a 1,000 nautical mile radius and be large enough to accommodate a 10,000 pound payload of either atomic, conventional, or photographic flash bombs. The bomber and reconnaissance versions were to be kept closely alike. Moreover, all versions of the aircraft were to be fitted with sophisticated electronic countermeasures components to deal with enemy radars.

72 of the B-66B bomber version were built, 69 fewer than originally planned. Thirteen B-66B aircraft were modified into EB-66B electronic countermeasures aircraft for the Vietnam War. Unlike the A-3 which performed some bombing missions, the Destroyer was not used as a bomber in Vietnam.

In June 1954, the first RB-66 flight flew. It was an unsuccessful flight. The aircraft did not handle well, it pitched up unexpectedly, the wings vibrated excessively, the vision from the canopy was poor, and the landing gear doors did not function properly.

In 1955, the B-66 program was retained, but reduced as no aircraft were available to substitute it. The manufacturer did some improvements before it entered operational service in 1956, permitting the long overdue replacement of the obsolete RB-26s, and allowing phaseout in early 1957 of the problem-ridden RB-57As.

For many years after its introduction, it was also the heaviest aircraft ever flown from an aircraft carrier, earning it the unofficial nickname "The Whale". Its primary function for much of its later service life was as an electronic warfare platform and high capacity tanker.

The EA-3B model was modified for electronic intelligence against the Warsaw Pact. Missions were flown around the globe beginning in 1956, with the B-47 flying a similar mission. It carried a crew of seven, with flight crew of three in the cockpit and four electronic systems operators in the converted weapons bay. It offered unique electronic reconnaissance capabilities in numerous Cold War-era conflicts and the Vietnam War.