Canberra B (I) Mk 6

This page is about the British jet bomber Canberra B (I) Mk 6. For other versions, see Canberra (Family).

Canberra B (I) Mk 6

Canberra B Mk 2

Buccaneer S.2

Canberra B (I) Mk 6

Canberra B Mk 2

Buccaneer S.2

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	8.3	8.0

Class:

Bomber

Jet bomber

Research:61 000

Purchase:340 000

Description

The Canberra B Mk 6 was the second production run of the English Electric Canberra, improving over the original Mk 2 with more powerful engines, fuel tanks in the wings, and a slightly lengthened fuselage. An interdictor variant known as the Canberra B (I) Mk 6 was also created as an interim prior to introduction of the more dedicated Mk 8, featuring a detachable ventrally mounted gun pod enclosing four 20 mm Hispano cannons, two wing hardpoints to make up for the partially occupied bomb bay, and provision for a toss bombing system allowing the use of nuclear weapons. Entering service in 1955, the Canberra B (I) Mk 6 was soon withdrawn from Bomber Command operations in 1961, but maintained operational readiness in the nuclear delivery role until 1972.

Introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals", the Canberra B (I) Mk 6 is an interdiction model of the famous Canberra bomber, thus it is more suited for aggressive ground attack/interdiction roles by comparison to the B Mk.2 or B-57A models. Much like the B-57B, it retains its bomb carrying capabilities, but also features an impressive battery of armament consisting of four 20 mm Hispano Mk V cannons, each with a 500-round capacity, making it a truly formidable attack aircraft and also allowing for air-to-air combat with other aircraft. The Canberra is surprisingly agile for its size, allowing it to catch opposing aircraft off-guard; coupled with its bomber spawn, it can be highly effective in intercepting other jet bombers or dropping in on unsuspecting fighters from behind enemy lines.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Max speed

at 3 000 m880 km/h

Turn time26 s

Max altitude12 192 m

Engine2 х Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.109

TypeJet

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight26 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 3,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	858	830	12192	26.6	27.4	13.8	11.8	750
Upgraded	894	880		25.5	26.0	26.9	20.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	X	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
990	450	-	-	320	~6	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 590	< 550	< 500	-

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Empty mass			Wing loading (full fuel)
Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.109		2	10,300 kg			194 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)					Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		18m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	45m fuel	62m fuel
800 kg	Axial-flow turbojet		12,363 kg	12,586 kg	13,699 kg	15,368 kg	17,260 kg	25,865 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
Condition	100%	WEP	18m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	45m fuel	62m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	3,300 kgf	N/A	0.53	0.52	0.48	0.43	0.38	0.26
Optimal	3,300 kgf (0 km/h)	N/A	0.53	0.52	0.48	0.43	0.38	0.26

Survivability and armour

Crew3 people

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear450 km/h

• No armour plating
• No armour glazing
• Critical components located in the fuselage of the aircraft (fuel, pilot, controls)
• Engines in wings

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 800 → 3 785

RB11 319 → 15 303

SB16 770 → 22 673

Total cost of modifications101 200

162 000

Talisman cost2 200

Crew training98 000

Experts340 000

Aces1 800

Research Aces780 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

90 / 310 / 600 %

202 / 202 / 202 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 10 000 Cost: 16 000 340 Compressor Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 370 Wings repair Research: 13 000 Cost: 21 000 440 Engine Research: 8 300 Cost: 13 000 280	Airframe Research: 11 000 Cost: 18 000 370 EFS Research: 8 300 Cost: 13 000 280 Cover Research: 8 300 Cost: 13 000 280	EEMBC No.2 Mark 1 Research: 10 000 Cost: 16 000 340 hispano_belt_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 21 000 440 hispano_mk5_new_gun Research: 8 300 Cost: 13 000 280

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 14 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannon

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

The Canberra B (I) Mk 6 is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, belly-mounted (500 rpg = 2,000 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (4)

Setup 12 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bomb
3 x 1000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bomb

Setup 22 x 1000 lb M.C. Mk.I bomb
3 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bomb

Setup 35 x 1000 lb M.C. Mk.I bomb

Setup 45 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bomb

The Canberra B (I) Mk 6 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 5 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bombs (2,500 lb total)
• 3 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bombs + 2 x 1,000 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (3,500 lb total)
• 2 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bombs + 3 x 1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs (4,000 lb total)
• 5 x 1,000 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (5,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

The Canberra B (I) Mk 6 can be played a few different ways. You can bomb the bombing targets as a bomber, but then you can use the plane to its full potential as a heavy fighter. The Canberra rolls decently when slow, but when you start to turn, the elevator will pull and the plane has a decent turning circle for its size. The 4 x Hispano Mk.V cannons are decently easy to aim as they are mounted on the underbelly of the aircraft. You have 2,000 rounds of ammunition which can easily deal with multiple targets with plenty of ammo to spare. The best way to play this aircraft is Boom and Zooming, where you dive on a target and have a gun run on them and after the run is over pulling off and going back up using your speed for altitude. The aircraft gets a bomber spawn which will spawn you at a high altitude and decent speed at the start of the match.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High-speed attack aircraft
• High cannon ammo capacity
• Large bomb-carrying capabilities
• Good agility

Cons:

• No defensive armament
• Large surface area
• High speed makes it hard to bomb smaller targets such as tanks
• Loss of one 1,000 lb bomb compared to previous model Canberra B Mk 2

History

Archive of the in-game description

After the runaway success of the first English Electric Canberra variants, further development was an inevitability. A single Canberra B Mk.5 was constructed as a test bed of marrying the airframe with the new, more powerful Rolls-Royce Avon RA7 jet engines with a lengthened fuselage leading to a greater fuel capacity. Trials proved to be successful and the resulting Canberra B Mk.6 entered service with the RAF in 1954. The B Mk.6 was some 10 mph faster and also saw a range increase from approximately 2,600 miles to just under 3,400 miles, significantly improving flexibility of operations for RAF Bomber Command. The B Mk.6 also spawned the development of the interim B(I) Mk.6, which added a ventral pack containing four 20 mm Hispano cannon and an additional two hard points on the wings for external stores. It also included the Low Altitude Bombing System for the release of nuclear weapons in a climb from low altitude. The Canberra saw service with both the RAF, RNZAF and RAAF during the Malayan Emergency. RAF Canberra B Mk.6's also served alongside the earlier B Mk.2 and Photographic Reconnaissance variants during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Whilst the Canberra was phased out of service as an RAF front line bomber in the early 1960s it continued to be used for a staggering 50 years in other roles, particularly photographic reconnaissance, and even flew operationally in the 1991 Gulf War. It finally retired from service with the RAF in June 2006. The Canberra saw great success across a number of variants and was exporting to many countries such as Australia, the United States, France, India, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, West Germany, Venezuela, Sweden, South Africa, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Peru, Ecuador and Ethiopia.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Canberra B (I) Mk 6 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

The English Electric Company Limited
Jet Fighters	Lightning F.6 · Lightning F.53
Jet Bombers	Canberra B Mk 2 · Canberra B (I) Mk 6
Tanks	Excelsior
	The English Electric Company allowed the Glenn L. Martin Company to license-build Canberra bombers for the United States Air Force.