English Electric Canberra T.4
English Electric · United Kingdom · first flew 1952 · bomber
The Canberra T.4 was the standard two-seat conversion trainer variant, featuring side-by-side seating under a wide canopy and a solid nose in place of the bomber's glazed bomb-aimer station.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 19.9 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Side-by-side dual controls under a wide two-piece fighter-type canopy — no glazed bomb-aimer nose panel
- Solid metal nose with no camera or bombing apertures; nose profile blunter than B.2 due to wider cockpit enclosure
- Identical wing, engine nacelle, and tail to B.2 — the canopy and nose are the sole visual discriminators
The wide fighter-type two-piece canopy and solid nose immediately distinguish the T.4 from the B.2's glazed nose; against the PR.9 the T.4 has a straight wing leading edge and lower-profile cockpit.
Specifications
- The English Electric Canberra T.4 has a length of 19.9 m (65 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 19.5 m (64 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 917 km/h (570 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Entering service in 1954, the T.4 trained generations of RAF aircrew on Canberra operations and continued in the training role long after the bombers had retired, finally leaving RAF service in 2006 alongside the last PR.9s.
Variants
Argentina and other export customers received broadly similar trainer marks; the T.17 was an electronic-warfare trainer conversion from B.2 airframes.
Where you'll see it
T.4 airframes survive at the RAF Museum Cosford, de Havilland Aircraft Museum at Salisbury Hall, and several other UK collections; the type's long service means many airframes remained intact for preservation.
Related aircraft
- English Electric Canberra B.2
- English Electric Lightning P.1A
- English Electric Canberra
- English Electric Lightning F.1
- Avro Vulcan
- Avro Vulcan B.1
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
- Boeing XB-52 Stratofortress
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