Douglas WB-66D Destroyer - Pima ASM, Tucson, AZ - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

The Douglas B-66 Destroyer was a US Air Force (UASF) Tactical Air Command (TAC) light bomber based on the US Navy's A-3 Skywarrior. It was intended to replace the Douglas A-26 Invader. An RB-66 photo-reconnaissance version was ordered simultaneously. The USAF B-66 retained the three-man crew from the USN A-3, but also incorporated ejection seats that the USN variant lacked.

At first, the USAF thought the conversion would 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 higher priority). The list of modifications grew, and before long, the supposedly "easy" conversion became what was a substantially new aircraft. Many of the changes were due to the USAF's requirement for low-level operations, while the Navy version was originally designed and initially employed as a high-altitude nuclear strike bomber. Two major differences between the A-3 and the B-66 were in terms of powerplants and emergency crew egress systems. In terms of engines, the A-3 had two J57 turbojet engines, while the B-66 had two Allison J71s. Secondly, the B-66 was equipped with ejection seats while the A-3 was not.

The first RB-66A pre-production aircraft flew in 1954, while the first production RB-66B aircraft flew in early 1955.

The basic B-66 "Destroyer" design proved itself to be a versatile one, and was produced or modified into a variety of versions, including the EB-66, RB-66, and the WB-66. Likewise, the A-3 Skywarrior was used as the A-3, EA-3, KA-3, EKA-3, TA-3, RA-3, ERA-3 and the UA-3.

Deliveries to the USAF began in 1956 with 145 of this model produced. RB-66s were used as the major night photo-reconnaissance aircraft of the USAF during this period. A total of 72 of the B-66B bomber version were built, 69 fewer than originally planned. Thirteen B-66B aircraft later were modified into EB-66B electronic countermeasures aircraft for the Vietnam War. Unlike the 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 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 were redesignated EB-66C.

Unarmed EB-66B, EB-66C and EB-66E aircraft flew numerous missions during the Vietnam War. They not only helped gather electronic intelligence about the North Vietnamese defenses, but also provided protection for the daily 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 of the aircraft was shot down by a MiG, the vulnerable B-66 flights were ordered back just outside of North Vietnam.

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

The final B-66 variant was the WB-66D weather reconnaissance aircraft, 36 of which were constructed.

The EB-66C/E was removed from USAF service by 1975 and most examples either scrapped in place or placed in storage for eventual scrapping. One RB-66B is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, OH. Other examples on display are located at: Shaw AFB, SC; Lackland AFB, TX; Robins AFB, GA; Dyess AFB, TX; the Chanute Aerospace Museum at the former Chanute AFB, Rantoul, IL, and the Pima Air and Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ.

Source: Wikipedia

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Douglas WB-66D Destroyer Tail Number: (S/N): s/n 55-0395 Construction:: original aircraft Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Located at Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ inside / outside: outside Other Information:: Pima Air & Space Museum 6000 E Valencia Rd Tucson, Arizona 85756 Phone 520-574-0462 Open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Daily Last admittance at 4:00 PM $15.50-Adults $12.50-Pima Co Residents $12.75-Seniors $ 9.00-Children FREE---Children 6 & under $ 7.00-AMARG $13.50-Group Rate Access restrictions: None

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