It all started on friday May the 13th , 1949 the English Electric A1 jet bomber made its first flight from Warton, near Preston, Lancashire, one of the greatest postwar British aircraft and multirole, as well as selling well over seas.The Canberra was the idea of W E W [Teddy] Petter in reponse to a requirement for a jet replacement for the Mosquitio and Whirlwind aircraft. Petter began this work in the mid 1940's firtly at westlands but more particularly at English Electric when he joined that company at Preston in 1944. The specification called for a high speed, high altitude unarmed bomber and to meet this Petter envisaged a clean looking mid-wing monoplane with a circular fuselage ans straight wings and powered by a large single turbojet. The concept was changed to the use of two Rolls-Royce Avon AJ 65 axial flow engines to be hidden in the wing roots.

The all blue prototype A.1 [the aircraft was not named Canberra until late 1949] VN799 was rolled out at Warton on May 8th , 1949, for ground runs and taxi tests before its first flight. The flight programmes met with few problems and at Farnborough that September Roland Beamont put on a great display which was met with great acclaim. The following year VN828 [3rd prototype] set up the first of a run of Canberra records when it took the height record to 50,000ft. During its career the Canberra achieved 19 distance and 3 height records, The prototype of the first true Canberra bomber [B2] VX165 first flew on April 23rd 1950, followed at the end of the year with the first production aircraft WD929.

Video below shows WJ874 painted as the blue prototype at RIAT 24/07/99

Some statistics of the Canberra's Variants

English Electric A 1
The first Canberra prototype.
Canberra B 1
Pre-production prototype, 4 built.
Canberra B 2
First production version, crew increased to 3 with addition of bomb aimer, Avon R.A.3 engines with 6,500 lbf (28.91 kN) of thrust, wingtip fuel tanks. 418 built by English Electric (208), Avro (75), Handley Page (75) and Short Brothers & Harland (60)[24] including eight for export (Australia, United States and Venezuela)
Canberra PR 3
Photo-reconnaissance version of B2, it had a 14 inch section added to the fuselage to house the camera bay, internal fuel was increased and flat panel in the nose was removed. Needed only two crew the prototype was flown on 19 March 1950 and the variant entered service in 1953, 36 built.
Canberra T 4
First trainer variant with dual controls and a crew of three, 75 built including seven for export and conversions from B2.
Canberra B 5
Prototype of second-generation Canberra with fuel tanks in the wings and Avon R.A.7 engines with 7,490 lbf (33.32 kN) of thrust, one built.
Canberra B 6
Production version based on B 5. 1 ft (0.3 m) fuselage stretch, could be fitted with a belly pack with 4x 20 mm Hispano cannon for strafing; 106 built by English Electric (57) and Short Brothers & Harland (49), includes 12 for export.
Canberra B 6RC
RC= Radio Countermeasures - Specialist ELINT version only four produced, extended nose.
Canberra B(I) 6
Interim interdictor version for the RAF pending delivery of the B(I)8. Based on the B2 with a detachable ventral pack housing four canons, also had provision for two wing hard points, 22 built.
Canberra PR 7
Photo-reconnaissance version based on B 6, had similar equipment to the PR3 but had the uprated Avon 109 engines of the B6 and increased internal fuel capacity, 71a built.
Canberra B(I) 8
Third-generation Canberra derived from B 6 as interdictor. Fitted with a new forward fuselage with teardrop canopy on the port side, and Navigator station forward of pilot (early marks had the navigator behind the pilot. Provision for a ventral pack similar to the B(I)6 with 4 x 20 mm Hispano cannon, one external hardpoint under each wing for up to 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs or unguided rockets, LABS (Low-Altitude Bombing System) for delivery of nuclear bombs. Prototype converted from the only B5 and first flown 23 July 1954, 72 built including 17 for export and two converted from B2s.
Canberra PR 9
Photo-reconnaissance version based on B(I) 8 with fuselage stretched to 68 ft (27.72 m), wingspan increased by 4 ft (1.22 m), and Avon R.A.27 (Avon 206) engines with 10,030 lbf (44.6 kN) of thrust. Had the offset canopy of the B(I)8 with a hinged nose to allow fitment of an ejection seat for the navigator. A total of 23 built by Short Brothers & Harland with three transferred to Chile after the Falklands War.
Canberra U 10
Remote-controlled target drones converted from B 2, later redesignated D 10.
Canberra T 11
Nine B2s converted to trainers for pilots and navigators of all-weather interceptors to operate the Airborne Intercept radar, crew of four.
Canberra B(I) 12
Canberra B(I) 8 bomber built for New Zealand and South Africa, 17 built.
Canberra T 13
Training version of the T 4 for the New Zealand, one built.
Canberra U 14
Remote-controlled target drones converted from the U.10, later designated D. 14.
Canberra B 15
Upgraded B.6 for use in the Far and Near East with underwing hardpoints for 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or rockets. New avionics and fitment of three cameras. 39 conversions.
Canberra B 16
Similar to B 15 for use in Germany and fitted with Blue Shadow, 19 conversions
Canberra T 17
Electronic warfare training variant used to train surface-based radar and missile operators and airborne fighter and Airborne Early Warning crews in handling jamming (including chaff dropping) aircraft. 24 conversions from B2 with extended nose for sensors.
Canberra T 17A
Updated version of the T17 with improved navigation aids, a spectrum analyser in place of the previously-fitted AN/APR 20, and a powerful communications jammer.
Canberra TT 18
Target tug conversion of B2 for the Royal Navy, 22 conversions.
Canberra T 19
T 11 with radar removed as silent target.
Canberra B 20
B 2 with additional fuel tanks in the wings license-built in Australia, 48 built.
Canberra T.21
Trainers converted from B 2 and B 20
Canberra T 22
Conversion of the PR 7 for Royal Navy's Fleet Requirement and Air Direction Unit, used for training Buccaneer navigators, seven conversions.
Canberra Mk.52
4 refurbished B 2 bombers sold to Ethiopia.
Canberra Mk 56
10 refurbished B(I) 6 bombers sold to Peru.
Canberra PR 57
Tropicalized PR 7 for India, eight built.
Canberra B(I) 58
Tropicalized B(I) 8 for India, 71 built.
Canberra Mk 62
10 refurbished B 2 bombers sold to Argentina.
Canberra Mk 64
2 refurbished T 4 trainers sold to Argentina.
Canberra Mk.66
10 refurbished B(I) 6 bombers sold to India.
Canberra Mk 67
2 refurbished PR 7s sold to India.
Canberra Mk 68
1 refurbished B(I) 8 bomber sold to Peru.
Short SC 9
1 Canberra PR 9 rebuilt by Shorts fitted with an AI.23 radar, plus IR installation in the nose for Red Top air-to-air missile trials. Continued in use for radar missile development work.

Operators of the Canberra

Argentina

* Argentine Air Force (12)

Australia

* Royal Australian Air Force (58)
o No. 1 Squadron RAAF
o No. 2 Squadron RAAF
o No. 6 Squadron RAAF
o No. 1 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
o Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) RAAF

Chile

* Chilean Air Force (3)

Ecuador

* Ecuadorian Air Force (6)

Ethiopia

* Ethiopian Air Force (4)

France

* French Air Force (6)
o Centre d'Essais en Vol
o Centre du Tir et de Bombardement[26]

Germany

* Luftwaffe (3)

India

* Indian Air Force (107)

New Zealand

* Royal New Zealand Air Force (31)
o No. 14 Squadron RNZAF
o No. 75 Squadron RNZAF

Peru

* Peruvian Air Force (60)

Rhodesia

* Royal Rhodesian Air Force (20)

South Africa

* South African Air Force[27] (9)

Sweden

* Swedish Air Force(2)

United Kingdom

* Royal Air Force (782)

* No. 3 Squadron RAF
* No. 6 Squadron RAF
* No. 7 Squadron RAF
* No. 9 Squadron RAF
* No. 10 Squadron RAF
* No. 12 Squadron RAF
* No. 13 Squadron RAF
* No. 14 Squadron RAF
* No. 15 Squadron RAF
* No. 16 Squadron RAF
* No. 17 Squadron RAF
* No. 18 Squadron RAF
* No. 21 Squadron RAF
* No. 27 Squadron RAF
* No. 31 Squadron RAF
* No. 32 Squadron RAF
* No. 35 Squadron RAF
* No. 39 Squadron RAF
* No. 40 Squadron RAF
* No. 45 Squadron RAF

* No. 50 Squadron RAF
* No. 51 Squadron RAF
* No. 57 Squadron RAF
* No. 58 Squadron RAF
* No. 59 Squadron RAF
* No. 61 Squadron RAF
* No. 69 Squadron RAF
* No. 73 Squadron RAF
* No. 76 Squadron RAF
* No. 80 Squadron RAF
* No. 81 Squadron RAF
* No. 82 Squadron RAF
* No. 85 Squadron RAF
* No. 88 Squadron RAF
* No. 90 Squadron RAF
* No. 97 Squadron RAF
* No. 98 Squadron RAF
* No. 100 Squadron RAF
* No. 101 Squadron RAF
* No. 102 Squadron RAF

* No. 103 Squadron RAF
* No. 104 Squadron RAF
* No. 109 Squadron RAF
* No. 115 Squadron RAF
* No. 139 Squadron RAF
* No. 149 Squadron RAF
* No. 151 Squadron RAF
* No. 192 Squadron RAF
* No. 199 Squadron RAF
* No. 207 Squadron RAF
* No. 213 Squadron RAF
* No. 245 Squadron RAF
* No. 249 Squadron RAF
* No. 360 Squadron RAF
* No. 361 Squadron RAF
* No. 527 Squadron RAF
* No. 540 Squadron RAF
* No. 542 Squadron RAF
* No. 617 Squadron RAF
* No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit RAF

* Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (69)
o 728B NAS - RNAS Hal Far, Malta
o Fleet Requirements Unit (FRU)
o Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU)

United States

* United States Air Force (2 only for B-57 development)

Venezuela

* Venezuelan Air Force (46)

Zimbabwe

* Air Force of Zimbabwe