picture 171078

In 1957, following successful high-altitude overflights of Eastern Europe by Canberra reconnaissance bombers of the Royal Air Force, the CIA furnished several RB-57As – essentially the first US-manufactured variant of the British-designed Canberra – to the 4th Squadron, 6th Group, 5th Wing, ROCAF. Like all RB-57As of the USAF, all were painted in glossy black overall, and wore their serials and ROCAF registrations applied in red. After undertaking dozens of high-risk missions, the jet illustrated here (52-1431/5642) was intercepted by a pair of PLAAF interceptors (probably MiG-17F) over Shandong, and shot down, on 18 February 1958. The pilot, Guang-Huia Chao, was killed. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)