FRADU Canberra TT.18 Gallery

This TT.18 was part of the first contract of Canberra B.2's built by Electric at Preston.
It was delivered to the RAF and allotted to 231 OCU. Following periods serving with the Royal Air Force Flying College (RAFFC) and with RAF 245, 98 and 7 Squadrons it was converted to a TT.18. It was then delivered to the FRADU where it served for the rest of its flying career. Following retirement the majority of the airframe was scrapped.
The nose however survives with a private owner in Essex, still bearing 845!

Part of a contract to build exactly 100 B.2 Canberras, WJ717 was built at the Handley Page factory at Radlett.
It served with RAF 35 and 6 Squadrons during the early part of its career before being passed on the RAF Flying College.
Following service there it went on to serve with 98 and 85 Squadrons before being converted to TT.18 status.
It was transferred to Royal Navy Charge at 27MU on 25th February 1972. Later the aircraft served with the FRU and FRADU coded 846 for many years up-to 1992, when this Canberra was one of the last three FRADU Canberras to be retired from service.

The three flew out together to RAF St Athan to await their fate.
Being sold at Auction in 1994 it resides today in the USA and is currently stored at Phoenix, Arizona.

This Canberra was also built as a B.2 by Short Brother at Belfast along with 59 others.
This aircraft had a fairly long service career with the RAF, serving with 1323 Ft, 542, and 21 Squadrons as well as part of RAF Upwood's Station Flight. She was converted to a TT.18 and taken on Royal Navy charge on 27th November 1969.
Periods with the FRU and later the FRADU followed as well as a time on loan to Flight Refuelling at Hurn followed until being retired for a period of storage at RAF St Athan in November 1986. A few years later it was put back into service and soldiered on until 1992 went it flew out of Yeovilton with two others for the last time bound for St Athan.
Funnily enough this aircraft is still owned by the MoD. It was moved from St Athan to RAE Llanbedr where it flew trial sorties for a time. It was then put in storage and was moved to the fire dump in the late 1990's.
It's current status is unknown as the aircraft has according to reports been sold.

Part of the same contract that produced WK123/840 as well as WK126/843 this aircraft came out of Woodford.
She serves with a number of RAF Squadrons including Nos. 115, 207, 90 and 98. She was converted to TT.18 status and then taken on charge with the Navy on 22nd September 1969. Originally used by FRU it passed onto the FRADU.
Serving almost continuously with the FRADU until being retired in 1992 it was sold at auction and emigrated to the USA in 1995.

Its current home is Chino, California under the ownership of David Ridsdale.

Built in Belfast by Short Brothers as a B.2 this aircraft served with RAF 10, 57 and 44 Squadrons as well as time with the RAF Honington Station Flight before eventually being converted to a TT.18. It went on to serve with 7 Squadron before being transferred to FRADU's strength. It served for a few years in its RAF scheme before being retired to Battle Damage Repair training at RAF Abingdon in 1982. The remains were eventually scrapped in the late 1980's.

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