It originated in a December 1952 USAF study funded by the Wright Air Development Center for a turbojet-powered special reconnaissance aircraft with a radius of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) that could operate at altitudes of 65,000 feet (20,000 m).

Even with the spoilers out and landing gear extended, the plane had a very low sink rate and pilots resorted to holding the RB-57Ds into a series of slight stalls to get the aircraft down to the runway.

Those first six aircraft, all Group A RB-57Ds, deployed Yokota AB, Japan and to Eielson AFB, Alaska in late 1956 for reconnaissance missions over what is presumed to be China, North Korea and the Soviet Union.

Midair-refuelling capable RB-57Ds (Group B and the sole Type C) were deployed in 1957 to Rhein-Main AB, West Germany to support USAFE operations.

They produced individual frames that were developed as large as 4'x6' for CIA analysts to go over in great detail when looking for missile silos throughout Eastern Europe.

Intelligence gathering sorties by the RB-57's in West Germany continued until 1964 when wing fatigue problems caused type to be withdrawn from service.

[2] In 1958, the Central Intelligence Agency started sponsoring a program known as Diamond Lil, in which Chinese Nationalist pilots were trained to fly RB-57Ds.

During early 1959, they carried out deep penetration reconnaissance flights over the Chinese mainland, photographing airfields, military establishments and ports.

They flew in Republic of China Air Force markings, being painted white on top and black on the bottom with lettering stenciled in red.

[3] RB-57D "5643", piloted by Capt Ying-Chin Wang, was shot down and killed on 7 October 1959 by a People's Liberation Army SA-2 surface-to-air missile, which was the first successful shoot-down of an aircraft ever achieved by a SAM.

The program ended around 1964, when fatigue problems with the wing spars forced the retirement of the surviving aircraft, which was returned to the US.

Martin had designed the wings for only 500 flight hours and many of them had already exceeded that limit but strategic necessity resulted in the RB-57Ds still flying missions.

[2] Air Defense Command took over the remaining RB-57Ds to act as high-altitude targets for the supersonic interceptor force.

Fitted out with electronic countermeasures, the 4677th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron at Hill AFB, Utah, was formed to operate 12 of the 20 RB-57Ds to fly training missions against continental Radar defense installations as electronic "aggressor" aircraft The upgrades to the electronic countermeasures to challenge the ADC interceptor crews resulted in these aircraft being designated EB-57Ds [1][2] Some were used by NASA for high-altitude flight testing and terrain mapping.

Three RB-57Ds were assigned to the 1211th Test Squadron (Sampling) of the MATS Air Weather Service at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico and were re-designated WB-57D.

[1] In 1964, an RB-57D which was operating on test flights out of Wright-Patterson AFB (53-3973), lost its wing at 50,000 feet (15,000 m) over Dayton, Ohio and crashed into a schoolyard.

Related lists This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency