The B-66 was developed from the Navy A3D Skywarrior for USAF use as a tactical light bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft. ò An RB-66A, one of five reconnaissance aircraft ordered as prototypes, was first to fly on June 28, 1954.ò B-66s became operational in 1956; production ended in 1958. ò The RB-66B reconnaissance version was the first production series and totaled 155 of the 294 B-66s built.



The B-66 was the last tactical bomber built for the USAF and the only B-66 designed exclusively as a bomber.ò Others served as tactical reconnaissance aircraft while the final version, WB-66D, was designed for electronic weather reconnaissance.ò Some B-66s were modified for service in Vietnam as electronic countermeasures aircraft to confuse enemy radar defenses.ò Warner Robins Air Logistics Center assumed logistics management responsibility for the B-66 in 1965 due to phaseout of the Mobile Air Materiel Area at Brookley AFB, Alabama. ò However, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center inspected, winterized, and flight-tested 83 of these aircraft under Project High Flight in 1957-58.



The WB-66D on display was acquired from Shaw AFB, South Carolina, in 1984.ò Restoration was started by Middle Georgia Technical Institute and is ongoing by Macon Technical Institute.