Last flight for historic aircraft

The Canberra has supported operations all over the world

Senior RAF officers have attended a ceremony marking the end of service for one of the most famous spy planes.

The Canberra, which first flew in 1949, is being phased out and the last Canberra squadron, based at RAF Marham, in Norfolk, is being disbanded.

The historic event on Friday included a flypast by the Red Arrows, a VC10 and the Canberra PR9 on its last ever sortie.

The aircraft is being decommissioned because of advances in technology.

The PR9, flown by No 39 (1 PRU) Squadron, was introduced into service between 1958 and 1961 to conduct photographic reconnaissance.

In the past 12 years, the aircraft has been supporting operations all over the world, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Rwanda and the Horn of Africa.