The B-57 is a modified version of the English Electric Canberra which was first flown in Great Britain on May 13, 1949, and later produced for the Royal Air Force. After the Korean Conflict began in 1950, the U. S. Air Force looked for a jet-powered medium bomber to replace the aging Douglas B-26 Invader. In March 1951, the USAF contracted with the Glenn Martin Company to build the Canberra in the United States under a licensing agreement with English Electric.

The Martin-built B-57 made its first flight on July 20, 1953. When production was terminated in 1959, a total of 403 Canberras had been produced for the USAF. The B-57 was assigned to the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in the decentralization of logistics management in 1953. Thus, it was the first aircraft weapons systems assigned to Warner Robins for worldwide logistics management. Robins Air Force Base also performed depot maintenance of the B-57 in the 1950s and 1960s.

The unarmed reconnaissance-type Canberra on display was acquired from the U. S. Army Proving Grounds at Aberdeen, Maryland, in 1983. Its last duty station was Forbes Field, Kansas, where it was assigned to the Kansas Air National Guard before being retired to the Army research facility in 1968.