From Lincoln U5 trials to Canberra D10 target drones

Did the English Electric Canberra D10 directly replace the Avro Lincoln U5 as an RAF target drone?

Not necessarily in a formal one-for-one sense; the U5 tested the capability, while the D10 delivered an operational target-drone system.

Only two Lincoln U5 aircraft were built, which points to a trial role rather than a mature target-drone fleet. The Canberra D10 entered service around the time the U5 disappeared and provided the usable operational capability. That timing makes it reasonable to connect the programs, but the panel hesitates to describe a formal direct replacement without stronger evidence. The distinction matters because an experimental airframe can prove control and mission concepts without serving as the line unit that a later type replaces.