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Subject: Martin AM Mauler
Date: 19 Jul 2017 06:13:02 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_AM_Mauler
The Martin AM Mauler (originally XBTM) was a single-seat shipboard attack
aircraft built for the United States Navy. Designed during World War II, the
Mauler encountered development delays and did not enter service until 1948 in
small numbers. The aircraft proved troublesome and remained in frontline service
only until 1950, when the Navy switched to the smaller and simpler Douglas AD
Skyraider. Maulers remained in reserve squadrons until 1953. A few were built as
AM-1Q electronic-warfare aircraft with an additional crewman in the fuselage.
In the 1930s and early 1940s, the Navy divided carrier-borne bombers into two
types: the torpedo bomber and the dive bomber, each with crews of two or three
men. Wartime experience showed that pilots could aim bombs and torpedoes without
assistance from other crewmembers as well as navigate with the aid of radio
beacons and the development of more powerful engines meant that faster aircraft
no longer needed a rear gunner for self-defense. Furthermore, the consolidation
of the two types of bombers greatly increased the flexibility of a carrier's air
group and allowed the number of fighters in an air group to be increased.
In 1943, the US Navy invited proposals for a new multi-purpose bomber and
selected four designs in September: the Curtiss XBTC, Douglas XBT2D Skyraider,
Kaiser-Fleetwings BTK and the Martin XBTM. Martin was tasked to provide a backup
to the Curtiss design which had been selected as a replacement to the Curtiss
SB2C Helldiver. Due to the US Navy's concern that the Curtiss design was overly
complex and that the company's record was particularly poor during the
Helldiver's development, Martin was instructed to create an "unexperimental"
design that would be a reliable platform for the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp
Major radial engine that powered both aircraft. Two prototypes were ordered from
Martin on 31 May 1944 with the internal designation of Model 210.
Pilots found the Mauler a heavy handling aircraft that was difficult to fly in
formation, and hard to land aboard a carrier because a less-than-perfect landing
often caused the aircraft to bounce over the arresting wires and into the safety
barrier. It was a very stable dive bomber, more so than the Skyraider, and could
carry more ordnance. Maintenance problems and the difficulty of landing aboard a
carrier caused some pilots to give it the nickname of "Awful Monster".
Role
Attack aircraft
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Glenn L. Martin Company
First flight
26 August 1944
Introduction
March 1948
Retired
1953
Primary user
United States Navy
Number built
151
With the prospect of flying the AD-1 Skyraider and AM-1 in carrier operations,
the US Navy assigned the Maulers to Atlantic Fleet squadrons. Attack Squadron
17A (VA-17A) was the first unit to get the AM-1 and received its 18 aircraft in
March and April 1948. It was redesignated VA-174 on 11 August and began carrier
them aboard the USS Leyte in January 1949 with all assigned pilots completing
their day qualifications. During this latter deployment, the squadron
participated in the unsuccessful search for a British South American Airways
Avro Tudor airliner missing in the Caribbean. The squadron made a brief
deployment aboard the USS Midway, one of the largest carriers in the US Navy, in
early 1949. The longer flight deck of the Midway-class carriers made landings
easier for the AM-1 pilots and the squadron did not have a single landing
accident during its deployment. Upon its return, the unit transferred its
aircraft to VA-44 and VA-45, both newly assigned to the Midway, and converted to
the Skyraider before being disbanded in January 1950.
Although the Skyraider was a third smaller and carried a third less bombload, it
proved more reliable in service and easier to fly and land, and Navy pilots
preferred it. In 1950 the decision was made to use the Mauler only from
shore-based units and later that year all but Naval Reserve units abandoned the
type. The aircraft operated with reserve squadrons until 1953.
Specifications (AM-1 Mauler)
General characteristics
Crew: one (two for AM-1Q)
Length: 41 ft 3 in (12.57 m)
Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
Height: 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m)
Wing area: 496 sq ft (46.1 m2)
Empty weight: 15,257 lb (6,920 kg)
Gross weight: 25,737 lb (11,674 kg)
Fuel capacity: 510 US gallons (1,900 l; 420 imp gal)
Propellers: 4-bladed, 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m) diameter
Performance
Maximum speed: 334 mph (538 km/h; 290 kn)
Cruise speed: 189 mph (304 km/h; 164 kn)
Combat range: 1,524 mi; 2,452 km (1,324 nmi)
Service ceiling: 27,000 ft (8,200 m)
Time to altitude: 5.9 minutes to 10,000 feet (3,048 m)
Wing loading: 48.7 lb/sq ft (238 kg/m2)
Armament
Hardpoints: 15
*
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