Martin T3M

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_T3M

The Martin T3M was an American torpedo bomber of the 1920s. A single-engined
three-seat biplane, it became a standard torpedo bomber of the U.S. Navy,
operating from both land bases and from aircraft carriers from 1926 to 1932.

Having built 75 examples of the Martin SC, the production version of the Curtiss
CS in 1925, the Glenn L. Martin Company was able to offer an improved version
when the U.S. Navy had a requirement for an improved torpedo-bomber/scout
aircraft. This aircraft, which was designated the T3M-1, first flew in July
1926.

The T3M was a large single-engined biplane capable of being fitted with either a
conventional tailwheel undercarriage or floats. The fuselage was constructed of
welded steel tube in place of the riveted steel frame of the CS/SC, with the
pilot and bombardier seated side by side in the front cockpit situated forward
of the wing, with the bombardier having a position under the nose for aiming the
aircraft's bombs or torpedoes, while the gunner had a cockpit well aft of the
wing, with a radiator slung under the top wing between the cockpits. Power was
from a 575 hp (429 kW) Wright T-3B V-12 engine. 24 T3M-1s were built.

As the T3M-1 was underpowered, a new version was produced with the much more
powerful (770 hp/574 kW) Packard 3A-2500 engine. This version, the T3M-2 had
revised wings with the upper and lower wings of equal span (while in the T3M-1
the lower wings were of greater span), and the radiator was replaced by two
radiators on the fuselage side, allowing the crew to be moved to three
individual tandem cockpits. The U.S. Navy ordered 100 T3M-2s, one of which was
re-engined with the Pratt & Whitney Hornet and the Wright Cyclone radial engines
as the XT3M-3 and XT3M-4 respectively. These aircraft formed the basis of the
Martin T4M that would replace the T3M in service with the U.S. Navy.


Role
Torpedo-bomber

Manufacturer
Glenn L. Martin Company

First flight
1926

Introduction
1926

Retired
1932

Primary user
United States Navy

Number built
124

Developed from
Curtiss CS

Variants
Martin T4M

Deliveries of the T3M-1 to the U.S. Navy started in September 1926. The T3M-1
was not heavily used, however, and was replaced in service by the more powerful
T3M-2 from 1927. Although the T3M-2 itself was replaced in frontline service by
its radial-powered development, the T4M, it remained in squadron service until
at least 1932.

Specifications (T3M-2)

General characteristics
Crew: three
Length: 41 ft 4 in (12.60 m)
Wingspan: 56 ft 7 in (17.25 m)
Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m)
Wing area: 883 ft² (82.1 m²)
Empty weight: 5,814 lb (2,643 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,503 lb (4,320 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Packard 3A-2500 liquid-cooled V-12 engine, 770 hp (574 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 109 mph (95 kn, 175 km/h)
Range: 634 mi (551 nmi, 1,020 km)
Service ceiling: 7,900 ft (2,400 m)
Wing loading: 10.8 lb/ft² (52.6 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.081 hp/lb (0.13 kW/kg)
Climb to 5,000 ft: 16.8 min

Armament

1 × flexibly mounted 0.3 in (7.62 mm) machine gun in rear cockpit
1 × torpedo or bombs under fuselage




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