| Martin BM | |
|---|---|
 A BM-2 of VT-2B in the early 1930s | |
| General information | |
| Type | Dive bomber ortorpedo bomber |
| Manufacturer | Martin |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Number built | 35 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1931 |
| First flight | 17 May 1929 |
TheMartin BM was a 1930sAmericantorpedo bomber built by theGlenn L. Martin Company for the United States Navy.
To meet the requirement for a special-purposedive bomber for theUnited States Navy andUnited States Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy'sBureau of Aeronautics designed abiplane with fixed-tailwheellanding gear designated Bureau Design 77. It had room for two crew in tandem. Two prototypes were ordered in June 1928, one from Martin (designated theXT5M-1) and one from theNaval Aircraft Factory (designated theXT2N-1).
Martin moved to a new factory inBaltimore,Maryland, where the XT5M-1 was built, and it was first flown on 17 May 1929. It was powered by a 525horsepower (391 kW)Pratt & Whitney R-1690-22 Hornet radial engine. During testing, the aircraft suffered structural damage during a pullout from a dive and had to be returned to the factory. After a redesign and rebuilding of the wings, the XTM5-1 was handed over to the Navy in May 1930 for service trials. Following further tests during 1930, the Navy ordered 12 aircraft with a more powerful R-1690-44 engine in April 1931, designating them theBM-1. A further order for four BM-1 aircraft was followed by an order in October 1931 for 16 of theBM-2, a variant with minor improvements.
The first production BM-1,A8879, was delivered to the U.S. Navy atNaval Air Station Anacostia inWashington, D.C., for acceptance testing in September 1931. The Navy refused to accept the type afterA8879 had a fatal crash during a test dive in September 1931. Meanwhile, the prototype was flown aboard theaircraft carrierUSS Langley (CV-1) from November 1931 to prove its suitability as a carrier aircraft. Martin modified the second production aircraft, used the same serial as the crashed aircraft, and delivered it to the Navy in January 1932. The Navy accepted the secondA8879 on 27 February 1932 and the delivery of 15 more followed, with the last accepted in July 1931.
In June 1932 the BM-1s were delivered toTorpedo Squadron 1 (VT-1S) aboard the aircraft carrierUSS Lexington (CV-2) to replace the squadron'sMartin T4Ms. In March 1933 the squadron was redesignated VT-1B when it became part of theBattle Force. By October 1932 it had ten BM-1s and ten BM-2s in service.
In July 1934, the U.S. Navy formedBombing Squadron 3 (VB-3B) for service aboard the aircraft carrierUSS Ranger (CV-4) operating the BM-1 and BM-2, which the squadron flew until February 1935. Other carrier squadrons — including VB-5 and VT-5 aboardUSS Yorktown (CV-5) and VT-6 aboardUSS Enterprise (CV-6) — also operated Martin BMs for short periods before they moved on to other aircraft. By the middle of 1938 only a small number of Martin BMs remained in service, most with the test and evaluation squadrons VX-3D4 and VX-4D4 based atPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. By the end of 1939, all BM-1s and BM-2s were out of service.
Martin built an additional aircraft designated theXBM-1 for trials and testing with theNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
Of the 35 aircraft built only seven were lost in accidents:
Data fromThe Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Aircraft.[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
