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| NBS-1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Short-range night bomber |
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| Status | No known survivors |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Service |
| Number built | 130 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1920–1922 |
| Introduction date | 1920 |
| First flight | 3 September 1920 |
| Retired | 1929 |
TheMartin NBS-1 was a military aircraft of theUnited States Army Air Service and its successor, theArmy Air Corps. An improved version of theMartin MB-1, a scout-bomber built during the final months ofWorld War I, the NBS-1 was ordered under the designationMB-2 and is often referred to as such. The designation NBS-1, standing for "Night Bomber-Short Range", was adopted by the Air Service after the first five of the Martin bombers were delivered.
The NBS-1 became the standard frontline bomber of the Air Service in 1920 and remained so until its replacement in 1928–1929 by theKeystone Aircraft series of bombers. The basic MB-2 design was also the standard against which prospective U.S. Army bombers were judged until the production of theMartin B-10 in 1933.
The NBS-1 was a wood-and-fabricbiplane withoutstaggered wings, employing twin rudders on a twin vertical tail. Its twoLiberty 12-A engines sat innacelles on the lower wing, flanking the fuselage. Ordered under the company designation MB-2 in June 1920, the NBS-1 was an improved larger version of theMartin MB-1 bomber built by theGlenn L. Martin Company in 1918, also known as the GMB or Glenn Martin Bomber. The first flight of the MB-2 took place 3 September 1920.
In addition to more powerful engines, larger wings and fuselage, and simplified landing gear, the NBS-1 also had a unique folding wing system, hinged outside the engine nacelles to fold backward for storage in small hangars. Unlike the MB-1, whose engines were mounted between the wings in a fashion similar to the GermanStaaken R.VIRiesenflugzeug, the engines of the NBS-1 were fixed to the lower wing over the landing gear.
The MB-2 was designed as a night bomber and except for a greater load capacity, had reduced performance characteristics compared to its MB-1 predecessor. The first 20 (five MB-2s and 15 NBS-1s) were ordered from the Martin Company, which recommended a further 50 be produced to help its struggling financial condition. However the design was owned by the U.S. Army and subsequent contracts for 110 bombers were awarded by low bid to three other companies:Curtiss Aircraft (50 ordered);L-W-F Engineering Company of College Point, New York (35); andAeromarine Plane and Motor Company of Keyport, New Jersey (25).
The engines of the last 20 bombers of the Curtiss order came equipped withturbosuperchargers manufactured byGeneral Electric, the first such modification made in production quantity. Although enabling the NBS-1 to reach an altitude of over 25,000 ft (7,650 m), the turbosuperchargers were mechanically unreliable and not used operationally.
The bomber was equipped defensively with five .30 in (7.62 mm)Lewis guns, mounted in pairs in positions in the nose and upper rear fuselage, and singly in a bottom mount, firing behind and beneath the rear fuselage.
The first two Martin MB-2s, Air Service serials64195 and64196, were retained atMcCook Field in Dayton, Ohio, for research and development flight testing, marked with project numbers 'P162' and 'P227' respectively, as was the second NBS-1,64201, marked as 'P222'. Four Curtiss NBS-1s were also assigned to McCook.
The NBS-1 was the primary bomber used byBrigadier GeneralBilly Mitchell duringProject B, the demonstration bombing of naval ships in July 1921. Six NBS-1 bombers, led byCaptain Walter Lawson of the 96th Squadron operating out ofLangley Field, bombed and sank the captured German battleshipSMS Ostfriesland on 21 July 1921, using specially developed 2,000 lb (907 kg) demolition bombs, externally mounted beneath the fuselage. They also sankUSS Virginia (BB-13) andUSS New Jersey (BB-16) in 1923.
An example of the plane was featured in directorWilliam Wellman's 1927Paramount silent filmWings, disguised as a GermanGotha bomber. Footage was shot overhead of the MB-2 as it exited its tent hangar and from the MB-2 during flight. These aerial shots were revolutionary at the time, showing the public a perspective of aerial combat from the pilots' point of view.Wings won the first-ever Academy Award for best picture.
There are no known surviving original Martin NBS-1 bombers, but in 2002 a full-scale reproduction, constructed from original drawings, went on display at theNational Museum of the United States Air Force inDayton, Ohio.[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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