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United States' Martin 187 Baltimore A-30 bomber1,2,3
Martin Baltimore Mk V bomber3:
Design
The design for the Martin 187 Baltimore was based on the Martin 167 Maryland.1,3 The wings on both planes were nearly identical.1
The British wanted to have a plane that the crew members could communicated between each other, which the Martin 167 Maryland lacked.2 The British ordered the Baltimores in May 1940.3
Crew Cabin
The cabin in the Baltimore was very cramped and if the pilot became injured it was near impossible for another crew member to take over the controls.1
Engines
The Baltimore originally had the Wright R-2600-19 engines before using the Wright R-2600-29 radials.1
Tail
The rear fuselage was nearly like a boom holding the tail unit.1 The front fuselage for the Baltimore was deeper than the Maryland's.1
Prototypes
The Baltimore was first flown on June 14, 1941.2,3
Production
Deliveries of the Baltimore Mk I began in October 1941 and ended in May 1944.3
The cost of the Baltimore was $120,000.1
- Baltimore Mk I: 502,3
- Baltimore Mk II: 1002,3
- Baltimore Mk III: 2502,3
- Baltimore Mk IIIA: 2812,3
- Baltimore Mk IV: 2942,3
- Baltimore Mk V: 6002,3
- Total: 1,5751,3
Variants
- Baltimore Mk I: Had Wright R-2600-A5B engines (1,600 HP).2 There was a single machine gun in the dorsal position.2
- Baltimore Mk II: Had twin guns in dorsal position.2
- Baltimore Mk III: To improve protection from attacks from above a Boulton-Paul turret was installed.1,2,3 It contained four Browning 7.7 mm MGs.1 Had Wright R-2600-19 engines.2
- Baltimore Mk IIIA: Had Martin turret.3
- Baltimore Mk IV: Had a Martin dorsal turret.2
- Baltimore Mk V: Had Wright R-2600-29 engines (1,700 HP).2
Usage
The Baltimores were used by Australia, Britain, France, Greece, Italy, South Africa, and Turkey.3
United Kingdom
400 Baltimores were ordered by the United Kingdom.1 20 were lost at sea while on the way by ship to England.1
A total of 1,575 Baltimores were delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and all of them fought in the Mediterranean theater.2,3 There were seven RAF squadrons and two South African Air Force squadrons equipped with Baltimores.2
North Africa
All of the initial order of 400 Baltimores were shipped to Egypt to help fight against Rommel and his 1942 offensive.1 They were used quite effectively while being escorted by Curtis Kittyhawks at El Alamein.1
Italian Co-Belligerents
Some Baltimores were given to the Italian Co-Belligerent Forces and equipped the Stormo Baltimore that were used in the Balkans in 1945.2,3
Turkey
Turkey received some Baltimores towards the end of World War II as a part of a Lend-Lease agreement.1
After World War II
After the war the United States Navy used the Baltimores to test experimental airfoils.1
The Royal Air Force used Baltimores in Kenya for aerial mapping and locust control until 1948.1
| Martin Baltimore3 | Martin Baltimore Mk I3 | Martin Baltimore Mk II3 | Martin 187 Baltimore Mk III2 Martin Baltimore Mk III3 |
Martin Baltimore Mk IIIA3 | Martin 187 Baltimore Mk IV1 Martin Baltimore Mk IVA3 |
Martin Baltimore Mk V3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Light bomber3 | Light bomber2 | Light bomber1 | ||||
| Crew | 43 | 42 | 41 | ||||
| Engine (Type) | 2: Wright GR-2600-A5B3 | 2: Wright GR-2600-A5B3 | 2: Wright GR-2600-A582 2: Wright GR-2600-193 |
2: Wright GR-2600-193 | 2: Wright R-2600-19 Cyclone 14 piston1 2: Wright R-2600-193 |
2: Wright GR-2600-293 | |
| Cylinders | Radial 143 | Radial 143 | Radial2 | Radial1 | |||
| Cooling | |||||||
| HP | 1,600 each3 | 1,600 each3 | 1,660 each2,3 | 1,660 each3 | 1,660 each1,3 | 1,700 each3 | |
| Propeller blades | 3 each3 | 3 each3 | 3 each3 | 3 each3 | 3 each1,3 | 3 each3 | |
| Dimensions | |||||||
| Span | 61' 4"3 18.69 m3 |
61' 4"2 18.69 m2 |
61' 4"1 18.69 m1 |
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| Length | 48' 6"3 14.78 m3 |
48' 5.75"2 14.77 m2 |
48' 6"1 14.78 m1 |
||||
| Height | 17' 9"3 5.41 m3 |
17' 9"2 5.41 m2 |
17' 9"1 5.41 m1 |
||||
| Wing area | 538.5 ft2 2 50.93 m2 2 |
538 ft2 1 50.03 m2 1 |
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| Weight | |||||||
| Empty | 15,200 lb2,3 6,895 kg2,3 |
15,429 lb1 7,013 kg1 |
|||||
| Loaded | 23,000 lb2,3 10,433 kg2,3 |
22,550 lb1 10,251 kg1 |
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| Performance | |||||||
| Speed @ 11,000' / 3,353 m |
302 mph3 486 kph3 |
||||||
| Speed @ 11,000' / 3,355 m |
302 mph2 486 kph2 |
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| Speed @ 11,500' / 3,505 m |
304 mph1 491 kph1 |
||||||
| Climb to 15,000' / 4,570 m |
12 minutes2,3 | ||||||
| Service ceiling | 24,000'2,3 7,315 m2,3 |
23,300'1 7,100 m1 |
|||||
| Range | 950 miles2,3 1,529 km3, 1,530 km2 |
1,080 miles1 1,741 km1 |
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| Armament | |||||||
| Wings | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 4: 7.7 mm MGs2 |
4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 4: 12.7 mm MG1 |
4: 0.303" MG3 | |
| Dorsal turret | 2 or 4: 0.303" MG3 | 2 or 4: 0.303" MG3 | 2 or 4: 0.303" MG3 2 or 4: 7.7 mm MGs2 |
2: 0.303" MG3 | 2: 0.303" MG3 | 2: 0.303" MG3 | |
| Ventral position | 2: 0.303" MG3 | 2: 0.303" MG3 | 2: 0.303" MG3 2: 7.7 mm MG2 |
2: 0.303" MG3 | 2: 0.303" MG3 2 or 4: 12.7 mm MG1 |
2: 0.303" MG3 | |
| Rear fixed | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 | 4: 0.303" MG3 | |
| Rear turret | 4: 7.62 mm MG1 | ||||||
| Bomb-bay | 2,000 lb3 907 kg3 |
2,000 lb3 907 kg3 |
2,000 lb2,3 907 kg2,3 |
2,000 lb3 907 kg3 |
2,000 lb1,3 907 kg1,3 |
2,000 lb3 907 kg3 |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
