Martin JRM-3 Mars

Glenn L. Martin Company · USA · first flew 1945 · transport aircraft

The JRM-3 Mars designation covers Mars airframes modified for the water-bomber role, representing the final operational configuration of the Martin Mars flying boat family.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	35.7 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Final Mars variant, converted to fire bomber
Four-engine flying boat with high parasol wing
Served as Canadian aerial water bomber

Identical airframe to earlier JRM variants; fire-bomber modifications include large water scoops under the hull and retardant-drop doors, distinguishable from the transport configuration at close inspection.

Specifications

The Martin JRM-3 Mars has a length of 35.7 m (117 ft).
It has a wingspan of 60.96 m (200 ft).
Its maximum speed is 338 km/h (210 mph).
Typical crew: 4.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

After US Navy surplus sale, surviving Mars boats were acquired by Forest Industries Flying Tankers and converted to aerial water bombers; the JRM-3 designation reflected these modified aircraft adapted to scoop and drop large volumes of lake water on forest fires.

Variants

The JRM-3 was not a new-build variant but a conversion of existing JRM-1 and JRM-2 airframes; the Philippine Mars, Hawaii Mars, and others were successively modified and operated under this general designation in Canadian fire-fighting service.

Where you'll see it

Operated for decades by Forest Industries Flying Tankers out of Sproat Lake, British Columbia, the Mars water bombers were among the most enduring uses of any World War II-era aircraft, flying fire-suppression missions into the twenty-first century.

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