Glenn L. Martin XPB2M-1 Mars
Glenn L. Martin Company · United States · first flew 1942 · transport aircraft
The Martin XPB2M-1 Mars was a massive patrol flying boat that first flew in 1942 and was subsequently converted into the JRM Mars series of naval transport flying boats, the largest ever to serve with the US Navy.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 35.7 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
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Spot it by:
- Largest flying boat to serve in US Navy
- Four Wright R-3350 radials on high parasol wing
- Gull-wing centre section with floats
An enormous high-wing flying boat with a parasol gull-wing centre section, four large radial engines in wing nacelles, and a deep slab-sided hull—its sheer size dwarfs all other piston-era flying boats.
Specifications
- The Glenn L. Martin XPB2M-1 Mars has a length of 35.7 m (117 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 61 m (200 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 338 km/h (210 mph).
- Typical crew: 11.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Ordered in 1938 as a patrol bomber, the single XPB2M-1 prototype flew in July 1942 but the patrol bomber requirement was dropped in favour of land-based aircraft. The Navy converted the design into the JRM-1 Mars transport, and five JRM examples were built; they served in the Pacific transport role and set records for mass airlift.
Variants
The XPB2M-1 prototype led to the JRM-1 and JRM-2 Mars transports; four Canadian JRM Mars aircraft were later converted to water bombers, two of which (Hawaii Mars and Philippine Mars) served as aerial firefighters in British Columbia into the 2010s.
Where you'll see it
The JRM Mars transports served the US Navy's Naval Air Transport Service from 1945; the Canadian water-bomber variants became famous for wildfire suppression on the Canadian Pacific coast.
Related aircraft
- Martin Baltimore Mk III
- Martin Baltimore Mk IIIa
- Martin Baltimore Mk IV
- Martin JRM Mars
- Avro York
- Beechcraft GB-2
- Beechcraft JRB-2 Voyager
- Beechcraft JRB-3 Voyager
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