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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1594.PDF
a FLIGHT Eighth of the New Recognition Series AIRCRAFT TYPES AND Martin Baltimore and Marauder ONE of the oldest aircraft firms in America, the Glenn L. Martin Company, of Baltimore, Maryland, has naturally taken a prominent part in supplying modern bombers to both the U.S. Army and the R.A.F., and the Baltimore (Martin 187) is a development of the Maryland (Martia 167), which has for some considerable time been giving such valuable services with the R.A.F. in the Middle East. Powered by two Wright 14-cylinder, two-row GR-2600 Cyclone engines of 1,600 h.p., the Baltimore was designed expressly to the requirements of the R.A.F., doubtless as a result of the valuable experience gained with the Mary land. Versatility is claimed to be the keynote, its duties as a medium bomber being combined with those of long- range reconnaissance, while it is quite within the bounds of possibility that it might be used as a fighter-bomber, for, although no information has yet been released, for publication as to its performance, it is believed to be one of the fastest twin-engined aircraft of its type, and is equipped with heavy offensive and defensive armament. Constructionally it follows modern practice, being all- metal with stressed-skin flush-riveted covering except for the control surfaces, which are fabric covered. The fuselage is a semi-monocoque structure in light alloy and the plastic nose, which provides an excellent view for the bomb-aimer, is a particularly interesting piece of work inasmuch as even the supporting framework is of plastic material. The wings also are in three sections, the centre section being built integral with the main section of the fuselage and carrying the engine nacelles. The outer wing panels have two main spars joined by corrugated sheets which form reinforcements for the upper and lower surfaces. Normal type undercarriage is employed, the main wheels being carried on .single, straight, oleo-pneumatic shock-absorbers and retracting backwards. When re tracted they are completely faired by hinged doors, but the originally retracting tailwheel has been replaced by a fixed type on the service edition for the R.A.F. Four fixed machine guns, operated by the pilot, ,arfc mounted in each wing, a dorsal turret mounts twin machnre guns, and there is another gun, manually operated, which fires through the sliding entrance panels in the floor of the fuselage aft of the trailing-edge. The bomb load varies from 1,000 lb. to 2,000 lb., according to requirements.
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