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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0184.PDF
i21 FLIGHT. 26 January 195° Sea Reconnaissance economy of operation under cruising conditions. A landplane, such as the Shackleton, possesses the im- portant advantage that radar can be installed in the lower fuselage. Since the Short Seaford (military counterpart of the civil Solent) and the larger Shetland were built, no reconnaissance flying boat has been developed in Great Britain, though, as will later be seen, interest in this class is maintained in America. The Lockheed P2V Neptune, a standard shore-based patrol bomber- of the U.S. Navy, is twin-engined and con- siderably smaller and lighter than the Shackleton; the normal gross weight is, in fact, 58,000 1b, but a special PzV—the Truculent Turtle—was loaded to 85,000 lb and set up a world's record with a non-stop flight of 11,235 miles. Carrying service load, the standard P2V has a still-air range of more than 3,500 miles. Typical bomb loads are 16 x 500 lb, 8 x 1,000 1b, or 4 x 2,000 lb; alterna- tively, 12 x 325 lb depth charges, two torpedoes, sea mines, or a number of 11.75 in "Tiny Tim" R.P.s can be handled. Additionally there is under-wing provision for sixteen 5m R.P.s, and a fixed nose armament of six 20-mm guns. Twin 0.5U1 guns are mounted in a dorsal turret, and two 20-mm guns in the tail. The later P2VS have a sonobuoy installation, and the fitting of Wright Turbo Cyclone com- • pounded engines is intended as a means of further extend- ing range. Having been rocket-assisted off an aircraft carrier, a Neptune last year flew 2,000 miles, released a 10,000-lb bomb load and continued for a further 2,000 miles. Of higher performance than the Neptune, the 80,000 lb Martin P4M-1 Mercator has two J-33 turbojets additional to, and sharing the same nacelles as, two Wasp Major piston engines, and attains a top speed of about 350 m.p.h. The turbojets are used for take-off and for closing on a target, bot cruising on piston engines alone a maximum range of over 3,000 miles is possible. Although " schnorkel "-equipped submarines would generally be submerged at the time of attack, the Mariner is, neverthe- less, generously provided with anti-flak armour. Martin Mariner flying boats and amphibians continue to be used by the U.S. Navy, and an improved version—the P5M-1—with a full-length planing bottom, is under de- velopment. Advanced hull form is also a characteristic of the new turboprop-powered Convair XP5Y-1. Lockheed P2V Neptune over Alaskan terrain. Martin P4M-I Mercator, with two Wasp Major piston engines andtwo J-33 turbojets sharing the same nacelles. Convair XP5Y-I 60-ton long-range, high-spaed flying boat, to bepowered by four Allison turboprop*. Prototype of the Avro Shackleton general reconnaissance aircraft (four Rolls-Royce Griffon engines), intended for Coastal Command
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