Monday, 22 May 2017

Martin Baltimore, part six

The Martin Baltimore GR.VI was a purpose built maritime reconnaissance version intended to serve with the Royal Air Force's Coastal Command that never went beyond the prototype stage. It had a slightly lengthned fuselage in order to fit extra fuel tanks, a torpedo and a radome for a radar in the nose. The program was cancelled in April 1944 with an order of 900 airplanes being cancelled as the Lockheed Ventura was already fullfiling that role.
The United States Navy employed a modified Baltimore (serial number 09804) in 1946. It was called A-30 Baltimore and was fitted with many instruments and control surface tests to break the sound barrier. Thanks to its powerful engines and light, yet robust construction of the fuselage, the airplane managed to achieve mach 0.74 during a dive.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Baltimore
2. http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?42970-Last-Martin-Baltimore

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