|
Martin B 10
The
B-10, the first of the "modern-day" all-metal monoplane bombers to be
produced in quantity, featured such innovations as internal bomb storage,
retractable landing gear, a rotating gun turret, and enclosed cockpits. It
was so advanced in design that it was 50% faster than its contemporary
biplane bombers and as fast as most of the fighters. When the Air Corps
ordered 121 B-10s in the 1933-1936 period, it was the largest procurement
of bomber aircraft since WW I. It also ordered 32 B-10 type bombers with
Pratt and Whitney rather than Wright engines and designated these B-12s.
General Henry H. "Hap"
Arnold once called the B-10 the air power wonder of its day. In 1934, he
led ten B-10s on a 8,290 mile flight from Washington, D.C. to Fairbanks,
Alaska and back. Although Air Corps B-10s and B-12s were replaced by B-17s
and B-18s in the late 1930s, China and the Netherlands flew export
versions in combat against Japan.
specifications
Span: 70 ft. 6 in.
Length: 44 ft. 9 in.
Height: 15 ft. 5 in.
Weight: 14,700 lbs. loaded
Armament: Three .30-cal. machine guns, 2,200 lbs. of bombs
Engine: Two Wright R-1820's of 775 hp. each
Cost: $55,000
performance
Maximum speed: 215 mph.
Cruising speed: 183 mph.
Range: 1,370 miles
Service Ceiling:
24,000 ft.
|
