Martin-Baker MB5
| Martin-Baker MB5 | |
|---|---|
 Martin-Baker MB5, 1944 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
May 23, 1944 |
| Commissioning: |
- |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Martin-Baker MB5 was the end point of a series of fighter aircraft - prototypes of the British aircraft manufacturer Martin-Baker in the Second World War . Although the MB5 was perhaps the UK's most powerful piston-powered fighter aircraft during World War II, it never reached mass production.
history
The MB5 was developed from the second prototype of the MB3 . The first prototype of the MB3 crashed on September 12, 1942; so the second prototype was put on hold for the time being. Martin-Baker then modified the MB3 and installed a Rolls-Royce Griffon 83 engine with 2340 hp. It was named MB5.
The MB5 received a new steel hull and two counter-rotating three-blade propellers . The armament consisted of four 20 mm British Hispano Mk V cannons built into the wings.
Flight tests
The first flight of the MB5 prototype (R2496) took place on May 23, 1944. The performance was enormous and the pilots praised the cockpit design and the armament. The plane was very comfortable to fly and very safe. Maintenance was relatively easy thanks to a number of removable hull sections. Series production had already been decided when the Royal Air Force ultimately focused on jet aircraft . The planned order for the MB5 has been canceled.
The original MB5 was last demonstrated at an air show in Farnborough in 1946. After an unrealized design of a tailless fighter aircraft with delta wings and jet engine, the MB6 , Martin-Baker concentrated on the construction of ejection seats .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | a pilot |
| length | 11.5 m |
| span | 10.7 m |
| height | 4.5 m |
| Wing area | 24.3 m² |
| Wing extension | 4.7 |
| Empty mass | 4188 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 5216 kg normal 5484 kg maximum |
| drive | 1 × V12 Rolls-Royce Griffon 83 with 2340 PS (1745 kW) |
| Top speed | 740 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 12,190 m |
| Range | 1770 km |
| Armament | 4 × 20mm British Hispano Mk V cannons |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Collective work Aero, Marshal Cavendish International Ltd., London 1985, German edition No. 111, page 3102