Martin B-10
| B-10 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| B-10 being flown during a training session at Maxwell Field | |
| Role | Bomber aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| Designer | Peyton M. Magruder |
| First flight | 16 February 1932 |
| Introduction | November 1934 |
| Retired | 1949 Royal Thai Air Force |
| Primary users |
United States Army Air Corps Netherlands East Indies AF Turkish Air Force Chinese Nationalist Air Force Argentine Air Force |
| Produced | 1933-1940 |
| Number built | 121 B-10 82 model 166 32 B-12 348 of all variants including 182 export versions |
| Unit cost |
$52,083
|
| Variants | Martin Model 146 |
The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to that of the Army's pursuit aircraft of the time.
The B-10 served as the airframe for the B-12, B-13, B-14, A-15 and O-45 designations using Pratt & Whitney engines instead of Wright Cyclones. A total of 348 of all versions were built. Biggest users were the USA, with 166, and the Netherlands, with 121.
The B-10 began a revolution in bomber design. Its all-metal monoplane airframe, along with its features of closed cockpits, rotating gun turrets (almost simultaneously to the British Overstrand biplane bomber's own enclosed nose-turret), retractable landing gear, internal bomb bay, and full engine cowlings, would become the standard for bomber designs worldwide for decades. It made all existing bombers completely obsolete. In 1932, Martin received the Collier Trophy for designing the XB-10.
The B-10 began as the Martin Model 123, a private venture by the Glenn L. Martin Company of Baltimore, Maryland. It had a crew of four: pilot, copilot, nose gunner and fuselage gunner. As in previous bombers, the four crew compartments were open, but it had a number of design innovations as well.
These innovations included a deep belly for an internal bomb bay and retractable main landing gear. Its 600 hp (447 kW) Wright SR-1820-E Cyclone engines provided sufficient power. The Model 123 first flew on 16 February 1932 and was delivered for testing to the U.S. Army on 20 March as the XB-907. After testing it was sent back to Martin for redesigning and was rebuilt as the XB-10.
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