Martin P5M Marlin
| P5M/P-5 Marlin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| U.S. Coast Guard Martin P5M-2G Marlin | |
| Role | Patrol aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| First flight | 30 May 1948 |
| Introduction | 1952 |
| Retired | 1967 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users |
United States Navy United States Coast Guard French Navy |
| Number built | 285 |
| Developed from | Martin PBM Mariner |
The Martin P5M Marlin (P-5 Marlin after 1962), built by the Glenn L. Martin Company of Middle River, Maryland, was a twin-engined piston-powered flying boat that entered service in 1951 and served into the late 1960s with the United States Navy performing naval patrol. It also served with the United States Coast Guard and the French Navy. Two hundred eighty-five were produced overall.
Built as a successor to the PBM Mariner, it had better engines, improved hull form, and a more conventional tail. The XP5M Marlin prototypes were based on the last PBM-5 Mariners, the company designation being Model 237. the type was heavily improved again leading to the P5M-2 (Model 237B), which was redesignated SP-5B. A number of P5M-1 models were also used for training, designated TP-5A (after 1962).
The Marlin was designed as a gull-winged aircraft to place the engines and propellers high above the spray. Power was provided by two Wright R-3350 radial engines. The rear hull did not lift sharply from the water at the tail, instead rising up steadily, a Martin innovation; this gave the aircraft a longer base of flotation and reduced "porpoising" over waves.
The prototype had nose and tail turrets with twin 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons in each, as well as a dorsal turret with two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns. The cockpit area was the same as the Mariner's. It first flew on 30 May 1948.
The first of 167 production P5M-1 aircraft was produced in 1951, flying on 22 June 1951. Changes from the prototype included a raised flight deck for improved visibility, the replacement of the nose turret with a large radome for the AN/APS-44 search radar, the deletion of the dorsal turret, and new, streamlined wing floats. The engine nacelles were lengthened to provide room for weapons bays in the rear.
The P5M-1 was followed by 116 P5M-2 planes. These had a T-tail to put the tail surfaces out of the spray, an AN/ASQ-8 MAD boom at the rear of the tail-tip, no tail guns (the gun position replaced by the antenna for the AN/APN-122 Doppler Navigation Set), better crew accommodation, and an improved bow to reduce spray during takeoff and landing.
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