Thomas-Morse MB-3
| MB-3 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| MB-3 of 94th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Selfridge Field, Michigan | |
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Thomas-Morse Aircraft & Boeing |
| Designer | B. Douglas Thomas |
| First flight | 21 February 1919 |
| Introduction | March 1919 |
| Retired | 1925 |
| Primary users |
United States Army Air Service United States Marine Corps |
| Number built | 265 |
| Unit cost |
$7,240 USD
|
| Variants |
Thomas-Morse MB-6 Thomas-Morse MB-7 |
The Thomas-Morse MB-3 was an open-cockpit biplane fighter primarily manufactured by the Boeing Company for the U.S. Army Air Service in 1922. The MB-3A was the mainstay fighter for the Air Service between 1922 and 1925.
In March 1918, the United States Army Air Service requested several American aircraft manufacturers to design a new fighter, to be powered by a water-cooled 300 hp (220 kW) Wright-Hispano H, a license-built Hispano-Suiza 8, to replace the French-built SPAD XIII. The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation of Ithaca, New York proposed the MB-3, designed by its British-born chief designer B. Douglas Thomas, to meet this requirement, with an order for four prototypes being placed in September 1918.
The MB-3 was a single seat two-bay biplane of similar layout to the SPAD XIII that it was intended to replace. It was of wood and fabric construction with a fixed conventional landing gear. Powerplant was the expected Wright-Hispano water-cooled V-8 engine driving a two-bladed propeller and cooled by a radiator mounted on the center-section of the upper wing. The pilot sat in an open cockpit under a cut-out in the upper wing, with two 0.30 in Marlin machine-guns mounted ahead of the pilot.
The first MB-3 made its maiden flight on 21 February 1919. Testing showed that the fighter had good performance and handled well, but the cockpit was cramped and gave a poor view for the pilot. The prototypes were plagued with fuel leaks and suffered serious engine vibration, while maintenance was difficult, often requiring holes to be cut in the fuselage structure to allow access. Despite these problems, the Air Service was sufficiently impressed with the MB-3 to place an order for 50 aircraft with Thomas-Morse in June 1920.
The Air Service had a requirement for more fighters, and issued a request for tenders for a further 200 of a modified version of the MB-3, the MB-3A, which incorporated a number of changes developed by the Air Service as a result of testing at McCook Field, including a stronger structure and replacing the wing-mounted radiator with ones on each side of the fuselage in-line with the cockpit. Thomas-Morse was confident in winning orders for the MB-3A, investing in the necessary jigs for such a large production order, but was heavily underbid by Boeing, whose mass production methods allowed it to profit while still charging a lower price (in the case of the MB-3A, $7,240 per copy), saving almost half a million dollars over the 200 aircraft contract, awarded on 21 April 1921. Boeing credits this contract with rescuing the company from financial difficulties following the cancellation of orders after World War I, and with being the impetus for its rise as a premier manufacturer of military aircraft.
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Wikipedia