#Martin XB-51

[lonestarflight]

Martin XB-51 formation during a low-level pass.

Date: July 11, 1951

U.S. Air Force Photo: 090709-F-1234K-029, 090709-F-1234K-032, 090709-F-1234K-064

[stone-cold-groove]

Illustration of the Martin XB-51.

[usafphantom2]

Martin XB-51

@IL_wheels via X

[anumberofhobbies]

Martin’s very able test pilot Pat Tibbs and the XB-51. He took the prototype on its maiden flight on the 28 Oct. 1949. Hard to imagine a fast military jet test pilot with that physique nowadays.

[niftyandinterestingstuff]

Martin XB-51s... First flight; October 28, 1949

[skyfire85]

-The Martin XB-51 (SN 46-685) cuts a distinctive figure on the ramp. | Photo: USAF

FLIGHTLINE: 151 - MARTIN XB-51 DRAGON

The Martin XB-51 was designed as a low-level bombing and ground support, but lost out to the English Electric Canberra for a USAF contract.

What became the XB-51 originated in 1945 with USAAF specification V-8237-1, which called for a replacement for the A-26 Invader.; three companies responded with designs: Curtiss' XA-43, Convair's XA-44 and Martin's XA-45. The following year, the USAAF did away with the A "Attack" designation, and Curtiss & Convair dropped out, with the former reworking their design as the XF-87 Blackhawk twin-engined fighter, while Convair dropped the XA-44 in favor of the XB-46 instead. Martin pushed on with their design however, which was now designated the XB-51.

-Cutaway drawing of the XB-51, showing internal structures and components. | Illustration: Glenn L. Martin Company

The XB-51 (though never official, the name "Dragon" appears occasionally) had many unusual and innovative features, including the three J47 engines being installed in two pods under the middle fuselage and the third in the tail, a swept, variable incidence wing which had leading edge slats and slotted flaps for a shortened takeoff roll and spoilers for roll control, landing gear that consisted of tandem main wheels supplemented by wingtip-mounted outriggers, and the first appearance of Martin's rotating bomb bay, which would go on to appear in most of the company's other products of the 1950s. The XB-51 was designed to carry a maximum load of 10,400lbs of bombs internally, and would also have been armed with eight 20m cannon. The aircraft had a crew of two, seated in tandem beneath a fighter-style canopy and on ejection seats of Martin's own design.

-The "Middle River Stump Jumper", a Martin XB-26M Marauder modified to test the landing gear for the XB-48 and XB-51. | Video: USAAF

-Dummy bombs mounted on the rotating bomb bay of an XB-51. | Photo: Glenn L. Martin Company

-In addition to bombs or rockets, Martin envisaged the B-51 carrying fuel tanks or possibly even air-to-air missiles. | Illustration: Glenn L. Martin Company

The first of 2 XB-51s flew on 28 October 1949, and quickly proved to be a fast and nimble aircraft, although short ranged (common with early jets) and was somewhat fragile, with a load limit of 3.67g, which would have limited maneuvering with a full load of weapons and fuel. Provisions were made for up to four disposable JATO bottles to improve takeoff performance.

-One of the XB-51s testing the JATO system. | Photo: USAF

-The two XB-51s perform a low-level, high-speed pass. | Photo: USAF

As a result of US experiences in the Korean War, the USAF issued a new requirement for a night intruder/bomber (although it was still replacing the A-26....), with the XB-51 now competing against the Avro Canada CF-100 and English Electric Canberra. Despite being faster than the Canberra, the XB-51 was not selected as the USAF judged it to be too fragile, as well as the outrigger gear set-up being unsuitable for rough-field service. Martin was awarded the license contract for the Canberra as consolation, with the newly minted B-57 Canberra modified with the same tandem cockpit setup and rotating bomb bay as the XB-51

-An XB-51 coming in to land in a rare color photo of the plane. | Photo: USAF

The XB-51s continued to fly even after the type was canceled, with both participating in general research projects. The second prototype crashed on 9 May 1952 during a low-level aerobatics routine, leaving the first to fly on alone. Marked as the fictional "Gilbert XF-120", the plane appeared in 1956's Toward the Unknown, although it had crashed on 25 March 1956 while en-route to Eglin AFB to shoot additional footage, bringing an end to the XB-51's time aloft.

-Screen capture of the XB-51, marked as the XF-120, flying in formation with an F-100 Super Sabre in Toward the Unknown. | Image: Warner Brothers Films

[worldofaviation]

Martin XB-51

[lonestarflight]

Concept art of the original Martin XA-45 design, which evolved into the XB-51 trijet ground attack aircraft.

"In February 1946, the United States Army Air Force (AAF) sought design proposals for an attack aircraft to replace the Douglas A-26 Invader. The Glenn L. Martin Company (Martin) responded with its Model 234, a straight-wing aircraft of a rather conventional layout, except that the engine nacelle on each wing housed a turboprop and a turbojet engine. The Model 234 had a crew of six and was forecasted to carry 8,000 lb (3,629 kg) of ordinance over 800 miles (1,287 km).

Martin was awarded a contract to develop the Model 234 on 23 May 1946, and the aircraft was designated XA-45. A few weeks later, the AAF decided to discard the “Attack” category, and the XA-45 was subsequently redesignated XB-51. The AAF then requested new requirements for the XB-51 with an emphasis on speed. The AAF’s new desired specifications for the A-26 replacement was a top speed of 640 mph (1,030 km/h) and the ability to carry 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) of ordinance over 600 miles (966 km). The new requirements necessitated a complete redesign of the XB-51, which Martin completed and submitted to the AAF in February 1947. After slight modifications, the design was somewhat finalized by July 1947. The AAF ordered two prototypes, which were assigned serial numbers 46-685 and 46-686."

source, source

[airmanisr]

Martin XB-51 by Willard Womack Via Flickr: An interesting looking plane which never worked out. Used in a very good movie, "Toward the Unknown" filmed in 1956. Made in color showing many of the early jets. I have not been able to find it on Youtube. It is well worth seeing if you can.

[greatmagazinestudent-world]

Martin XB-51.

[usafphantom2]

Martin XB-51 was US trijet ground-attack aircraft. It was designed in 1945 and made its maiden flight in 1949. The XB-51 lost out in evaluation to the English Electric Canberra which - built by Martin - entered service as the Martin B-57 Canberra.

credit Cancelled Aircraft

@CcibChris via X

[bigglesworld]

Martin XB-51. Tri-jet ground attack aircraft, designed in 1945. Made its maiden flight in 1949

[iloveahangar]

The Martin XB-51 - old school cool? or a lines only it’s designer could love? For me, the XB-51 screams 1950’s cool – even though it was designed in late 40’s and first flew October 28th, 1949.  The placement of it’s 3 engines - two underneath the forward fuselage in pods, and one at the extreme tail with the intake at the base of the tailfin really makes this a unique design even to this day. Four 954 lb (4.24 kN) thrust Rocket-Assisted Take Off (RATO) bottles with a 14-second burn duration could be fitted to the rear fuselage to improve takeoff performance (and make for cool photo ops!) as in Pic 1. 🎁 For the latest in unique designs of warbird themed shoes, gifts and apparel, make sure you visit our store at: www.iloveahangar.com 📷Feel free to repost but please remember to tag us 👍😊 #aircraft #airforce #airshow #avgeek #aviation #aviationdaily #aviationgeek #aviationhistory #aviationlovers #aviationphotos #avnerd #ww2aviation #instaaviation #militaryaviation #militaryaviationphotography #oldairplanes #pilot #planepics #usaaf #vintageaircraft #warbird #warbirds #ww2aircraft #ww2airplanes #oldschoolcool https://www.instagram.com/p/CLiAHkChTVQ/?igshid=6igus54kf9yv

[photoyage]

Martin XB-51 (U.S. Air Force photo)

[skyfire85]

-A YP6B-1 on beaching gear . | Photo: US Navy/Martin Photograph

FLIGHTLINE: 125 - MARTIN P6M SEAMASTER

The P6M SeaMaster was one of a group of seaplanes proposed in the early 1950s to allow the US Navy to have a strategic nuclear bombing role.

In April of 1951, the US Navy proposed creating a “Seaplane Striking Force” that could participate in both nuclear and conventional warfare, as well as reconnaissance and mine-laying. Being seaplanes, this force would be mobile, and would have essentially unlimited and indestructible runways, and would (coincidentally) allow the Navy to claw back some prestige from the USAF’s SAC, which monopolized the US nuclear strategic role with its fleets of B-29, B-36, B-47, B-50 and B-52 bombers after WWII.

Convair, a merger of Consolidated and Vultee) supplied two fighter concepts to the SFF, the XFY-1 Pogo VTOL and the XF2Y-1 Sea Dart seaplane, as well as the XP5Y patrol bomber flying boat, which was later reworked into the R3Y-1 Tradewind cargo/troop carrier. All four planes suffered from either airframe or engine issues (or both) however, and none were successful.

-Composite photo of Convair's SSF aircraft . | Graphic: Justin Gibb

The Glenn L Martin Company, meanwhile, submitted a swept wing, jet-powered flying boat which shared the all-flying T tail of its XB-51 bomber, as well as the rotating bomb bay which was practically a Martin signature. Power was to be provided by the P&W J58 (yeah, same as the OXCART/YF-12/SR-71), though the (much) less powerful Allison J71-A-4 engines were used on the initial XP6M-1 prototypes.

-The first XP6M-1 being rolled out . | Photo: Martin/USN photo

The first flight of the XP6M-1 was on 14 July 1955, and test flights showed promise, however they also showed that the engines were placed too close to the fuselage, and that engaging the afterburners would scorch the plane. The first SeaMaster was destroyed on 7 December 1955 (seriously, not a good date for the USN), when the controls malfunctioned and the horizontal tail went full up. The airplane broke apart at 5,000 feet after being subjected to a 9 g outside loop, crashing into the Potomac River and killing the crew of four.

-An XP6M-1 in flight, circa 1955 . | Photo: Martin/US Navy

The second XP6M-1 first flew on 18 May 1956, but crashed on 9 November after an elevator jack failed at 21,000 feet, putting the plane into a nose up climb similar to the accident that claimed the first SeaMaster. The crew were unable to bring the nose back down, and ejected.

-A YP6M-1 taking off . | Photo: Martin/US Navy

The modified YP6M-1 first flew in January 1958, followed by five more. At this point, testing was moved to Harvey Point, and the aircraft were fitted with test versions of the full combat suite, and were used for bombing, mine laying and recon evals. This test phase revealed severe issues with the -1, including reliability issues with the J71 engines, spray ingestion at higher weights, and a tendency to porpoise at certain trim settings. At this point, the P6M-1 program was cut, and Martin and the Navy began work on an improved version.

The P6M-2 would be an operational aircraft, and featured a switch to P&W J75 engines, an aerial refueling probe as well as a buddy refueling system, improved avionics and a redesigned canopy for better visibility. The first was rolled out early in 1959, and three were built by that summer. The -2 aircraft were quick, capable of Mach 0.9 on the deck, and ruggedly built, with skin thicknesses of over 1 inch at the roots. The change in engines however had induced serious control and maneuverability issues, with the new airplanes experiencing compressibility above Mach 0.8, resulting in rapid changes in directional trim, severe buffeting, and wing drop which required high control inputs to counter. Martin was sure it could iron out these issues, but in August the Navy informed Martin that the P6M was canceled, and that all development work was to cease. The program was behind schedule and over budget, and by this point the Navy was no longer interested in the SFF; with the USS George Washington, armed with the first SLBMs, set to enter service in December of that year, the time for the SeaMaster had run out.

-A P6M-2 loaded on to the beaching trolley . | Photo: Martin/US Navy

-Final production model SeaMaster, showing "buddy" refueling drogue . | Photo: Martin/US Navy

-The Sea Masters outside the Martin factory. | Photo: Martin/US Navy

Martin attempted to interest airlines in the P6M, offering an enlarged passenger version called the Model 307 ‘SeaMistress’, but there were no takers, and the remaining P6Ms were scrapped.

-Models of the Model 307 Sea Mistress and P6M Sea Master . | Photo: Glenn L Martin Aircraft

-Artist’s impression of the Model 307 . | Illustration: Glenn L Martin Aircraft

The SeaMaster was Martin’s last airplane, which abandoned aircraft for missiles and electronics. Martin merged with American Marietta Corp in 1961, forming Martin Marietta, which built missiles and rockets, including the��AGM-12 Bullpup, the Titan family of ICBMs and space launch vehicles, the Atlas launch vehicles (acquired from General Dynamics) and the Viking, Magellan, and Mars Polar Lander space probes. Martin Marietta also produced paints, dyes, metallurgical products, construction materials, and other goods, as well as the Monorail (there should be a link to the Simpsons' Monorail song here, but the Hyphen doesn't handle YT links right to do that...) for Walt Disney World. The company was acquired by Lockheed in 1995, though it later spun off Martin Marietta Materials as a separate company.

[mghiggins]

night club musical act 068: kick in the tires & light the fires

Prepare for take-off…

1. [00:00] intro

2. [00:38] patrik humann & sarah de warren- love again {enhanced progressive}

3. [05:03] andrelli & blue & hilla- transparent (tritonal air up there remix) {armada}

4. [10:58] corti organ & sarah de warren- ace {inharmony}

5. [14:32] super8 & tab- in this life {armada}

6. [18:48] factor b & arielle martin- connected {theatre of the mind}

7. [26:20] corti organ- legendary {armada}

8. [30:27] WORLD PREMIERE: jorn van deynhoven feat trinity electric lady- viva la vida for a minute (dj bigdirty vocal bootleg in a minute mix) {white label}

9. [36:57] yang, j. pulcher & linney- lifeline (the wlt remix)

10. [41:35] ilan bluestone feat ellen smith- stranger to your love (stone blue remix) {anjunabeats}

11. [46:40] alex m.o.r.p.h.- phoenix flying {vandit}

12. [51:19] c-systems & hanna finsen- listen to the wind (temple one remix) {digital society}

13. [56:53] fabio xb feat christina novelli- step into the light (jason thirlwall remix) {digital society}

14 [01:02:27] christopher corrigan- away from you {raznitzanmusic}

15. [01:07:47] spy & mhammed el alami- balance {armada}

16. [01:11:40] christina novelli & leroy moreno- in my arms {muse}

17. [01:17:23] drym & gid sedgwick- lost in you (leroy extended remix) {valteon}

18. [01:21:44] seven lions feat paul meany- higher love (seven lions & jason ross 1999 remix) {ophelia}

19. [01:26:18] ghost etiquette feat aza nabuko- needed you (sam laxton remix) {ava white}

20. [01:30:38] nitrous oxide & jaki nelson- embrace the love {raznitzanmusic}

21. [01:37:44] steve byers- how did we get here {monster pure} [01:43:54]

22. ferry tayle & elucidus- paradise beach {future sound of egypt}

23. [01:50:20] metta & glyde- visualize {regenerate}

24. [01:54:42] roman messer- sunset {suanda}

Check out this episode of dj bigdirty's night club musical