Grumman Martlet Mk I

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 3

Speed: 6

Maneuverability: 8

Firepower: 3

Climb Rate: 4

Ground Attack: 1

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	281	291	297	324	330@ 21982'	149 mph	1:42	4:58	10:29
kph	452	469	478	521	531@ 6700m	240 kph

Historical Statistics

Service Date: September 1940

Primary Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 300 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 240 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 2x 119 lb (54 kg) bombs or 2x 348 lb (158 kg) drop tanks

Engine(s): 1x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 radial rated for 1,200 hp at sea level.

Int Fuel Capacity: 864 lbs (392 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 696 lbs (316 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 281 mph (452 kph) at sea level, 328 mph (528 kph) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m).

Ceiling: 37,500 ft (11,278 m)

Loaded Weight: 7,002 lbs. (3,176 kg)

Wing Area: 260.0 sq ft (24.2 sq m)

Wing Loading: 26.9 lbs/sq ft (131.2 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Maneuverability: Of the planes in the game, only the A6M2 Zero and Spitfire Ia are markedly superior to the Martlet Mk.I in terms of maneuverability.

Weaknesses

Speed: Although not as slow as the A6M2 Zero, the Martlet is not going to run away from or catch contemporary planes like the Bf-109E, I-16, Yak-1b and P-40C.

History

With the war breaking out in Europe in 1939, Grumman approached the French and British governments with the offer to sell them some of the new F3F-3 Wildcat fighters that were being built for the US Navy. The French Navy ordered 81 aircraft with the intention of using them on their aircraft carriers, one of which had been completed.

However, before the order could be delivered, the French capitulated and Britain's Royal Navy purchased the entire content of the original French order. The planes began to reach England in August 1940 and were assigned to Number 804 Squadron.

Initial trials revealed some unexpected difficulties, primarily related to the narrow-track landing gear. The plane had a tendency to tip over onto the wingtip during taxiing if turns were taken too quickly. Additionally, it was susceptible to crosswinds and had poor directional stability on the ground.

But in the air the Martlet, as it was called by the Fleet Air Arm, was a joy to fly. In flight trials at Boscombe Downs in 1940 the Martlet proved to be more maneuverable with a greater initial climb than either the Hurricane or Spitfire, with the two British designs owning an edge in speed.

The plane drew its first blood when a pair of Martlets forced down a Junkers Ju-88 bomber over Scapa Flow on Christmas Day 1940. Martlets went on to serve the Royal Navy throughout the remainder of the war, particularly in the Mediterranean in 1942.

Sources

Brown, Eric; Wings Of The Navy: Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1980.

Green, William; War Planes Of The Second World War: Fighters Volume Four; Macdonald & Co., London; 1961.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II