MARTIN T4M FLOAT VERSION

The Martin T4M was an American-made on-board torpedo plane from the interwar period. The drive was provided by a single engine Pratt and Whitney R-1690 with 525 hp. The first flight of this machine took place in 1927. The plane entered the line with the US Navy in 1928 and was withdrawn from it in 1938. 155 aircraft of this type were built in the course of serial production. The deck armament consisted of a single 7.62 mm machine gun, and the machine could carry one air torpedo. The T4M was created as a grassroots initiative by Glenn Martin, who based the development of the new machine on the experience gained from the production and operation of T3M aircraft. The main changes concerned the use of a completely new power unit and improved aerodynamics of the new aircraft. As a result, the very first prototypes of the T4M had slightly better performance than the T3M, which led to the interest in the project by the US Navy. After testing in the Navy, an order for new machines was placed relatively quickly. In the course of the service, it also turned out that the T4M has good flight characteristics and is easy to pilot. Aircraft of this type were used primarily by the USS Lexington and USS Saratoga aircraft carriers. They were replaced in the line by 1938 by TBD Devastator planes. They turned out to be the last biplane torpedo planes in the service of the US Navy.