At the beginning of the Cold War (late 40s after the end of World War II), the US Navy or the United States Navy faced the harsh reality of being neglected by the Pentagon, which incidentally was more 'loved' with the Air Force Strategic Air Command. This can be proven from the raw proposal of the USS United States supercarrier in the hands of the Pentagon for the Air Force B-36 bomber.
Not giving up, the top brass of the US Navy turned to offer a proposal for a nuclear-armed seaplane (flying boat). This was finally approved by the Pentagon. At that time, there were two manufacturers who submitted aircraft prototype designs, Martin and Convair. After the process, in 1952, the Pentagon assessed the Martin P6M SeaMaster proposal and design as the most ready.
smithsonianmag.com notes, in the early stages of development, the Pentagon and the United States Navy set high standards on the seaplane.
It was stated that the Martin P6M SeaMaster amphibious aircraft, in addition to having the ability to carry out long-range strategic nuclear attacks, must also be able to carry out mine laying missions, reconnaissance missions, be good at flying at low altitudes and low speeds (an unusual ability for aircraft equipped with jet engines). to bombing (as was the US Air Force's bomber).
Therefore, it is not surprising that this 13-ton amphibious aircraft is also referred to as the B-52 Stratofortres strategic bomber operating at sea.
The interpretation of all these wishes was also presented by Martin with the birth of one of the two promised prototypes, the XP6M-1. This prototype made its maiden flight on 14 July 1955 armed with four Allison J71-A-4 turbojet engines mounted in two nacelles above the fuselage near the wing roots.
For stability on the water, the aircraft is equipped with an anhedral that allows wingtip tanks to glide across the ocean and also serves as buoys. In the first water test conducted in secret at Chesapeake Bay near Martin's Baltimore base, it was found that the jet's exhaust was too close to the fuselage and caused it to scorch when the afterburner was used.
Not long after, a second prototype appeared in November of the same year. Feeling quite sure, the US Navy invited the media on a large scale and succeeded in inviting the media crew's admiration during the demo flight.
However, a year later, the confidence of top US Navy officials faded with the crash of the first refined prototype due to loss of control. Luckily, there were no fatalities in this accident.
Answering doubts, the US Navy conducted trials on the pre-production YP6M-1 model which has covered all the shortcomings of the previous model. It was from this base that the nuclear-capable all-in-one amphibious aircraft, the Martin P6M SeaMaster, was finally produced in early 1959.
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| The XP6M-1 prototype when it was first launched |
The aircraft is equipped with a more powerful Pratt & Whitney J75-P-2 turbojet engine (without afterburners), aerial refueling probes, a rotating watertight bomb chamber, Sperry navigation, flight control and autopilot systems, high visibility, and a probe kit. and-drogue for conversion to tanker. The addition of modified weight makes the P6M-2 glide lower in the water and does not require anhedral wings.
The capabilities of the Martin P6M SeaMaster, as mentioned earlier, are said to be capable of destroying Soviet submarines in port before they disappear into the depths. The Martin P6M SeaMaster is also said to be more sophisticated than the US Air Force's B-52.
Even so, the development of submarine technology equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles makes the US$ 400 million project raw. Although a solution was sought to keep the Martin P6M SeaMaster in operation, the aircraft was finally euthanized at the end of the 1950s with manufacturers giving up development. The plane was kept at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum in Baltimore as a milestone in the success of the US Navy's R&D.
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