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| The US Navy made several attempts to gain the benefit of high over-target performance combined with long range by introducing mixed powerplant. The Martin Model 219 patrol bomber represented one of the results of such a specification, two XP4M-1 prototypes being ordered on 6 July 1944. The first was flown on 20 September 1946 as a cantilever shoulder-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear. Its powerplant comprised two 2218kW Pratt & Whitney R-4360-4 Wasp Major radial engines, but each nacelle also incorporated a 17,350kg thrust Allison J33-A-17 turbojet. After a protracted development programme 19 P4M-1 production aircraft were built, the first being delivered to US Navy Squadron VP-21 on 28 June 1950, and all served with this unit. Most of them were converted into P4M-1Q Elint aircraft, one being shot down.
| MODEL | P4M-1 |
| ENGINE | 2 x Pratt Whitney R-4360-20A piston engines, 2424kW + 2 x Allison J33-A-10A, 2087kg |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 40000 kg | 88185 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 34.75 m | 114 ft 0 in |
| Length | 25.50 m | 84 ft 8 in |
| Height | 7.95 m | 26 ft 1 in |
| Wing area | 121.79 m2 | 1310.94 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 660 km/h | 410 mph |
| Ceiling | 10545 m | 34600 ft |
| Range | 4570 km | 2840 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 2 x 20mm cannons, 4 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 2700kg of bombs |
| Rob Belcher, e-mail, 10.11.2009 19:11 Hi aviation historian looking for former VQ-2 Mercator crews who would have flown into the NAF at Blackbushe near London in the 1950s. Would like to know more about the Mercator missions that recovered there.Thanks
Rob reply | | Ernie, e-mail, 31.03.2009 20:22 I was in th tower the night the P4M was shot down-as was the routine in Vq sgd they always taxied ou with two fully briefed crews the first one had a discrepency and so the backup departed within 3 hours the plane was shot down into the sea we always believed that they just barely made it out of China reply | | Tom Glass, e-mail, 26.07.2008 21:38 Unique, rare aircraft. "Corncob" recips, hidden jets. Most appreciative of crews who flew out of NAS Iwakuni. VP-9 P2V vet. reply | | H W Thornhill, e-mail, 17.05.2008 04:01 I served with VP-21 from 1952-1955. Worked on P4M-1s in 1952 before the squadron transitioned to P2Vs. Removed many a stress plates from the upper wing surface of the P4M during a check. I still have pictures of the aircraft and a large one presented to all personnel by the Martin company just before the aircraft left to be converted to P4M-1Q and sent to Port Lyauty. reply | |
| | Len Nielsen, e-mail, 02.05.2008 02:01 saw one on the ramp at NAS, Moffett Field, in 1959?? very noisy on take-off reply | | Gerald L. Tripp, e-mail, 19.04.2008 10:10 Yes I spent many hours flying in the P4M-1Q with VQ-2 out of Port Lyaute, Morroco. '55to '57. No ejection seats.Come to think of it we never had a bailout drill. The plane did have a small hydro plane that could be manually lowered in place. It was just aft of the forward turret. reply | | Bob Brewer, e-mail, 29.06.2007 23:54 Did the Martin P4M have any ejection seats? How were emergency bailouts performed? reply |
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