Martin T4M

The Martin T4M was a carrier‑based torpedo bomber developed in the early 1930s by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the United States Navy. Conceived as the successor to the outdated TG‑1, the T4M first flew in January 1930 and entered squadron service in 1932, operating from the new class of Lexington‑class carriers. The aircraft featured a conventional biplane layout with equal‑span wings, a fabric‑covered steel tube fuselage and a powerful Wright R‑1820 Cyclone radial engine delivering 690 horsepower. Its open cockpit accommodated a pilot and a gunner, while the internal bomb bay could carry a single 1,800‑pound torpedo or an equivalent bomb load. Folding wings reduced its storage footprint, a critical requirement for carrier operations. Although its wooden struts and relatively low speed rendered it obsolete by the mid‑1930s, the T4M provided the Navy with valuable experience in integrating torpedo bombers on board ships, influencing the design of later monoplanes such as the TBD Devastator. The T4M thus represents a transitional step in naval aviation, bridging the gap between World War I biplanes and the all‑metal, carrier‑capable aircraft that dominated World II.

Glenn L. Martin Company

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