Martin B-10

History & service

The B-10, the first "modern" all-metal monoplane bomber produced in quantity, featured such innovations as retractable landing gear, a rotating gun turret and enclosed cockpits. Powered by two 775-hp Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, Martin's advanced design made the B-10 50 percent faster than contemporary biplane bombers and as fast as most of the fighters. This capability convinced many U.S. Army Air Corps planners that bombers could successfully attack strategic targets without long-range fighter escort.

In the largest procurement of bomber aircraft since World War I, the Air Corps ordered 121 B-10s from 1933-1936. The Air Corps also ordered an additional 32 of these aircraft with 700-hp with Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet engines and designated them B-12s.

Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, who called the B-10 "the air power wonder of its day," led 10 B-10s on a 8,290-mile flight from Washington, D.C., to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back in 1934. By the late 1930s, B-17s and B-18s had replaced the Air Corps' B-10s and B-12s, but the Chinese and Dutch air forces flew export versions in combat against Japan at the start of World War II.

The museum spent years searching worldwide for an example of the Martin B-10 for its collection. A wonderful example of the rich heritage of the USAF, the B-10 holds a key place in American aviation history. As the first all-metal monoplane bomber produced for the U.S. Army Air Corps in quantity, it was the predecessor to more advanced strategic bombers such as the B-17 and the B-24. The B-10 made operational history in 1934 when then-Lt. Col.

Hap Arnold led a squadron of 10 B-10's on an 8,290-mile round trip from Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back. This flight brought to world attention the significant power and range to American military aviation at that time.

When museum staff learned that the only known surviving B-10 was in Argentina, discussions began with Argentine officials to obtain this historic American aircraft for the museum. As a magnificent gesture of friendship between Argentina and the United States, and in recognition of the tremendous historical value of the B-10 to the U.S. Air Force, the Argentine Navy presented this aircraft as a gift to the United States on behalf of the Argentine nation on Aug. 21, 1970. The gift was accepted by the U.S.

Details that tell the story

First all-metal monoplane bomber produced in quantity for the Air Corps · Included enclosed crew stations and internal bomb stowage · Faster than many contemporary fighters when introduced · Won the Collier Trophy for its design

The aircraft in figures

Crew: Four · Armament: Three .30-cal. machine guns and 2,200 lbs. of bombs · Maximum speed: 215 mph · Cruising speed: 183 mph · Range: 1,370 miles · Ceiling: 24,000 ft. · Span: 70 ft. 6 in. · Length: 44 ft. 9 in. · Height: 15 ft. 5 in. · Weight: 14,700 lbs. loaded

A new invention becomes a public world

Before airplanes became routine transport, public demonstrations helped establish what they could do. Exhibition flights, races, and crossings placed fragile machines before crowds, officials, and potential customers. The audience saw courage and spectacle. Behind the spectacle were less visible questions about reliable engines, controllable wings, suitable landing grounds, and how to recover when the weather changed.

Different configurations competed at the same time. Some designers placed the propeller behind the pilot; others put it at the front. Biplanes used bracing to make light structures sufficiently rigid. Monoplanes reduced some of that external framework but posed their own structural and handling problems. Balloons and dirigibles remained part of the same aviation world, offering capabilities that early airplanes could not simply replace.

The famous firsts matter, but so does the period immediately after them. Flight schools, licensed manufacture, military trials, mechanics, and spare parts carried an invention outward. An aircraft could influence aviation through the pilots trained on it or the designs adapted from it, even after its own performance became outdated. The machines in Washington and Dayton preserve different points along that process. Their differences show how quickly an experimental achievement became an international industry, and how many people had to turn a remarkable flight into a repeatable service.