#0590

Martin BM

🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1929· dive bomber or torpedo bomber

🎖️ military

8 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Martin BM-2 VT-2B Oakland: U.S. Navy· Public domain
2. Martin BMs VT-1S in flight: U.S. Navy· Public domain
3. Martin BM-1 (5002958551): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
4. Martin BM-1 1-B-9 (5002958695): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
5. Martin BM-1 of VB-1B on the ground, circa in the mid-1930s (NNAM.1996.253.1813): U.S. Navy· Public domain
6. Martin BM-1: SDASM· Public domain
7. Martin BM-2: SDASM Archives· No restrictions
8. Martin XBM-1 at NACA Langley in 1940: NASA· Public domain

Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

what is it?

The Martin BM was a 1930s American torpedo bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the United States Navy.

How to recognise it: 1 engine · fixed tailwheel (taildragger) · 12.5 m wingspan

base stats

speed 235 km/htop speed
range 665 kmwithout refuelling
size 2,820 kgmax take-off weight
built 36made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

First flew 97 years ago, in 1929.
Top speed is 1.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
Wingspan of 12.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

spec sheet

first flight: 1929
introduced: 1931
number built: 36
role: dive bomber or torpedo bomber
origin: 🇺🇸 United States
makers: Glenn L. Martin Company
engines: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1690-44 radial engine
length: 8.8 m
wingspan: 12.5 m
height: 3.8 m
max take-off weight: 2,820 kg
top speed: 235 km/h
range: 665 km
ceiling: 5,120 m
landing gear: fixed conventional landing gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q3938216, Wikipedia: Martin BM (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.