Miles Martinet

The Miles M.25 Martinet was a target tug aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA) that was in service during the Second World War. It was the first British aircraft to be designed specifically for target towing.

Work on the Martinet was started in response to the RAF's shortage of obsolete frontline aircraft for target towing duties. A derivative of the Master trainer, it was designed to have as much in common with existing production aircraft as possible. The prototype Martinet made its maiden flight on 24 April 1942 and quantity production started immediately. A total of 1,724 Martinets were produced, of which the majority were operated either by the RAF or FAA, although some were used by overseas and civilian operators.

The Martinet was also developed into a relatively secret aircraft in response to Specification Q.10/43, which called for a radio-controlled target drone. This aircraft, designated the M.50 Queen Martinet, was only produced in small numbers, and its existence was a state secret until 1946. Several other derivatives of the basic airframe were also produced, including a glider tug and a trainer variant.

Development

Origins

Before 1941, the target tug role had been met by reusing former frontline aircraft which had either become obsolete or were surplus to requirements.

thumb|The Miles Martinet prototype, serial LR241, at Reading, Berkshire, circa 1942

The requirements were formalised by the Ministry as Specification 12/41. Amongst the listed requirements was a stipulation that, in order to simplify manufacturing as much as possible, the envisioned aircraft ought maximise the use of standardised components wherever feasible.

By 1941, officials were considered a proposed improved model of the Master trainer, but such ambitions were sidelined to focus manufacturing resources on the standard Martinet model. By 1945, production pressures had alleviated to the point where serious work could commence, thus Miles set about developing a trainer model of the aircraft, designated M.37 Martinet Trainer. From the onset, this aircraft was intended to be a stopgap measure as the Air Ministry had envisioned its long term trainer to harness turboprop propulsion. However, by the time it was ready for quantity production, more advanced trainers, such as the Avro Athena and Boulton Paul Balliol, had also reached an advanced stage of development, leaving no purpose for the type and thus it received no orders.

A more numerous variant of the Martinet was the adaption of the type for operating as a tug for gliders; it shared broad similarities to the Master II tug, the rudder having its lower portion removed along with the installation of stronger towing apparatus.

Operational history

Numerous RAF units received Martinets during the Second World War. Specifically, the type became a staple of air gunnery schools, operational training units, anti-aircraft cooperation squadrons, and air-sea reconnaissance units. Efforts were made to promote surplus Martinet to fulfil additional roles, one such proposal involved the type's adoption by the Royal Hellenic Air Force to perform missions such as artillery spotting, general observation, and close air support.

Variants

;M.25 Martinet: Two-seat target tug aircraft.

:* 718 Naval Air Squadron

:* 722 Naval Air Squadron

:* 723 Naval Air Squadron

:* 725 Naval Air Squadron

:* 726 Naval Air Squadron

:* 728 Naval Air Squadron

:* 733 Naval Air Squadron

:* 736 Naval Air Squadron

:* 740 Naval Air Squadron

:* 766 Naval Air Squadron

:* 770 Naval Air Squadron

:* 771 Naval Air Squadron

:* 772 Naval Air Squadron

:* 773 Naval Air Squadron

:* 775 Naval Air Squadron

:* 776 Naval Air Squadron

:*779 Naval Air Squadron

:*789 Naval Air Squadron

:*792 Naval Air Squadron

:*793 Naval Air Squadron

:* 794 Naval Air Squadron

:*797 Naval Air Squadron

Surviving aircraft

thumb|The preserved MS902 at the [[Museum of Berkshire Aviation, June 2008]]

A single Martinet survives; it is owned by the Museum of Berkshire Aviation in the United Kingdom. The aircraft (RAF serial number MS902) was built in 1943, and spent its operational life in Iceland at RAF Reykjavik. In 1949, MS902 was sold to the Akureyri Flying Club and given the Icelandic civil registration TF-SHC. The club flew it until it crashed in 1951 near Kopasker in north-east Iceland. The wreckage remained at the crash site until 1977, when it was recovered and placed in storage by the Icelandic Aviation Historical Society.

The aircraft was returned to the United Kingdom in 1996 by the Museum of Berkshire Aviation and has since been the subject of a lengthy restoration project.

Specifications (M.25)

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References

Citations

Bibliography

Thetford, Owen. "Aircraft of the Royal Air Force Since 1918." Putnam, 1962.
Towle, Philip. "Pilots and Rebels: The Use of Aircraft in Unconventional Warfare, 1918-1988." Brassey's, 1989. .

External links

Miles Martinet as a model via ipmsstockholm.org
The Miles Martinet via iwm.org.uk