The Rise and Fall of the U.S. Navy's Jet-Powered Seaplane Ambitions
Story by Sarah Wilson • 1d
The post-World War II era was a time of rapid technological advancement and strategic rethinking for the U.S. Navy. Among the ambitious projects undertaken was the development of jet-powered seaplanes, a concept that promised to revolutionize naval aviation but ultimately met with a series of setbacks and cancellations.
The Martin P6M SeaMaster: A Bold Vision
The P6M SeaMaster was designed as a high-speed, long-range strike aircraft to operate from water. The prototype XP6M-1 first flew on 14 July 1955. The program soon ran into trouble, though; the prototype went to pieces in midair on 7 December 1955 as a result of a tail unit failure, and all four crew were lost. A second prototype experienced a similarly catastrophic tail failure, though the crew got out.
Despite these setbacks, the U.S. Navy gave the go-ahead for this program and went on to produce the YP6M-1 which was a pre-production model in 1957. It was in tests that it was revealed to be severely inadequate in such areas as control and engine power. The craft was initially modified with new, more powerful engines in the form of the Pratt & Whitney J75 turbojets, and upgrades to the avionics system. What resulted, the P6M-2 was a winner, but again, was killed without ever going into service, since the Navy opted, instead, to put its money into its ballistic missile submarine projects. Thus, all remaining SeaMaster airframes became razor blades.
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