Martin-Baker MB 3

nathanclawfish · June 16, 2025, 7:09pm

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  Martin-Baker MB 3

Design and service History:

The Martin-Baker MB 3 a WW2 British Prototype fighter developed from lessons learned with the earlier MB 1 and MB 2. The design used the previous aircraft’s construction techniques, and like the previous aircraft was the product of collaboration between James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker. The MB.3 was a large step up from these previous aircraft though, as it possessed a powerful 2,000 hp Napier Sabre 24-cylinder, H-type engine, driving a de Havilland variable-pitch three-bladed propeller, but more impressively possessed a heavy armament of 6 Hispano cannons, with 200 rounds per gun. This made it one of, if not the most heavily armed, fighters the British were developing at the time, with only something like the Spitfire Mk.IV coming close.

Initially the Aircraft was intended to meet an Air Ministry Specification for a fighter, though once the Ministry had seen a draft of the aircraft, they were interested enough to give the Aircraft its own specially tailored specification, that being F.18/39, which was issued in May of 1939. This specification called for 3 aircraft for testing, which Martin Baker soon set to work on. The MB.3 itself retained most of the essential characteristics of its predecessors, though that wasn’t to say it was just retreading ground with a more powerful powerplant. The MB.3 possessed a all metal primary structure, based on a round steel tube arrangement, unlike the wood and fabric used in earlier models, along with Pneumatic landing gear and wing flaps, reducing pilot exertion during normal operations. A belly-mounted radiator was also added, with the coolant radiator being starboard and the oil on the port side.

With this design in place and under construction, the airframe was designated as “Experimental Aeroplane No.120”, though the plane in literature is commonly referred to its serial number R2492. Once built the MB.3 prototype was assigned to 26 OTU for testing in 1942, having its first flight there on August 31st of that year. The tests were observed and found to be beyond satisfactory, finding the plane to be highly manoeuvrable and easy to fly. This would not cement the MB.3’s place in British aviation history, though, as unfortunately,y the burning test flights in September, the Napier engine failed soon after take off with the codesigner Captain Baker at the controls. What happened next was a tragedy, as in an attempt to save the aircraft, Baker performed a forced landing, crashing into a field, where he was unfortunately killed.

The death of his best friend and long-term business partner hit Martin incredibly hard, but he did not abandon the MB 3 even after the loss of the sole prototype. He instead attempted to salvage the project, no longer trusting the engine that had taken his friends life, and instead proposed a more reliable Griffon engine variant christened the MB 4. This in turn would be cancelled in favour of the moderately redesigned MB 5, which in turn, would never get beyond testing. It is commonly thought that the personal loss of Captain Baker changed something in James Martin, as from this point forward he seemed to completely lose interest in designing aircraft, instead pivoting his goals towards an almost obsessive passion towards the safety of aircrews, leading to him developing the Martin-Baker ejection seats, carrying Captain Baker’s memory forward, as on several occasions Martin bluntly refused to remove Baker’s name from the company as a tribute to the lost co-founder, as he devoted the remainder of his life to ensure what happened to his friend never happened again, with the lasting legacy of the crash of the MB.3 resulting in over 7,700 lives being saved by Martin Baker Ejection seat systems.

Aircraft Specification:

General characteristics:

Crew: 1
Length: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 4 in (10.77 m)
Height: 15 ft 0 in (4.57 m)
Wing area: 262 sq ft (24.3 m2)
Empty weight: 9,233 lb (4,188 kg)
Gross weight: 11,497 lb (5,215 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 12,090 lb (5,484 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Napier Sabre H-24 liquid-cooled piston engine, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed de Havilland-Hydromatic constant-speed propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 415 mph (668 km/h, 361 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,096 m)
Range: 1,100 mi (1,800 km, 960 nmi)
Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Rate of climb: 3,800 ft/min (19 m/s)

Armament:

Guns: 6× 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon (1200 rounds, 200 per gun)

Additional Photos: