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The Martin Bombers (MB-1, MB-2)

Withdrawing from his association with the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation, American pioneer Glenn Martin established the Glenn L. Martin Company at Cleveland, Ohio in late 1917.  Requested by the US Army to develop a bomber aircraft that would be superior  to the Handley Page O/400, the designer's Martin MB-1 design proposal was rewarded with a production order for 10 aircraft on 17 January 1918.  Of conventional biplane configuration, with twin fins and rudders mounted above the tailplane and with four-wheel main landing gear, the MB-1 was powered by two 298-kW (400 hp) Liberty 12A engines strut-mounted between the wings, one on each side of the fuselage, and accommodated a crew of three in open cockpits.  Delivery to the US Army Air Service in October 1918, the first seven being designated officially GMB (Glenn Martin Bomber) although four of them were equipped for use in an observation role.  The remaining three aircraft on this order were completed as one long-range GMT (Glenn Martin Transcontinental), one with a nose-mounted 37mm cannon designated GMC (Glenn Martin Cannon), and a third as a 10-passenger transport designated originally GMP (Glenn Martin Passenger), later T-1.  In addition six MB-1s modified for use as mail carriers were built subsequently for the US Postal Service, but some were later transferred to the US Army.

From the MB-1 Martin developed an improved MB-2 for use as a night bomber, which differed by having increased-span strengthened wings that could be folded outboard of the engines.  The US Army contracted for 20 of the aircraft in 1920, adopting initially the company's MB-2 as the official designation, but the sixth and subsequent aircraft were designated NBS-1 (Night Bomber Short-range) upon receipt.  Government policy in the immediate post-war  depressed state of the US aircraft industry was to share production orders between manufacturers, and as a result NBS-1s were built also by Aeromarine (25); Curtiss (50), the last 20 of them equipped with turbochargers for the engines, and L.W.F. (Lowe, Willard and Fowler) (35); of which four were completed as dual-control trainers.

The US Navy also showed some interest in the MB-1/MB-2, acquiring two MB-1s under the designation MBT (Martin Bomber-Torpedo), plus eight improved MT (Martin Torpedo) aircraft which were basically MB-1s incorporating the increased span wing of the MB-2.  The MTs were designated subsequently TM-1.