Airfix 02074 Grumman Martlet Mk.IV

The Grumann Martlet was a British, American-made fighter aircraft from the Second World War in the dorsal wing configuration. The drive, in the Mark I version, was provided by a single engine Wright Cyclone R-1820-G205A with 1000hp. The first flight of this machine took place in 1940. Its serial production started shortly after. In the Mark I version, the deck armament consisted of four 12.7 mm machine guns. The Grumann Martlet was essentially an export and improved version of the F4F Wildcat from the same manufacturer. The first version of the Martlet, designated Mark I, was ordered by France at the end of 1939, but due to its defeat in June 1940, the produced planes were transferred to Great Britain. Interestingly, the first machines of this type did not have folding wings and operated mainly from land bases, although the original F4F was a typical on-board fighter, designed to operate from aircraft carriers. Only the Martlet Mk. II received folding wings and a completely new engine. In total, several more versions of Martlet were created by the end of the war, including: Mk. III (A), Mk. IV or Mk. V, which was actually the most produced version of this aircraft. Grumann Martlet machines were widely used by Great Britain, both as deck planes, operating especially from escort carriers, and as sea fighter machines operating from land bases. They were used in combat, inter alia, during Operation Torch in 1942, but also during the Battle of the Atlantic and convoy operations directed from Great Britain to the USSR.