M class blimp

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=M class


caption=
type=ASW airship
manufacturer=Goodyear
designer=
first flight=
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=US Navy
more users=
produced=
number built=4
variants with their own articles=The Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio built the M-class blimp for the US Navy as the follow-on to the K-class anti-submarine warfare blimp used during World War II. It was a significantly larger airship. Four airships, designated M-1 through M-4, were delivered in early 1944. Operations of K-ships in tropical regions had shown a need for a blimp with greater volume to offset the loss of lift due to high ambient temperatures. A contract was awarded to the Goodyear Aircraft Company for the prototype M-class blimp on August 16, 1943. This contract was followed by another contract on September 11, 1943 for 21 M-class blimps. These airships were given the Navy designation of ZNP-M, (Z = lighter-than-air; N = non-rigid; P = patrol; M = type/class.) However, on November 22, 1944, the quantity of blimps was reduced to four. These were delivered to the Navy in February, March, and April 1944. The M-Class airships were retired from service by 1956. The gondola of the M-4 was remained in the conservation area at Lakehurst until the mid-1970s,

The M-class blimps were three hundred and ten feet (94.49 m) long with a 117 foot (35.66 m) long control car. In order to maintain the proper loading on the catenary, the control car was built in three sections with universal joints between the sections. The catenary is the webbing internal to the envelope from which the control car is hung from the top of the envelope. Control of the weight distribution from the catenary is necessary to control wrinkling of the envelope. The capacity of the envelope of the M-1 was 625,000 cu ft (17,698 m³) with an increase in capacity to 647,000 cu ft (18,321 m³) for M-2 through M-4. These airships were powered by two Pratt & Whitney radial air-cooled engines.

pecifications (M-2)

aerospecs
met or eng?= eng

crew=10-14
capacity=
length m=92.07
length ft=302
length in=0
span m=
span ft=
span in=
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m= 21.19
dia ft= 69
dia in= 6
height m=28.20
height ft=92
height in=6
wing area sqm=
wing area sqft=
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3= 18,320
volume ft3= 647,000
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=
empty weight lb=
gross weight kg=
gross weight lb=
lift kg= 4,356
lift lb= 10,000

eng1 number=2
eng1 type=Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-2 radials
eng1 kw= 410
eng1 hp= 550
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=128
max speed mph=80
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh= 93
cruise speed mph= 58
range km=
range miles=
endurance h= 50
endurance min= 30
ceiling m=
ceiling ft=
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=
climb rate ftmin=
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=1 × .50 M2 machine gun
armament2=8 × 350 lb (159 kg) Mark 47 depth charges
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6=

References

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ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

lists=
* List of airships of the United States Navy

see also=