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Before the issue of Air Ministry Specification 12/41, it had been standard RAF practice to use out-dated aircraft, however unsuitable, for the task of target towing. The outbreak of World War II had highlighted this short-sighted policy, leading to the procurement of an aircraft designed specifically for such a role. The Miles M.25 prototype (LR241) was flown for the first time on 24 April 1942, the aircraft being based on the Miles Master Mk II but with a lengthened nose to compensate for the weight of target-towing equipment. Incorporated within a modified cockpit was the drogue cable winch, which could be powered by an electric motor or wind-driven propeller, and there was comfortable space for the operator and stowage of the drogue targets. THe type entered service as the Miles Martinet and between 1942 and 1945 a total of 1,724 was built; the type was complemented in 1946 by the M.50 Queen Martinet which had been developed to Specification Q.10/43. This was a radio-controlled pilotless target version of the Martinet, 11 being built as new and the remaining 54 being conversions of M.25s. Planned variants included a glider-tug version of the Martinet, similar to the Master GT Mk II, and the M.37 two-seat trainer of which two prototypes were built. Six surplus Martinets received civil registrations after the war, four of them sold to Sweden and operated by the civil target-towing company Svensk Flygjarst.
| MODEL | M.25 Martinet |
| ENGINE | 1 x Bristol Mercury XX/XXX piston engine, 649kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 3062 kg | 6751 lb |
| Empty weight | 2105 kg | 4641 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 11.89 m | 39 ft 0 in |
| Length | 9.42 m | 31 ft 11 in |
| Height | 3.53 m | 12 ft 7 in |
| Wing area | 22.48 m2 | 241.97 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 386 km/h | 240 mph |
| Range | 1117 km | 694 miles |
| D. Johnson, jdvirgo=aol.com, 06.08.2009 Hello Geoff. I serviced Martinets from July 1947 for about fourteen months. I served with Martinet Flight at R A F Lubeck, B A F O Yours Doug | | doug johnson, jdvirgo=aol.com, 14.06.2009 Hi I serviced Martinets from July 1947/December 1948 was stationed at RAF Lubeck BAFO | | Geoff Waterhouse, ggwaterhouse=aol.com, 14.06.2007 First time I left the ground was in a Martinet at no.4 Air
Gunnery School, Walney Island flown by a Polish Fighter Pilot on a rest period, one Sgt/Pilot Resczkowski.....sick
as a dog, but what a thrill !!
Did service in R.., Navy as a seaman/torpedoman ...age now 80yrs. Did 50 yrs as an Optometrist in Twickenham | | Geoff Waterhouse, ggwaterhouse=aol.com, 14.06.2007 First time I left the ground was in a Martinet at no.4 Air
Gunnery School, Walney Island flown by a Polish Fighter Pilot on a rest period, one Sgt/Pilot Resczkowski.....sick
as a dog, but what a thrill !!
Did service in R.., Navy as a seaman/torpedoman ...age now 80yrs. Did 50 yrs as an Optometrist in Twickenham | | Geoff Waterhouse, ggwaterhouse=aol.com, 14.06.2007 First time I left the ground was in a Martinet at no.4 Air
Gunnery School, Walney Island flown by a Polish Fighter Pilot on a rest period, one Sgt/Pilot Resczkowski.....sick
as a dog, but what a thrill !!
Did service in R.., Navy as a seaman/torpedoman ...age now 80yrs. Did 50 yrs as an Optometrist in Twickenham | | Geoff Waterhouse, ggwaterhouse=aol.com, 14.06.2007 First time I left the ground was in a Martinet at no.4 Air
Gunnery School, Walney Island flown by a Polish Fighter Pilot on a rest period, one Sgt/Pilot Resczkowski.....sick
as a dog, but what a thrill !!
Did service in R.., Navy as a seaman/torpedoman ...age now 80yrs. Did 50 yrs as an Optometrist in Twickenham |
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