For standard armament, the bomber was to have two remotely-controlled dorsal turrets seated inline, one fore and the other aft, and each position was to be outfitted with 4 x 0.50 caliber Browning Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs). Another remotely-controlled turret was positioned under the frontal section of the fuselage, also showcasing 4 x 0.50 caliber HMGs. The tail was home to 2 x 37mm autocannons to protect the aircraft's more vulnerable "six". This meant that the large aircraft would carry no fewer than twelve machine guns and two autocannons in four gun positions.
Using the B-29's capability as a guide, the bombload of Martin's Model 194 would have been in excess of 20,000lb, most likely between 20,000lb and 30,000lb. The bomb bay was to take up most of the internal volume of the aircraft and consist of two individual spaces at the ventral fuselage line.
Choice of engine make, model, and output power was not defined in the design study from what is known of this Martin proposal. Performance estimates can, however, be garnered by observing its contemporary, the aforementioned B-29 from Boeing, with a maximum speed going beyond 350 miles-per-hour, a range between 3,000 and 5,000 miles, and a service ceiling between 30,000 feet and 35,000 feet (requiring pressurization of crew spaces). Rate-of-climb would have been near 1,000 feet-per-minute.
Specifications included an overall length of 119 feet, a wingspan of 171 feet, and a height of 31 feet (author's estimate).
As with other proposed, advanced aircraft projects of the World War 2 period, the Martin Model 194 was not evolved beyond its design study, leaving its capabilities and impact on the war to the imagination.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.