Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" in flight.

Nakajima B5N1 "Kate" torpedo bomber going to Pearl Harbor taking off from the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi .

The Nakajima B5N (Japanese: 中島 B5N, Allied reporting name: Kate) was the Imperial Japanese Navy's standard torpedo bomber for the first years of World War II. While the B5N was substantially faster and more capable than its Allied counterparts, the TBD Devastator and Fairey Swordfish, it was close to obsolescence by the time of the Pearl Harbor Attack. Nevertheless, the B5N operated throughout the whole war. Although primarily used as a carrier-based aircraft, it was also used as a land-based bomber on occasions. The B5N had a crew of 3: pilot, navigator/bombardier/observer, and radio operator/gunner. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Kate_B5N1_Akagi_dummy_torpedo. ... Image File history File links Kate_B5N1_Akagi_dummy_torpedo. ... The Akagi (Japanese: 赤城, meaning red castle, a volcano in the Kantō region of Japan) was an aircraft carrier serving with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The Akagi played a major part in the Attack on Pearl Harbor, but was sunk along with three other large carriers by... Categories: Stub | Japanese aircraft manufacturers | Aircraft engine manufacturers ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍   or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun), officially Navy of Empire of Greater Japan, also known as the Japanese Navy or Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force... A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... TBD from Torpedo Eight taxiing up the flight deck of CV-8 circa 15 May 1942. ... Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the... Attack on Pearl Harbor Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date December 7, 1941 Place Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Result Japanese victory On the morning of December 7, 1941, planes and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, carried out a surprise assault on the... Four aircraft carriers, (front-to-back) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, supercarrier USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences. ...

The B5N was designed by a team led by Katsuji Nakamura in response to a 1935 specification by the Navy for a torpedo bomber to replace the Yokosuka B4Y. Internally designated Type K by Nakajima, it successfully competed with the Mitsubishi B5M for a production contract. The first prototype flew in January 1937 and was ordered into production soon afterwards with the full designation Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber (九七式艦上攻撃機). Yes in the fight I write about there were 100 bombers and 50+ zeros much that were fended off by the men that were truly heroic! The Mitsubishi B5M was an Imperial Japanese Navy land-based attack aircraft with an Allied reporting name of Mabel (also known as “Kate 61...

The B5N soon saw combat, first in the Sino-Japanese War, where combat experience revealed several weaknesses in the original B5N1 production model. These were mainly concerned with the lack of protection that the design offered its crew and fuel tanks. Keen to maintain the high performance of the type, the Navy was reluctant to add weight in the form of armour, and instead looked to obtaining a faster version of the aircraft in the hopes of out-running enemy fighters. The B5N2 was given a much more powerful engine, and various modifications were made to streamline it. Although its performance was only marginally better, and its weaknesses remained unremedied, this version replaced the B5N1 in production and service from 1939. It was this version that would be used by the Navy in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Apart from this raid, the greatest successes of the B5N2 were the key roles they played in sinking the US Navy aircraft carriers Yorktown, Lexington and Hornet. The Second Sino-Japanese War was a major invasion of eastern China by Japan preceding and during World War II. It ended with the surrender of Japan in 1945. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN), Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN), Mitsuo Fuchida (IJNAS), Shigekazu Shimazaki (IJNAS) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 8... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Four aircraft carriers, (front-to-back) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, supercarrier USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences. ... The third USS Yorktown (CV-5) was lead ship of the Yorktown class aircraft carrier of World War II, sunk at the Battle of Midway. ... The fourth USS Lexington (CV-2), nicknamed the Gray Lady or Lady Lex, was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ... The seventh USS Hornet (CV-8) of the United States Navy was an aircraft carrier of World War II, notable for launching the Doolittle Raid, as a participant in the Battle of Midway, and for action in the Solomons before being mortally wounded in the Battle of the Santa Cruz...

The B5N served as the basis for a follow-on design, the Nakajima B6N, which eventually replaced it in front-line service. The B5N continued to fly in secondary roles, such as training, target towing, and anti-submarine warfare. Some of the aircraft used for this latter purpose were equipped with early radars and magnetic anomaly detectors. B5Ns were also used as bombers during the unsuccessful defence of the Philippines in October 1944. Nakajima B6N1 Tenzan torpedo bomber (Jill) explodes in the air after a direct hit by 5-inch shell from the USS Yorktown (CV-10) off Kwajalein on December 4, 1943 The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Japanese: 中島 B6N 天山 - Heavenly Mountain, Allied reporting name: Jill) was the Imperial Japanese Navys standard torpedo... Anti-submarine warfare (ASW or in older forms A/S) is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft or other submarines to find, track and then damage or destroy enemy submarines. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... A RNZAF P-3K Orion; the magnetic anomaly dectector protrudes from the tail to minimise interference from the aircrafts avionics. ...

Altogether, around 1,150 were built, of which not a single complete example exists today. A large portion of a B5N2 was recovered from the Kuril Islands by a British private collector in 2003. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location of Kuril Islands in the Western Pacific. ...

Specifications (Nakajima B5N2)

Nakajima B5N2 "Kate".

A Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" (tail marking "EI-306") of the Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku. The Kate went down during a Battle of the Coral Sea search mission.

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Length: 10.30 m (33' 10")
• Wingspan: 15.52 m (50' 11")
• Height: 3.70 m (12' 2")
• Wing area: 37.7 m² (406 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,279 kg (5,024 lb)
• Loaded weight: 3,800 kg (8,380 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 4,100 kg (9,040 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Nakajima Sakae 11 radial engine, 750 kW (1,000 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 367 km/h (229 mph)
• Range: 1,935 km (1,202 mi)
• Service ceiling: 8,260 m (27,100 ft)
• Rate of climb: 6.5 m/s (1,283 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 101 kg/m² (21 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.20 kW/kg (0.12 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns: 1x 7.7 mm Type 92 'Ru' ( Lewis )machine gun in rear dorsal position, fed by hand loaded magazines of 97 rounds
• Bombs: 1x 800 kg (1,760 lb)type 91 torpedo or 3x 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 6 x 60 kg (132 lb)

Image File history File links Nakajima_B5N2_green. ... Image File history File links Nakajima_B5N2_green. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (740x615, 92 KB) Summary Japanese Type 97 Shipboard Attack Aircraft (Kate) Wrecked on Indispensable Reef, at the time it was inspected by a Patrol Squadron 71 crew, 9 June 1942. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (740x615, 92 KB) Summary Japanese Type 97 Shipboard Attack Aircraft (Kate) Wrecked on Indispensable Reef, at the time it was inspected by a Patrol Squadron 71 crew, 9 June 1942. ... Shokaku (Japanese: 翔鶴 shōkaku meaning flying crane) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. ... Combatants United States Navy Royal Australian Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Commanders Frank J. Fletcher John Crace Shigeyoshi Inoue Takeo Takagi Strength 2 large carriers, 3 cruisers 2 large carriers, 1 light carrier, 4 cruisers Casualties 1 fleet carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 oil tanker sunk 543 killed 1 light carrier, 1... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... Nakajima Sakae engine on a Mitsubishi Zero The Nakajima Sakae (æ „, glory) was a two-row, 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine used in Japanese aircraft during World War II. It was version of the famous Gnome-Rhône 14K, a license for which had been taken out in 1936. ... The radial engine is an internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...

External Links

• Pictorial of B5N in multiplayer air-combat simulation of Battle of Coral Sea.

Related content

Nakajima B5N2 Model 12 "Kate" over Hickam field, December 7, 1941.

Related development

Nakajima B6N Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Nakajima B6N1 Tenzan torpedo bomber (Jill) explodes in the air after a direct hit by 5-inch shell from the USS Yorktown (CV-10) off Kwajalein on December 4, 1943 The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Japanese: 中島 B6N 天山 - Heavenly Mountain, Allied reporting name: Jill) was the Imperial Japanese Navys standard torpedo...

Comparable aircraft

TBD Devastator TBD from Torpedo Eight taxiing up the flight deck of CV-8 circa 15 May 1942. ...

Designation sequence

B6N B7A Nakajima B6N1 Tenzan torpedo bomber (Jill) explodes in the air after a direct hit by 5-inch shell from the USS Yorktown (CV-10) off Kwajalein on December 4, 1943 The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Japanese: 中島 B6N 天山 - Heavenly Mountain, Allied reporting name: Jill) was the Imperial Japanese Navys standard torpedo... The Aichi B7A Ryusei (Japanese: 愛知 B7A 流星, Shooting Star) was a large and powerful dive bomber and torpedo bomber produced by Aichi Kokuki KK for the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

Related lists

List of military aircraft of Japan This list of military aircraft of Japan includes prototype, pre-production and operational types regardless of era. ...