In 1935, the Japanese Navy
ordered Mitsubishi and Nakajima to build a prototype under the name of the Ten Prototype Carrier-Based Attack Plane.
The Navy's demands were much higher than the Type 96 carrier-based attack aircraft that had just been adopted at the time ,
and Nakajima, which received the prototype request,
had lost to Mitsubishi in all major naval aircraft competitions.
We risked our company's fortunes in developing it.
The Type 97 carrier-based attack aircraft, which incorporates a number of new innovations, is
the first
low-wing monoplane carrier-based attack aircraft with an all-metal monocoque structure for the Japanese Navy.
Equipped with revolutionary hydraulic retractable main landing gear,
the fuselage width is widest near the cockpit and narrow for a three-seat aircraft.
The adoption of upward-folding main wings shortens the overall width,
reducing the storage space inside the aircraft carrier.
The propeller uses an all-metal two-stage variable-pitch three-blade propeller, which efficiently delivers engine output according to each situation
during takeoff, climb, cruising, and high speed , dramatically improving performance.
On November 16, 1937,
it was adopted as the Type 97 Carrier-Based Attack Aircraft No. 1 (B5N1), and
instead of the originally planned "Sakae" engine,
it was equipped with a "Hikari" engine with 300hp less power, but
the Navy's The performance exceeded my requirements.
In the fall of 1938,
the Sakae engine was put into practical use, and in
December 1939, it was officially adopted as the Type 97 Type 3 carrier-based attack aircraft (B5N2), and
mass production at Nakajima was switched to the Type 3. .
In December 1941,
she participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the start of the Pacific War, and achieved great results by fatally injuring ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet with a concentrated attack
of bombs and torpedoes carried by six aircraft carriers. I did. Among these, the fact that it was able to successfully strike shallow water at shallow depths, where it was considered impossible to strike with lightning, is noteworthy, as is the high performance of this aircraft.
Even after the Hawaii operation, the 97 attack aircraft, which was installed on each aircraft carrier of the 1st Air Fleet, was active
in the Solomon Islands, the Southwest Pacific, and the Indian Ocean, along with the Zero fighter and the 99 attack aircraft.
《Data》B5N2
Crew: 3 people
Overall width: 15.518m
Overall length: 10.3m
Overall height: 3.7m
Engine: Nakajima "Sakae" 11 type (air-cooled double-row star type 14-cylinder)
Takeoff power: 1,000hp
Maximum speed: 378km/h (Altitude 3,600m)
Armament: 7.7mm machine gun (rear and upper fuselage)
Bomb: 800kg x 1 / 250kg x 2 / 60kg x 6 / 30kg x 6
Torpedo: 800kg x 1
