Nakajima B5N2 Type 97-3 Carrier Attack-Bomber (Kate)

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 4

Speed: 4

Maneuverability: 9

Firepower: 1

Climb Rate: 2

Ground Attack: 2

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	193	209	227	229	235@ 11811'	118 mph	2:38	7:32	16:10
kph	311	337	366	369	378@ 3600m	190 kph

Historical Statistics

Service Date: April 1940

Primary Guns: 1x Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun with 400 rpg in cowl

Secondary Guns: 1x Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun with 400 rpg in cowl

Defensive Guns: 1x Type 92 7.7 mm flex machine gun with 800 rpg in dorsal position

Ordnance: 1x 1,842 lb (835 kg) torpedo or 3x 550 lb (250 kg) bombs or 1x 1,764 lb (800 kg) bomb

Engine(s): 1x Nakajima NK1B Sakae 11 radial rated for 1,000 hp at sea level

Int Fuel Capacity: 1,962 lbs (890 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: none

Maximum Speeds: 235 mph (378 kph) at 11,810 ft (3,600 m)

Ceiling: 27,100 ft (8,260 m)

Loaded Weight: 8,378 lbs (3,800 kg)

Wing Area: 405.8 sq ft (37.7 sq m)

Wing Loading: 20.6 lbs/sq ft (100.8 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Attack Versatility: The Kate was equipped with a level bombsight for dropping either three 250 kg. bombs or a single 800 kg. bomb in precision ground attacks and could carry a single 800 kg. torpedo for anti-shipping attacks.

Weaknesses

Speed: Being only slightly faster than the Val is not much of a recommendation.

History

In 1935 the Japanese Navy issued a specification for a Carrier Attack Bomber with folding wings to enable it to fit on a carrier elevator. The plane was also to have the ability to carry a 800 kg. torpedo or the equivalent weight in bombs, a top speed of 207 mph at 6,560 ft, a crew of three and use of either the Nakajima Hikari or Mitsubishi Kinsei radial engines. Nakajima conceived an advanced design with hydraulically operated folding landing gear and wings, fowler flaps, and a variable-pitch propeller.

Bearing the designation of B5N1 and powered by the Hikari 2 engine, the prototype made its first flight in January 1937, but problems with the hydraulic system delayed testing. The plane was capable of a top speed of 230 mph, far exceeding the specification, but the Navy was worried about its maintainability. As such, the Navy initially preferred the simpler Mitsubishi design with fixed, spatted landing gear and it was ordered into production as the B5N1 while Nakajima made changes to their prototype.

The second prototype had the hydraulic wing folding mechanism replaced by a manually folding one, the fowler flaps replaced with conventional models and the variable-speed prop replaced with a constant-speed one. To increase range additional fuel tanks were added to the wings. In this guise the plane was ordered into production as the B5N1 Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber Model 1, later changed to Model 11.

While carrier units were being equipped with the B5N1 several land-based units operated in China in the tactical support role, the plane proving quite successful despite its lack of crew and fuel protection. However, as more modern fighters were being deployed against them in China, it became obvious that the plane needed upgrading.

First flown in December 1939, the B5N2 was powered by the more reliable and powerful 1,000 hp Mitsubishi Sakae 14-cylinder radial engine. The smaller engine diameter allowed engineers to rework the cowl to give the pilot better over-the-nose visibility, but despite the additional power the performance was not appreciably better. However, the more reliable engine was a plus for a carrier-based plane and the Navy accepted it into service as the Type 97 Model 22.

By the time of Pearl Harbor the B5N2 had almost completely replaced the B5N1 and obsolete B4Y1 in first-line service. Participating in every major carrier action in the first part of the war, it was code-named "Kate" by the Allies and was credited with sinking the US carriers Lexington, Yorktown and Hornet.

Last used as a torpedo bomber in the Philippine campaign of 1944, the Kate's long range and three-man crew allowed it to serve a valuable role as a reconnaissance and submarine-spotting plane in areas where Allied fighters weren't likely to be found. Later some B5N2s were fitted with Air-to-Surface Vessel Radar and others were fitted with the Jukitanchiki Magnetic Airborne Submarine Detection devices. Other war-weary B5N2s were used for gunnery training as both the gunner's mounts and the target-towing planes.

Sources

Francillon, Rene J.; Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD; 1979.

See Also

Nakajima Hikoki K.K.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II

Japanese Aircraft Designation System

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory