Aichi B7A
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| Aichi B7A Ryusei | |
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| Type | Torpedo bomber and Dive-bomber[1] |
| Manufacturer | Aichi Kokuki KK |
| Maiden flight | May 1942[1] |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Produced | 1941–1945 |
| Number built | 114 total 9 - B7A1 105 B7A2.[2] |
The Aichi B7A Ryusei[3] was a large and powerful dive bomber and torpedo bomber produced by Aichi Kokuki KK for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
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[edit] Need and Usage
It was designed in response to a 1941 requirement issued by the Imperial Japanese Navy for a carrier attack bomber that would replace both the Nakajima B6N Tenzan torpedo plane and the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei dive bomber in IJN service.[1] Given the codename Grace by the Allies, it first flew as a prototype in May 1942, but problems with the delivery of the engines meant that it was not produced in numbers until 1944[1] when it was too late to affect the outcome of the war. There were no aircraft carriers left for it to fly from, and only 105 aircraft were produced.[1]
[edit] Differences
Although the B7A had a weight-carrying capacity apparently resulting in a weapons load no greater than its predecessors, in fact the presence of an internal bomb bay with two high-load-capability attachment points allowed the aircraft to carry two 250 kg bombs, something no other Japanese single engine fighter or attack aircraft could do (other aircraft had only a single heavy-load attachment point, and there was no known example of an external rack to adapt a single attachment point to multiple heavy bombs). Despite its weight and size, it displayed fighter-like handling and performance, besting the Mitsubishi Zeroes in service at the time. Fast and highly maneuverable, had it been produced earlier and in greater numbers, it would have proved a considerable adversary to the United States Navy's fighters.
[edit] Design
The powerplant was a 1,825 horsepower (1,360 kW) Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 18-cylinder two row radial engine[1], and the aircraft featured a "bent" wing—an inverted gull-wing somewhat reminiscent of the F4U Corsair—to give clearance for the propeller without requiring the use of long main undercarriage legs.
[edit] Variants
- B7A1 : Prototypes. Nine built.
- B7A2 : Two-seat torpedo, dive-bomber aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- B7A2 Experimental : One aircraft fitted with a 2,000-hp (1491-kW) Nakajima Homare 23 radial piston engine.
- B7A3 : Proposed version. Not built.
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11.49 m (37 ft 8.33 in)
- Wingspan: 14.40 m (47 ft 3 in)
- Height: 4.07 m (13 ft 4.5 in)
- Wing area: 35.40 m² (381 ft²)
- Empty weight: 3,810 kg (8,400 lb)
- Loaded weight: 5,625 kg (12,401 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Nakajima NK9C Homare12 18-cylinder radial engine, 1,360 kW (1,825 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 566.5 km/h (306 knots, 352 mph)
- Range: 3,038 km (1,888 mi)
- Service ceiling 11,250 m (36,910 ft)
- Rate of climb: 9.6 m/s (1889.8 ft/min)
Armament
- Guns:
- Bombs:
- 800 kg (1,800 lb) of general ordnance or
- 1 × 800 kg (1,800 lb) torpedo
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Chant, Chris. Aircraft of World War II - 300 of the World's Greatest aircraft 1939-45. Amber Books Ltd., 1999. ISBN 0-7607-1261-1.
- Francillon, René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6.
[edit] External links
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