Nakajima E8N (Dave)

History

With advances in the design of military aircraft and warships in the first half of the 20th century, the use of aircraft by the Navy on its naval facilities is now a viable option. These became seaplanes and seaplanes, essentially planes with specialized equipment that could land and take off on water.

The catapult system usually allows the latter to be transported directly from the deck of the warship and to be retrieved using a powered crane as the aircraft returns.

The Japanese understood the value of such machines better than most, as their navy would prove to be a major power in the rise and domination of the Pacific during World War II (1939-1945). As a result, significant investment has been made to produce aircraft capable of performing the seaplane/seaplane role - critical for reconnaissance and limited attack on enemy naval forces as well as land-based "targets of opportunity".

In the early 1930s, the Japanese Navy challenged local aircraft manufacturers such as Aichi, Kawanishi, and Nakajima to develop a new, advanced, and effective ship reconnaissance seaplane. After the aging line of the Nakajima E4N model introduced in 1931, this model was used as a follow-up model (153 units of this model were produced). Based on this proven biplane seaplane, Nakajima Corporation set out to develop a successor, designing a new biplane wing and an improved tail.

In total, about seven prototypes were built and designated "MS" for the testing and evaluation phase. The first flight was recorded in March 1934.

Nakajima MS won the competition and was selected for mass production. In service, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) designated the MS as the Navy Type 95 Reconnaissance Seaplane Model 1, which entered service in October 1935. Production time span from 1935 to 1940.

The design of the aircraft was typical of that period: it had a biplane layout with a single cabin configuration and N struts as supports. These aircraft are equipped with a two-seat (tandem) open-air cockpit amidships directly above the midship.

The fuselage is tubular, and the engine drives a twin-blade propeller unit in the front. The rear wing is tapered as usual, showing a vertical stabilizer with a low level.

As a seaplane, the E8N is equipped with a seaplane landing gear consisting of a large float below the centerline and small outboard floats fixed below the main plane of each lower wing. The aircraft is armed with 2 x 7.7mm machine guns and carries up to 132 lbs of external ammunition (2 x 66 lb conventionally thrown bombs).

Two different production versions enter service, E8N1 and E8N2. The original model E8N1 was powered by a Nakajima Kotobuki 2 Kai 1 series air-cooled radial piston engine with 580 hp. The successor model, the E8N2, features performance-enhancing spokes from the Kotobuki Kai 2 series with 630 hp.

When done, the E8N2 variant has a top speed of 186 mph, but cruises closer to 185 mph. The range is 560 miles, and the plane's service ceiling is close to 24,000 feet.

The E8N played an important role in the IJN at the time - especially in the pre-WWII period, when it became a veteran of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). It was stationed on many important Japanese naval ships and performed a variety of airborne missions - general reconnaissance and artillery targeting, search and rescue (SAR), and dive bombing.

Total production eventually reached 755, certainly surpassing the earlier E4N.

By the time of World War II, the series had been replaced by more modern aircraft and had a relatively short front-line life during the conflict. At least one took part in the famous Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), which was a decisive American victory over the IJN, but after 1942 the E8N was relegated to other supporting roles, while those from competing aircraft companies A more capable type of seaplane regarding its role at sea and at sea.

At least one of the series was sold to the Germans in 1941, but even such an offer offered limited service. The Royal Thai Navy became the only recognized foreign operator of this type.

The E8N was known to the Allies as "Dave".

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes