Nakajima A4N

1935

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Nakajima A4N

The 1930s were a busy time for the Nakajima company. A whole series of experimental types appeared, including the Ki-8 low-wing monoplane two-seat fighter; the PA or Ki-11 low-wing monoplane single-seat fighter, reminiscent of the Boeing P-26, and of which four were built between 1935 and 1937; the Ki-12 low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear; the Ki-19 mid-wing twin-engine bomber; the NAF-1 and NAF-2 two-seat carrier fighter biplanes; the Y3B 7-Shi carrier torpedo-bomber biplane and the LB-2 private-venture twin-engine long-range navy bomber.

Yet, even in the middle of this innovative period, Nakajima set to work to build a conventional single-seat biplane fighter, the. resulting YM prototype being an unequal-span biplane of mixed construction and clearly owing much to the obsolescent A2N. Nevertheless, it was considered essential by the navy until more modern types could be perfected and Nakajima was accordingly authorized to proceed with development of the biplane concept. The resulting Navy Type 95 Carrier Fighter (Nakajima A4N1) had new divided landing gear designed to cope with carrier landings, a tailwheel instead of a tail-skid, and other minor changes which only marginally affected performance by comparison with the earlier fighter, the increase in speed being due entirely to the more powerful Hikari engine. Production totalled 221 between 1935 and 1937.

Specification 
 MODELA4N1
 CREW1
 ENGINE1 x Nakajima "Hikari", 544kW
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight1760 kg3880 lb
  Loaded weight1276 kg2813 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan10 m33 ft 10 in
  Length6.64 m22 ft 9 in
  Height3.07 m10 ft 1 in
  Wing area22.89 m2246.39 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed350 km/h217 mph
  Ceiling7740 m25400 ft
  Range845 km525 miles
 ARMAMENT2 x 7.7 mm machine-guns, 120kg of bombs

Comments
goutou, 18.06.2011 11:33

Near the start of the Pacific War, they were used on smaller second-line aircraft carriers and also for training.

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Joel Gewirtz, e-mail, 02.03.2011 22:43

This was one of the A /C used in the USS Panay attack.

reply

Jackie, 08.08.2010 12:08

The Nakajima A4N fighter saw combat service in the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was first used as a frontline fighter on board first-line aircraft carriers, entering service in 1936. Near the start of the Pacific War, they were used on smaller second-line aircraft carriers and also for training.

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