Nakajima E2N

E2N

Role	Reconnaissance seaplane
Manufacturer	Nakajima Aircraft Company
Introduction	1927
Primary user	Imperial Japanese Navy
Produced	1927-1929
Number built	80

The Nakajima E2N was a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft of the inter-war years. It was a single-engine, two-seat, sesquiplane seaplane with twin main floats.

Design and development

The E2N was developed in the 1920s for the Imperial Japanese Navy as a short range reconnaissance floatplane suitable for catapult launch from cruisers and battleships.^[1] It was a wooden twin-float sesquiplane, carrying a crew of two in open cockpits and having folding wings. This layout gave better downwards view than the monoplanes proposed by Aichi and Yokosuka, and the design was selected becoming Japan's first locally designed shipboard reconnaissance aircraft.

Operational history

The E2N served with the Navy as the Type 15 Reconnaissance Floatplane (一五式水上偵察機). 80 examples were produced between 1927 and 1929 by Nakajima and Kawanishi; of these, two were bought for civil fishery patrol duties. The Navy machines were withdrawn from front-line units in the 1930s, being replaced by the Nakajima E4N, and either being reassigned to training duties or sold to civil buyers.

Variants

E2N1 (Type 15-1 Reconnaissance Seaplane): Short-range reconnaissance aircraft.
E2N2 (Type 15-2 Reconnaissance Seaplane): Trainer version with dual controls.

Operators

Japan

Imperial Japanese Navy

Specifications (E2N)

Data from Japanese Aircraft, 1910-1941^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 9.57 m (31 ft 4½ in)
Wingspan: 13.52m (44 ft 4¼ in)
Height: 3.69 m (12 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 44 m² (474 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,409 kg (3,106 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,950 kg (4,299 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza V-8 inline piston, 264 kW (340 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 172 km/h (93 kn, 107 mph)
Endurance: 5 hours
Climb to 3,000 m (9,843 ft): 31 min 37 s

Armament

1 × flexible 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine gun

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nakajima military aircraft.

Notes

1 2 Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 223–224.

Bibliography

Mikesh, Robert C.; Shorzoe Abe (1990). Japanese Aircraft, 1910-1941. London: Putnam & Company Ltd. ISBN 0-85177-840-2.

Aircraft produced by Nakajima Aircraft Company

Imperial Japanese Navy types

Carrier fighters	A1N A2N A3N A4N

Carrier Torpedo Bombers	B3N B4N B5N B6N

Reconnaissance aircraft	C2N C3N C6N

Dive bombers	D3N

Reconnaissance floatplanes	E2N E4N E8N

Land-based Attack Bombers	G5N G8N G10N

Interceptors	J1N J5N J9Y

Transports	L1N

Floatplane fighter	A6M2-N

Other	LB-2

Imperial Japanese Army types

Army type-year	type 91 fighter type 94 reconnaissance aircraft type 95 training aircraft type 97 fighter type 97 transport type 100 heavy bomber type 1 fighter type 2 single-seat fighter type 4 fighter

Kitai (airframe #)	Ki-4 Ki-6 Ki-8 Ki-11 Ki-12 Ki-19 Ki-27 Ki-34 Ki-43 Ki-44 Ki-49 Ki-58 Ki-62 Ki-63 Ki-80 Ki-84 Ki-87 Ki-106 Ki-115 Ki-201

WW2 Allied reporting names

Japanese Navy Reconnaissance seaplanes

E1Y E2N E3A E4N E5K/E5Y E6Y E7K E8A/E8N E9W E10A/E10K E11A/E11K E12A/E12N E13A/E13K E14Y E15K E16A

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