Mitsubishi B2M
| B2M | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Torpedo bomber |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Number built | 206 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1932 |
| First flight | 28 December 1929 |
| Developed from | Blackburn Ripon |
The Mitsubishi B2M was a Japanese carrier-based torpedo bomber of the 1920s and 1930s. It was built by Mitsubishi to a design by Blackburn Aircraft of Britain and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Design and development
[edit]In 1927, the Japanese company Mitsubishi commissioned the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft to design an aircraft, which would be built under licence by Mitsubishi if successful, to enter a competition held by the Imperial Japanese Navy for a carrier-based reconnaissance and torpedo bomber to replace its B1M. Blackburn developed a design, the Blackburn T.7B, which was an enlarged development of their Ripon, which was under development for Britain's Fleet Air Arm.[1] The T.7B was a three-seat biplane of steel tube construction and with high aspect ratio wings fitted with Handley Page slats, powered by a 466 kW (625 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr engine.
The design was declared the winner of the competition, with a prototype (referred to as the 3MR4) being ordered from Blackburn. This first flew on 28 December 1929 at Blackburn's factory at Brough, Yorkshire,[1] and was shipped to Japan in February 1930.[2]
Three development prototypes were built by Mitsubishi in Japan before the aircraft was adopted as the Navy Type 89-1 Model 1 Carrier Attack Plane or Mitsubishi B2M1.[3]
Operational history
[edit]The B2M1 entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1932,[3] serving aboard the carriers Akagi, Kaga and Hōshō. Modifications to improve maintainability resulted in the B2M2 or Navy Type 89-2 Carrier Attack Plane, which otherwise showed little improvement in performance over the B2M1. Production of both versions totalled 204 aircraft.[3]
B2Ms were extensively used for high- and low-level bombing attacks against China at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.[3][4]
Variants
[edit]
- Blackburn T.7B
- Prototype aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft.
- Mitsubishi 3MR4
- Three Japanese-built prototypes.
- Mitsubishi B2M1
- Initial production aircraft.
- Mitsubishi B2M2
- Improved production variant with reduced wingspan and modified tail.
Operators
[edit]
Specifications (B2M1)
[edit]Data from World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 10.27 m (33 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 15.22 m (49 ft 11 in)
- Height: 3.71 m (12 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 55 m2 (590 sq ft) [5]
- Empty weight: 2,670 kg (5,886 lb) [5]
- Gross weight: 3,600 kg (7,937 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 485 kW (650 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 213 km/h (132 mph, 115 kn)
- Range: 1,779 km (1,105 mi, 961 nmi) [5]
- Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 1 × forward firing 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine gun and 1 × flexible 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine gun in rear cockpit
- Bombs: 1 × 800 kg (1,764 lb) torpedo or equivalent weight of bombs
See also
[edit]Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
- ^ a b Angelucci, Enzo (1981). World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0-7106-0148-4.
- ^ a b c d Donald, David, ed. (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- ^ "Håkans Aviation page – Sino-Japanese Air War 1937". Retrieved 25 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Mikesh, Robert C; Abe, Shorzoe (1990). Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. pp. 167–168. ISBN 0-85177-840-2.
External links
[edit]
- Wings Palette - Profiles of B2M Archived 20 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine