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Mitsubishi B5M1 (九七式二号艦上攻撃機)
The Mitsubishi B5M1 was a Japanese torpedo bomber aircraft developed in 1936. Its full name is Carrier-based Assault Aircraft Type 97 No. 2, and from 1942 it was known as Carrier-based Assault Aircraft Type 61. This aircraft was introduced into service as a supplement to the Nakajima B5N1. Between 1937 and 1940, between 120 and 150 Mitsubishi B5M1 aircraft were produced.
History
In 1935, the Japanese navy, which was conducting a competition for a new carrier torpedo plane (the 9-Shi competition was completed in 1936, and the winner was the Yokosuka B4Y1), noticed that biplanes were outdated and there was a need for modern torpedo planes. Therefore, for this purpose, it submitted the requirements for the 10-Shi competition to Mitsubishi and Nakajima. The requirements were as follows:
- The plane was supposed to be a monoplane.
- The aircraft was supposed to have folding wings to facilitate the storage of aircraft in the hangars on the aircraft carrier
- A maximum speed of over 330 km/h was required.
- The aircraft was to carry 800 kg of bombs or one torpedo weighing 800 kg.
- It was required that the aircraft with a full load (800kg of bombs) had an endurance of 4 hours in the air and 7 hours in reconnaissance flight (without the bomb load)
- It was required for the aircraft to have a three-person crew.
In the Mitsubishi factories, engineer Mijiro Takahashi was delegated for the project, and the aircraft received the internal factory designation Ka-16. The aircraft was designed rather simply (it had a fixed landing gear, and the wings were manually foldable), which simplified the construction and maintenance. The prototype of the aircraft was created on October 11, 1936, and took its first flight on November 21 of the same year. The aircraft was then sent for testing to the Japanese Navy’s command, where it received the designation B5M. At the beginning of the tests, it turned out that the simpler Mitsubishi B5M was better than the Nakajima B5N, which initially had serious technical problems. Mitsubishi anticipated great success, but the Japanese Navy used the B5M to motivate Nakajima to improve its prototype. This caused the results of the competition to remain uncertain for a long time, but it seemed that the Mitsubishi aircraft would win. To the surprise of Mitsubishi and Nakajima, the winner of the competition in the summer of 1937 was the improved prototype Nakajima B5N, which was accepted into service as B5N1 or by its full name as the Type 97 Carrier-Based Dive Bomber. However, due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, there was an urgent need for modern aircraft, so the Japanese Navy also accepted the Mitsubishi B5M into service as the B5M1 or by its full name as the Type 97 Carrier-Based Dive Bomber No. 2 (Type 97 No. 1 is B5N1, Type 97 No. 2 is B5M1, and Type 97 No. 3 is B5N2). The Japanese Navy hoped that the simpler Mitsubishi aircraft would be produced more quickly than the more complex Nakajima aircraft, and they were not disappointed, as 50 B5M1 aircraft were produced rapidly. Although the Mitsubishi B5M1 was developed as a carrier-based aircraft, it more often operated from land bases and was rarely used as a torpedo bomber, only as a bomber. Some naval pilots preferred the B5M1 due to its lower vibration compared to the B5N1. The production of Mitsubishi B5M1 airplanes took place from 1937 to 1940, during which between 120 and 150 aircraft of this type were produced. After the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, most of the aircraft were sent to rear units for training or to ASW units. By the end of the war in the Pacific, B5M1 aircraft also reached Kamikaze units, where they probably succeeded in sinking the rocket boat LSMR-194 off the coast of Okinawa. The Mitsubishi B5M1 received the American codename “Mabel.”
Technical description
The Mitsubishi B5M1 is a torpedo bomber aircraft with a three-man crew in a low-wing configuration. The aircraft is of metal construction and features a fixed undercarriage. It is powered by a fourteen-cylinder Mitsubishi MK8D Kinsei 43 (Ha-33-43) radial engine with a takeoff power of 750 kW (1000 HP), which drives a controllable three-blade propeller with a diameter of 3,200 mm. The Mitsubishi B5M1 is equipped with one Type 92 7.7mm machine gun for self-defense in the rear gunner’s position. Underneath the fuselage, it can carry 800 kg of bombs or one torpedo weighing 800 kg.
Technical sketches
Comparison of Mitsubishi B5M and Nakajima B5N
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 10,324 m
- Wingspan: 15,3 m
- Height: 4,24 m
- Wing area: 39,64 m2
- Empty weight: 2342kg
- Gross weight: 4000 kg
- Maximum Take-off Weight: 4400 kg
- Powerplant: 1 x Mitsubishi MK8D Kinsei 43 (Ha-33-43) fourteen-cylinder radial engine with a takeoff power of 750 kW (1000 HP)
- Propellers: Controllable three-blade propeller with a diameter of 3,200 mm
Performance
- Maximum speed: 381 km/h
- Cruising speed: 256 km/h
- Range: 1910 km
- Maximum Range: 2322 km
- Service ceiling: 8260 m
- Climb Rate: ?
- Rate of climb: 7,5 min to 3000 m
Armament
- Guns:
- 1 x Type 92 7.7mm mobile machine gun in the rear gunner’s position
- Bombs:
- 1 x 800 kg bombs (under the fuselage)
- 1 x 500 kg bombs (under the fuselage)
- 2 x 250 kg bombs (under the fuselage)
- 6 x 60 kg bombs (under the fuselage)
- 6 x 30 kg bombs (under the fuselage)
- 1 x 800 kg torpedo (under the fuselage)
Special thanks
Summary
The Mitsubishi B5M1 is an interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. This aircraft would be a useful low-tier bomber that could be added as a folder with the Nakajima B5N2 or become a premium or event aircraft. Although the fixed landing gear results in a lower maximum speed, the aircraft will be more durable due to its simpler construction.
Internet sources
九七式艦上攻撃機 - Wikipedia
Mitsubishi B5M – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia
Micubiši B5M1 [Mabel] : Micubiši
B5M1
B5M1
Mitsubishi B5M ‘Mabel’ — avionslegendaires.net
Mitsubishi B5M ‘Kate’
Mitsubishi B5M Japanese Attack Aircraft - Destination’s Journey
Mitsubishi B5M - Japan - War Thunder - Official Forum
九七式艦上攻撃機/中島・三菱Nakajima B5N/Mitsubishi B5M | 大日本帝国軍 主要兵器
Mitsubishi B5M Mabel
Mitsubishi B5M MABEL - torpedo-bomber
Mitsubishi B5M1
Warplanes of Japan: Mitsubishi B5M
Уголок неба ¦ Mitsubishi B5M
Book sources
- Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War page 491
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