The Nakajima B5N (Japanese: 中島 B5N, Allied reporting name "Kate") was the standard carrier-based torpedo bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) for much of World War II. It also served as a high level bomber.

Jun 25, 2022 · The B5N, codenamed “Kate” by ONI in 1941 was primarily deployed as a carrier-based aircraft, but later in the war as a land-based bomber. The B5N1 first saw action in the Second Sino-Japanese War, from 1938. There, default were recoignised but the IJN wanted more speed, not protection.

Aug 18, 2017 · At Pearl Harbor, Japan’s most devastating aircraft was the Nakajima B5N2, also known as the “Kate” and the Type 97-3 Carrier Attack Aircraft. In the opening minutes of the attack, 40 Kates savaged Battleship Row with torpedoes. When they finished, Oklahoma and West Virginia had sunk, and California and Nevada were sinking.

Dec 7, 2023 · The B5N, codenamed "Kate" by ONI in 1941 was primarily deployed as a carrier-based aircraft, but later in the war as a land-based bomber. The B5N1 first saw action in the Second Sino-Japanese War, from 1938.

Codenamed Kate by the Allies, the Nakajima B5N was already in service for four years by 1941, and was the most modern carrier-based torpedo bomber at the beginning of WWII. It was superior to its Allied counterparts, the TBD Devastator, Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore, and the B5N supported amphibious operations throughout the war.

Oct 2, 2014 · The B5N “Kate” was the primary Japanese torpedo bomber in the first couple years of the war. For the Pearl Harbor raid, Kate’s carried two non-standard load outs. Many had torpedoes with extra wooden fins to keep them from running to …

May 19, 2019 · The B5N series (Type 97 Attack Bomber) was designed by the Nakajima Aircraft Co Ltd of Ota, Japan as a carrier-borne dive bomber, the prototype fitted with a 574 kw (770 hp) Nakajima Kikari 3 radial engine, first flying in January 1937.

Oct 20, 2015 · THE CARRIER-BASED B5N, which the Allies nicknamed “Kate,” peaked early. Even its 1938 combat debut against the Chinese showed that the aircraft needed armor to protect its fuel tanks and three-man crew.

The Nakajima B5N Kate was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s silent torpedo assassin, this aircraft redefined the art of the surprise attack with its innovative design and deadly efficiency. From Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway, the B5N Kate’s role was important, yet its story often goes untold, overshadowed by more famous aircraft.

The Nakajima B5N1 carrier based Torpedo Bomber (Kate) was designed in 1935 by a Nakajima design team under the supervision of Katsuji Nakamura and went into production as the Navy Type 97 Model 1 attack bomber in 1937.