Mitsubishi B2M

In 1927, the company Mitsubishi , not satisfied with the characteristics of the deck torpedo bomber Mitsubishi B1M , turned to the command of the Imperial Navy with a proposal to develop a new aircraft. Unlike the B1M developed in Japan ( albeit with the assistance of British designers led by Herbert Smith ), this order on a competitive basis was completely placed in England.

At the competition were presented 3 options for aircraft. The first, 3MR3 , represented by Herbert Smith, who worked under a contract with Mitsubishi. The second, 3MR4 , was introduced by Blackburn Aircraft ; the third, 3MR5 , was introduced by Handley Page .

The winner was a project by Blackburn . The aircraft introduced, the Blackburn T. 7B , was essentially an enlarged version of the serial English torpedo bomber Blackburn Ripon. The plane made its first flight in December 1929. The tests were successful, and soon a prototype with a set of documentation was sent to Japan. During 1930-32, 3 more prototypes were built in Japan with minor modifications.

When the aircraft was launched into mass production, certain difficulties arose, and the fleet command could not decide for a long time what tasks a new aircraft should fulfill. All this delayed the release of the aircraft. In the end, the aircraft was adopted at the beginning of 1933 as a torpedo bomber called the “Type 89 Model 1 carrier-based attack aircraft” ( or B2M1 ).

• Blackburn T. 7B - a prototype built by Blackburn Aircraft
• Mitsubishi 3MR4 - a prototype built in Japan (3 copies)
• Mitsubishi B2M1 - first production version
• Mitsubishi B2M2 - an improved production version with a reduced wingspan and a modified tail

Mitsubishi B2M aircraft served on aircraft carriers "Hosho" , "Akagi" and "Kaga" , as well as on coastal airfields. They could not replace the previous model B1M . In 1935, their release was discontinued, and a new Yokosuka B3Y aircraft was launched into serial production, which also did not become the main carrier-based torpedo bomber. As a result, at the start of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the fleet used three different types of torpedo bombers.

The participation of Mitsubishi B2M in the hostilities was limited - during August 1937, aircraft from the Kaga supported the Japanese forces, which landed in the Shanghai area. Then the first losses appeared. On August 15, 1937, during the next raid, Mitsubishi B2M aircraft were attacked by Chinese fighters. The loss of the Japanese amounted to 6 aircraft, 2 more aircraft landed on the water. The squadron commander and his deputy were killed. Thus, the Kaga lost 2/3 of its torpedo bombers in one launch. After that, the Kaga air group was reorganized, and the obsolete Mitsubishi B2M were replaced with the new Yokosuka B4Y . Part of the Mitsubishi B2M aircraft was used for some time in flight schools as educational.

The Mitsubishi B2M was a three - seat biplane powered by Hispano-Suiza Type 51-12Lbr engine with a capacity of 625 liters. from. The power set was metal, the wings and tail were plain, the nose of the aircraft was lined with duralumin . Air bags were placed in the lower wing, which ensured the buoyancy of the aircraft in case of landing on water. The crew consisted of 3 people: pilot, radio operator and observer marksman ( in the case of using the aircraft as a reconnaissance ) or 2 people ( in the version of a torpedo bomber ). The aircraft was armed with two 7.7 mm machine guns, one of which was motionless, forward, with a synchronizer, and the other in the gunner's turret. The aircraft could carry one 800-kg torpedo and 6 lighting bombs ( while the crew was reduced to 2 people, and the fuel supply - from 765 to 380 liters ). Typically, the aircraft carried two 100-kg bombs and several light bombs.

During mass production, the engine was replaced by Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr V-12 , with a capacity of 650 liters. from. In 1934, the improved modification “Type 89 Model 2 Deck Attack” ( or B2M2 ) was launched into production. Her wingspan was reduced and a new tail unit of a triangular shape was installed. The plane became faster, but in general its characteristics have not changed much.

In total, 206 aircraft of all modifications were produced.

Specifications

• Crew : 2-3 people
• Length : 10.27 m
• Height : 3.70 m
• Wingspan : 15.22 m
• Wing Area: 55.00 m²
• Empty weight: 2,260 kg
• Curb weight: 3 600 kg
• Engines: Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr V-12
• Power : 650 liters. from.

Flight performance

• Maximum speed : 213 km / h
• Practical ceiling : 4,500 m
• Range: 1,779 km

Armament

• Machine gun: 2 × 7.7 mm machine gun
• Bomb: 1 × 800-kg torpedo or up to 800 kg of bombs

• Tadeusz Januszewski, Krzysztof Zalewski. Japońskie samoloty marynarki 1912-1945 ISBN 83-86776-50-1

•   Wikimedia Commons has Mitsubishi B2M- related media files