The Nakajima A1N, or Navy Type 3 Carrier Fighter, was a Japanese carrier-based fighter of the late-1920s and early-1930s. It was a licensed copy of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Gloster Gambet fighter, built by the

Nakajima Aircraft Company The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation, Subaru. History The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first ...

for the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

. Approximately 150 were built in two versions, the A1N1 and A1N2.

Development

By 1926, the

's Mitsubishi 1MF fighters (also known as Type 10 Carrier Fighters) were in need of replacement, and so three of the leading Japanese aircraft manufacturers, Nakajima,

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...

, and

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

were asked for proposals for a new carrier-based fighter. Nakajima purchased a licence from the British

Gloster Aircraft Company The Gloster Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1917 to 1963. Founded as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company Limited during the First World War, with the aircraft construction activities of H.H. Martyn & Co. of Chelte ...

for production of the Gloster Gambet. It was a private venture design for a carrier-based derivative of their earlier Gloster Gamecock fighter. The

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

Gambet was built by Gloster and first flew on 12 December 1927. The prototype Gambet was shipped to Japan early in 1928. After modifications were made and it was fitted with a Nakajima-built

Bristol Jupiter The Bristol Jupiter is a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine that was built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developme ...

engine, the Gambet was evaluated by the Japanese navy against competitors from Aichi and Mitsubishi. It proved to be more manoeuvrable while still being a stable gun platform and was selected in April 1929 for production as the Navy Type 3 Carrier Fighter, with the short designation A1N1. 50 A1N1s were built. The A1N2 used the 336 kW (450 hp)

Nakajima Kotobuki The Nakajima Ha1 Kotobuki (寿, "Longevity") was an aero-engine developed by Nakajima. It was a radial piston developed under licence from the Bristol Jupiter. Design and development In 1917, Chikuhei Nakajima set up the "Airplane Institute" a ...

2 engine and was introduced in 1930. Production of approximately 100 was completed by 1932.

Design

The Gambet was a single-seat, single-bay

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

, of all-wooden construction and powered by an air-cooled

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

. While similar to the Gamecock, it was fitted with longer-span wings, internal flotation bags, and arrestor hooks for carrier operations.

Operational history

The A1N1 entered service in 1929, replacing the Mitsubishi 1-MF. It served on the carriers , , , and . The improved A1N2 entered service in 1930, with production continuing until 1932. The A1N flew from the carriers ''Hōshō'' and ''Kaga'' during the Shanghai Incident in 1932 between Japan and China. A1Ns from ''Kaga'' scored the Imperial Japanese Navy's first air-to-air combat victory on 22 February 1932 when they shot down a

Boeing P-12 The Boeing P-12 or Boeing F4B is an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps, United States Marine Corps, and United States Navy. It was the chief fighter aircraft in American service during the early 193 ...

(specifically a Model 218, Prototype of the P-12E/F4B-3 variant, after evaluation sold to the Chinese Air Force) flown by the American volunteer pilot Robert Short. A 15-aircraft formation composed of

Mitsubishi B1M The Mitsubishi B1M was a Japanese torpedo bomber of the 1920s, also known as the Navy Type 13 Carrier-Borne Attack Aircraft. It was designed and built by Mitsubishi and used in combat against China. The aircraft was used by the air services of t ...

s with A1N escorts attacked Qiaosi Airbase in Hangzhou on 26 February 1932, engaging Chinese fighters in a dogfight, shooting down at least one

Junkers K 47 The Junkers K 47 was a two-seater fighter aircraft developed in Sweden by the Swedish subsidiary of the German firm Junkers during the late 1920s, a civil development of which was designated the A 48. Design and development Designed to meet a r ...

. A1Ns continued in service until 1935, being replaced in service by the

Nakajima A2N The Nakajima A2N or Navy Type 90 Carrier Fighter was a Japanese carrier-borne fighter of the 1930s. It was a single-engined biplane of mixed construction with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Design and development The A2N was originally de ...

or Navy Type 90 Carrier Fighter.

Variants

;Gloster Gambet :Prototype carrier-based fighter designed and built by Gloster Aircraft Company in the United Kingdom. Powered by one 313 kW (420 hp) Bristol Jupiter VI radial engine, one built. ;Nakajima A1N1 :Initial licensed production version. Powered by Nakajima built Jupiter VI engine, 50 built between 1928 and 1930. ;Nakajima A1N2 :Improved production version, powered by 336 kW (450 hp)

2 engine. Approximately 100 built between 1930 and 1932.

Operators

; *

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The (IJNAS) was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired its first aircraft in ...

Specifications (A1N2)

Gloster_Gambet_3_view_NACA_Aircraft_Circular_No

References

External links

A1N profiles
{{Japanese Navy short aircraft designations A01N 1920s Japanese fighter aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Carrier-based aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1927