The Nakajima A4N was a carrier-based fighter used by 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 ...

, and the last

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 ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, but, due to engine trouble, the aircraft did not see service until

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

. Given the Nakajima internal designation Nakajima YM, but the Japanese Navy designation was Navy Type 95 Carrier Fighter. A total of 221 were built. It saw combat in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

in the late 1930s.

Design and development

The A4N was a further development of and replacement for the Nakajima A2N, which was a private venture by Nakajima. The A4N was powered by the

Nakajima Hikari The Nakajima Hikari (Japanese: 光 "Light") was a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine developed in Japan for Navy use during World War II by the Nakajima Aircraft Company. It was a development of the Nakajima Kotobuki and Wright ...

1 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, coupled to a

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two blade metal propeller, and it was armed with 7.7 mm caliber Type 97 machine guns. The aircraft was flown by one pilot. In 1935, there was a combat trial of many aircraft, including the A4N, prototypes, and older aircraft, in which the A5M and Ki 10 prototype were considered the most maneuverable. The Nakajima A4N1 was succeeded by the

Mitsubishi A5M The Mitsubishi A5M, formal Japanese Navy designation , experimental Navy designation Mitsubishi Navy Experimental 9-''Shi'' Carrier Fighter, company designation Mitsubishi ''Ka''-14, was a WWII-era Japanese Aircraft carrier, carrier-based fighter ...

Type 96, a monoplane fighter.

Service

The A4N was one of the aircraft types involved in the ''Panay'' incident, in which Japanese forces sunk the USS ''Panay'' river gunboat. Three

Yokosuka B4Y The Yokosuka B4Y (Navy Type 96 Carrier Attack Bomber) was a Aircraft carrier, carrier-borne torpedo bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1936 to 1943. The B4Y replaced the Mitsubishi B2M, Mitsubishi B2M2 and the Yokosuka B3 ...

Type 96 bombers and nine Nakajima A4N Type 95 fighters attacked the boat. In addition to bombing the Panay, they also strafed the lifeboat evacuating wounded to shore. The USS Panay was evacuating nationals and foreigners, as Japanese aircraft were there in Shanghai because of the Sino-Japanese war, with the incident being resolved diplomatically. In the Second Sino-Japanese War, A4Ns were used to escort G3M medium bombers starting in August, after they proved vulnerable to the Chinese Air Force.

Specifications (A4N1)

References

Notes

Bibliography