Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>Kate>HA2009

General Background

When Japan entered WWII the B5N Kate was the standard torpedo bomber and sank more Allied ships than any other type of Japanese aircraft. B5N2's played the main role in sinking the carrier Lexington at Coral Sea,Yorktown at Midway and Hornet at the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942. There were 1,150 B5N1 and B5N2 Torpedo Bombers produced but by 1944 the Kate had been replaced by the B6N "Jill". The Kate ended its service being used for Kamikaze attacks leaving no surviving examples.

The Aircraft

This Kate belonged to the 1st Koku Kantai (Daiichi Air Fleet), 4th Koku Sentai (Naval Carrier Division) assigned to the carrier Ryujo. The Ryujo (Prancing Dragon) was launched in April 1933 and commissioned in May 1933. It didn't have a superstructure and since it was a flush-decked carrier all of the normal equipment and duties were housed and operated from the front lip under the flight deck. On August 24, 1942 during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons the Ryujo was struck by three 1,000 pound bombs and a torpedo eventually sending it to the bottom.

Specifications :

B5N1 and B5N2:
Dimensions
Length:	33ft 10in (10.30 m)
Wingspan:	50ft 11in (15.52m)
Height:	12ft 2in (3.70m)
Weight:
B5N1:
Empty weight:	4,643 lb (2,106 kg)
Loaded:	8,157 lb (3,700 kg)
B5N2:
Empty weight:	5,024 lb (2,279 kg)
Loaded:	8,378 lb (3,800 kg)
Engine:
B5N1:	Nakajima Hikari 3, 770 hp, 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial
B5N2:	Nakajima NK 1B Sakae 11, 1,000 hp, 14-cylinder, air-cooled radial
Performance:
B5N1:
Maximum Speed:	229 mph @ 6,560 ft (2,000 m)
Service Ceiling:	24,280 ft (7,400 m)
Normal Range:	679 miles (1,092 km)
Maximum Range:	1,404 miles (2,259 km)
B5N2:
Maximum Speed:	235 mph @ 11,810 ft (3,600 m)
Service Ceiling:	27,100 ft (8,260 m)
Normal Range:	608 miles (978 km)
Maximum Range:	1,237 miles (1,990 km)
Armament
B5N1 and B5N2:	1 x flexible rear-firing 7.7 mm Type 92 machine gun
	Bombs – 1,764 lb (800 kg)
	Or 1 x 1,764 lb (800 kg) torpedo