- Japanese Shipboard
Fighter A5M2
- by Nikolai
Kruglov
- Samolety Mira
(Airplanes of the World) No. 1-2 January-February 1997
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- Prior to the
start of the Great Patriotic War, several examples of foreign aviation
technology ended up in the Soviet Union.
Aircraft were purchased from the USA, Germany and France. Trophy machines were acquired in Spain, Mongolia, The Baltic
region and China. Among the
various flyable aircraft was a single shipboard fighter A5M2 (Type 96),
produced by the Japanese firm Mitsubishi.
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- The prototype
of the fighter with an inverted gull wing, designated Ka-14 completed its
first flight on 4 February 1935, flown by the pilot Kagamigahara. The second prototype was built without a bent wing.
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- In 1936 the
aircraft began series production under the designation A5M1 with the motor
“Kotobuki-2" KAI-2 with 585 horsepower.
By the start of the following year the first machines had already
appeared in service.
- Modernization
of the fighter proceeded on the basis mounting a more powerful motor.
In 1937 there appeared the modified A5M2a and A5Mb, at first with the
“Kotobuki-2" KAI-3, and then with the “Kotobuki-3", with 610
and 640 horsepower respectively. Production
of the most numerous variant - the A5M4 began in 1938, and on the base of
this aircraft was developed the trainer A5M4-K.
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- Our aviators
first encountered the A5M2 at the time of the conflict at the Khalkin Gol
River. According to official
sources, at the start of the attack the Japanese had there 25
I-96 and I-97 (Soviet designation) fighters. This, to all appearances was the first instance of using
shipboard fighters in an army theater of operations.
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- Soviet fighter
pilots taking part in these operations noted the high maneuverability of the
Japanese. Thus, for example,
hero of the Soviet Union G. N. Zakharov
wrote “the machine is very light, maneuverable, and in the hands of a good
pilot presents itself as a very serious opponent.”hero of the Soviet Union
B. A. Smirnov
had almost the identical opinion, commenting that “the Japanese aircraft
I-96 has a light weight and possesses good vertical and horizontal
maneuverability..”
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- In 1939 one of
these machines turned up in the USSR. Despite
the fact that the USSR had no aircraft carriers (they remained projects),
and the A5M2 appeared obsolescent, it was thoroughly studied and tested by
the test pilots of the NII VVS (Scientific Research Institute of the Air
Forces).
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- The Japanese
did not attempt to show off their military technology, and our specialists,
evidently from the external similarity of the A5M2 and Ki-27, at first
concluded that the same firm, Nakajima was credited in soviet indices with
the fighter Type I-96.
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- Engineer M. I.
Tarakanovskii and pilot A. G. Kubyshkin directed the flight tests. Among the pilots flying was P. M. Stefanovskii.
Performance figures obtained in the course of testing seemed somewhat
lessened because the motor collected from three crash sites, did not produce
the necessary power. In part, the maximum speed appeared lowered by 2-30 Km/h.
In the general opinion of the test pilots, the I-96 was
extraordinarily simple to control and was suitable for pilots of average
ability, which could not be said about the I-16.
The good maneuverability of the I-96 (turning time - 15 seconds) was
the result of low wing loading; 96.4 kg/m2 against 108 kg/m2
for the I-16 Type 5.
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- The
construction of the I-96 was all metal, low winged, with a Kotobuki-3 motor
with a flying and nominal
horsepower of 610 and 540 depending on the propellor blades set for ground
taxiing. The motor was enclosed in an NACA cowling.
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- The wing was of
a caisson type, consisting of
central section and two outer panels. The
relatively thick profile was 16.5%. The
ailerons were of he “Fraiz” type, with landing tabs.
At the tip of the centroplan was the oil reservoir with a capacity of
36.5 liters.
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- The fuselage
was semi-monocoque with an open pilot’s cabin, in front of which was
located a plexiglass windscreen. Under
the fuselage were attachment points for a supplementary fuel tank.
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- The tail unit
consists of a horizontal tail unit and stabilizer and elevators. On the right elevator was a trimmer. The elevators were covered with linen and had weight
balances.
- The vertical
empennage consisted of a fin integrally constructed with the fuselage and a
rudder of the came sort of construction as the elevators, but without the
trimmer and weight balances.
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- The controls
for the ailerons were rigid levers, the rudders and trimmers cable, and the
landing flaps hydraulic. For
the protection of the pilot in the event of a nose-over, in the rear of the
cockpit was a device which extended from the fuselage when the landing flaps
were lowered.
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- The landing
gear was non-retractable, with wheel size of 650x125 mm. Enclosed in
fairings. Shock absorbers at
the base of the struts used air and oil.
The gear struts were self-steerable without pneumatics.
In the event of forced landing in the water, the fuselage had an
inflatable rubber bladder which guaranteed the aircraft’s ability to
float.
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- Armament
consisted of two synchronized Vickers 7.7mm with an ammunition reserve of
800 rounds. And a bomb which
could be carried under the wing. The
gunsight was an optical Curtin type.
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- In addition to
the standard flight navigation equipment, the aircraft had lighting
equipment for night flying and oxygen apparatus with a reserve capacity of
3.6 liters.
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- One may note
several aspects of the aerodynamic theory of the aircraft....As is known,
the parameter determining the maneuverability of aircraft in the horizontal
plane is the wing loading. The
greater it is, the greater the turning radius.
And on the I-96 it was lower than on the I-16.
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- The value of
the specific weight and engine power influences
vertical maneuverability. The
greater it is, the less the vertical speed, and consequently the less the
gain of speed through combat maneuvering.
And in this respect the I-96 was worse than the I-16.
From analysis of the information above, it is possible to give
estimates of both monoplanes.
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- To acquaint the
readers in detail with the A5M2 fighter, this discovered large collection of
photographs are published for the first time.
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- Basic
characteristics of fighters
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