Kawanishi E7K
| Kawanishi E7K | |
|---|---|
 A Kawanishi E7K2 in flight |
|
| Type: | Reconnaissance plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 6, 1933 |
| Commissioning: |
1935 |
| Number of pieces: |
533 |
The Kawanishi E7k (Allied code name "Alf") was a for reconnaissance purposes constructed seaplane of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II . The Imperial Navy led the aircraft as a Marine Type 94 sea reconnaissance aircraft ( Japanese 九四 式 水上 偵察機) .
history
In 1932, the Imperial Japanese Navy put out an order for the development of a new, ship-based seaplane for reconnaissance purposes. Kawanishi developed the E7K1, equipped with a Type 91 W engine with 441 kW (600 hp). The Navy tried the model from February 1933 and decided to order the E7K1 . From 1935 the aircraft type was introduced to the armed forces. From 1938 onwards, the engines produced by the Hiro company were replaced in a new batch with the designation E7K2 by radial engines from Mitsubishi with 649 kW (870 hp) due to lack of reliability . The revised type was introduced as the Marine Type 94 Sea Reconnaissance Model 2 .
In the Pacific War , the E7K was not up to the service at the front and was only used in rear units from 1943.
Technical data E7K1
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 3 (pilot / radio operator / observer) |
| length | 10.50 m |
| span | 14 m |
| height | 4.73 m |
| Wing area | 43.6 m² |
| Empty mass | 1970 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 3000 kg |
| Engine | a Hiro 12-cylinder W engine with 600 HP (441 kW) at 2100 rpm |
| propeller | a four-blade propeller (wood) |
| Top speed | 259 km / h at an altitude of 2000 m |
| Summit height | 6520 m |
| Armament | a forward-firing, fixed-mount 7.7 mm machine gun ; a backward-firing, poseable 7.7 mm twin machine gun, 2 × 60 kg bombs or 4 × 30 kg bombs |
Evidence and references
literature
- Rene J. Francillon Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War US Naval Institute Press, 1987, ISBN 0-87021-313-X
- William Green Floatplanes: War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Six Doubleday and Company, 1963
Web links
- Private website for the E7K (Japanese)