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Nakajima E8N "Dave"

Type: Reconnaissance Floatplane
Origin: Nakajima Hikoki K.K.
Crew: Two (in open cockpits)
Structure: All metal with fabric covering
Allied Code Name: Dave
Models: E8N1 and E8N2
First Flight: March 1934
Service Delivery: October 1935
Final Delivery: 1940
Production: 755 (Nakajima: 707, Kawanishi: 48)

Powerplant:
E8N1:
Model: Nakajima Kotobuki 2 KAI 1
Type: 9-Cylinder air cooled radial
Number: One
Horsepower:
– Take-Off Power: 580 hp
– At 9,845 ft. (3,000m): 460 hp
Propeller: Two-blade propeller

E8N2:
Model: Nakajima Kotobuki 2 KAI 2
Type: 9-Cylinder air cooled radial
Number: One
Horsepower:
– Take-Off Power: 630 hp
– At 9,845 ft. (3,000m): 460 hp
Propeller: Two-blade propeller

Dimensions:
Wing Span: 36 ft. 0¼ in. (10.98m)
Length: 28 ft. 10¾ in. (8.81m)
Height: 12 ft. 7¼ in. (3.84m)
Wing Area: 285.25 sq. ft. (26.50m²)

Weights:
Empty: 2,910 lb (1320 kg)
Loaded: 4,189 lb (1900 kg)
Wing Loading: 14.7 lb/ft² (71.7 kg/m²)
Power Loading: 6.6 lb/hp (3 kg/hp)

Performance:
Maximum Speed:
– at 9,845 ft (3000m): 186 mph (200 kph)
Cruising Speed: 115 mph
Climb to 9,845 ft. (3,000m): 6 minutes 31 seconds
Service Ceiling: 23,860 ft. (7270m)
Range: 559 miles (900 km)

Armament:
One 7.7mm machine gun firing forward.
One 7.7mm machine gun firing to the rear.

Payload:
Two 66 lb. (30 kg) of bombs carried externally.

Comments: The E8N was developed from the Nakajima E4N and served with the Imperial navy at the beginning of WWII. It's extreme vulnerability led it being quickly relegated to secondary duties.

Sources:
The Complete Encyclodepia of World Aircraft, 1997, Barnes & Nobles Books, ISBN: 0 7607 0592 5
Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, René J. Francillon, 1970, Naval Institue Press, ISBN: O-87021-313-X