Aichi H9A
The Aichi H9A (Navy Type 2 Training Flying Boat) was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service flying boat used during the first years of World War II for crew training. An uncommon type, it was not encountered by Allied forces until spring 1945, and was never assigned an Allied reporting name. The H9A was a twin-engined, parasol-wing flying boat, designated by Aichi as their AM-212 design, and was designed in response to an Imperial Japanese Navy requirement for an advanced seaplane trainer for future crew members of the four-engined Kawanishi H8K "Emily" flying boat. Design work started in January 1940 and the first of three prototypes was flown in September 1940. The aircraft had a normal crew of five (pilot, co-pilot, observer, flight engineer and a radio-operator) but seating was provided for an additional three pupil crew members. It is noteworthy that the H9A was the only flying boat that went into production by a major nation that was designed specifically as a trainer. From May–June 1942, the Aichi H9A was employed in a variety of second-line roles, including anti-submarine missions along the Japanese coasts, transport, paratroop training and liaison. Thirty one total examples were built. (info from Wikipedia)
Aichi H9A
Type: Flying Boat
Operator: Japanese Navy
Crew: Normal crew of 5 (and up to 3 pupils)
Armament: two wing mounted 20mm cannon
two 7.7mm Type 92 machine guns (in bow and dorsal hatches)
one 551 lbs of bombs
Reference: Francillon: 282
Specifications:
Length: 55' 7.3" (16.95 m)
Height: 17' 2.75" (5.25 m)
Wingspan: 78' 9" (24 m)
Wing area: 681.353 sq. ft (63.3 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 10803 lbs (4900 kg)
Loaded Weight: 15432 lbs (7000 kg)
Max Weight: 16535 lbs (7500 kg)
Propulsion:
No. of Engines: 2
Powerplant: Nakajima Ha-1 Kotobuki 42 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
Horsepower: 710 hp each
Performance:
Range: 1160 nautical miles (1335 st miles) or 2150 km
Cruise Speed: 138 mph (120 kt, 222 km/h) at 3280 ft (1000 m)
Max Speed: 197 mph (171 kt, 317 km/h) at 9845 ft (3000 m)
Climb to/in: 9845 ft (3000 m) in 11 min 14 sec
Ceiling: 22245 ft (6780 m)
Production: 31 H9A1s total
Additional information from
the Military Aircraft Database on this aircraft
HERE.
For a very nice scale color drawing of this aircraft, see
here.
Additional color schemes for this aircraft can be found here.
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