Mitsubishi F1M2 Type 0 ("Pete")

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Click HERE to see color drawings of the Pete

Click HERE to see a very nice painting of this aircraft by Shigeo Koike

The Mitsubishi F1M saw duty as a seaplane carrier-based reconnaissance plane throughout World War II and was in fact the reconnaissance plane most widely used by the Imperial Navy. Although it was not modern in design, this small seaplane remained in production well into the war years. The F1M, known as "Pete" in the Allied code, had a long and highly active career and performed well in a variety of roles for which it was not designed, including coastal patrol, convoy escort, dive-bomber, and even interceptor. The Mitsubishi F1M project was begun late in 1934 at the request of the Japanese Navy, and saw the first prototype complete its initial tests in June of 1936. The F1M2 gradually equipped most of the larger units of the Japanese Navy - eight battleships, nine cruisers, and six seaplane-support ships - and was also used at a host of small bases scattered throughout the islands of the Pacific. The plane proved to be structurally tough, easy to maintain, and highly versatile. Although the Pete was rather lightly armed, it was also used successfully to provide air cover for amphibious operations.

Mitsubishi F1M2 Type 0

Type:           Observation Seaplane
Service: 	Japanese Navy Air Force (JNAF)
Crew:           Pilot and gunner
Armament:       one rear-firing 7.7mm Type 92 machine gun
		two forward-firing 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns
 		two 132 lb (600 kg) bombs
Reference: 	Francillon: 362, Mondey: 198

Specifications:
        Length:         31' 2" (9.5 m)
        Height:         13' 1.5" (4 m)
        Wingspan:       36' 1" (11 m)
        Wing area:      317.965 sq. ft (29.54 sq. m)
        Empty Weight:   4251 lbs (1928 kg)
        Max Weight:     5622 lbs (2550 kg)

Propulsion:
        No. of Engines: 1
        Powerplant:     Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 14-cylinder radial
        Horsepower:     875 hp

Performance:
        Range (max): 	400 naut miles (460 st miles)
        Cruise Speed:   n/a
        Max Speed:      230 mph (200 kt/hour) at 11,285 ft (3440 m)
        Climb to/in:    16405 ft (5000 m) in 9 min 36 sec
        Ceiling:        30,970 ft (9440 m)

Production:		approximately 1118 F1Ms total 

Additional information on this aircraft can be found at Wikipedia HERE.

For a very nice scale color drawing of this aircraft, see here.

Additional color schemes for this aircraft can be found here.

(go to Mitsubishi page)

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