The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation.

History

The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufacturer, and was founded in 1918 by Chikuhei Nakajima, a naval engineer, and Seibei Kawanishi, a textile manufacturer, as . In 1919, the two founders split and Nakajima bought out Nihon Aircraft's factory with tacit help from the Imperial Japanese Army. The company was renamed Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1919.

The company's manufacturing facilities were: Tokyo plant Musashino plant Donryu plant Ota plant, near Ōta Station. Visited by Emperor Shōwa on November 16, 1934. Critically damaged by American bombardment on February 10, 1945. Currently a Subaru Corporation plant for kei trucks. Koizumi plant, near Nishi-Koizumi Station. Critically damaged by American bombardment on April 3, 1945. Currently a Sanyo plant.

After World War II After Japan's defeat in World War II, the company was forced to close, as the production and research of aircraft was prohibited by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. This had a severe impact on Nakajima as one of the two largest aircraft manufacturers in Japan; the second was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Unlike MHI, Nakajima did not diversify into shipbuilding and general machinery, and so was forced to dissolve into a number of spin-off companies set up by its former managers, engineers, and workers. As a result, leading aeronautical engineers from the company, such as Ryoichi Nakagawa, helped transform Japan's automobile industry.

The company was reborn in 1953 as Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Fuji Rabbit scooters and Subaru automobiles, and as Fuji Precision Industries (later renamed Prince Motor Company, which merged with Nissan in August 1966), manufacturer of Prince Skyline and Prince Gloria automobiles. Fuji began aircraft production in the mid-1950s and produced military training aircraft and helicopters for the Japan Self-Defense Forces. In 2017, it rebranded as Subaru Corporation.

Products Naval aircraft

Fighter A1N - - 1927 carrier-borne fighter; licensed copy of the Gloster Gambet A2N - - 1930 carrier biplane fighter A4N - - 1935 carrier-borne fighter A6M2-N - - 'Rufe' 1941 floatplane version of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero J1N - - 'Irving' 1941 Navy land-based night fighter J5N - - 1944 Navy land-based single-seat twin-engine interceptor prototype Kikka - - 1945 jet-engined interceptor prototype; Japan's first jet aircraft

Trainer A3N - - 1936 two-seat trainer developed from the A2N

Torpedo bomber B3N - 1933 Navy torpedo bomber prototype, lost contract to the Yokosuka B3Y B4N - 1936 Navy torpedo bomber prototype, lost contract to the Yokosuka B4Y B5N - - 'Kate' 1937 Navy torpedo bomber B6N - - 'Jill' 1941 Navy torpedo bomber

Scout and reconnaissance aircraft C2N - land-based reconnaissance aircraft based on the Nakajima Ki-6 C3N - - 1936 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft C6N - - 'Myrt' 1943 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft E2N - - 1927 reconnaissance aircraft E4N - 1930 reconnaissance aircraft E8N - - 'Dave' 1935 reconnaissance seaplane E12N - 1938 reconnaissance seaplane prototype, lost to the Kawanishi E12K

Dive bomber D2N D3N - 1936 carrier-based dive bomber prototype based on the C3N and B5N, lost to the Aichi D3A

Heavy bomber G5N - - 'Liz' 1941 heavy four-engine long-range heavy bomber prototype for Project Z G8N - - 'Rita' 1945 heavy four-engine long-range heavy bomber Fugaku - - 1945 projected six-engine long-range bomber for Project Z; the G10N designation is a postwar extrapolation and was not officially used

Transport L1N - naval version of Ki-34 L2D - -1939 Navy transport aircraft; licensed copy of Douglas DC-3

Army aircraft

Fighter - fighter-trainer, license-built Nieuport 24 - biplane fighter, license-built Nieuport-Delage NiD 29 - 1931 parasol monoplane fighter Ki-8 - 1934 fighter prototype Ki-11 - 1934 fighter prototype, lost to the Kawasaki Ki-10 Ki-12 - 1936 fighter prototype, lost to the Mitsubishi Ki-18 Ki-27 - - late 1936 Army monoplane fighter Ki-37 - 1937 fighter (project only) Ki-43 - or - 'Oscar' 1939 Army fighter Ki-44 - or - 'Tojo' 1940 Army fighter Ki-53 - multi-seat heavy fighter (project only) Ki-58 - escort fighter prototype based on the Ki-49 Ki-62 - 1941 prototype fighter, competed with Kawasaki Ki-61 design Ki-63 - version of Ki-62 powered by a radial engine Ki-75 - heavy fighter (project only) Ki-84 - or - 'Frank' 1943 Army fighter Ki-87 - 1945 high-altitude fighter-interceptor prototype Ki-101 - twin-engine night fighter based on the J1N (project only) Ki-113 - Ki-84 with some steel parts (project only) Ki-116 - 1945 single-seat fighter prototype Ki-117 - production designation of the Ki-84N Ki-118 - short-range fighter modified from the Mitsubishi A7M (project only) Ki-201 - - prototype 1945 Army jet fighter/attack aircraft with strong resemblance to the German Messerschmitt Me 262 (project only) Ki-337 - two-seat fighter (project only)

Bomber B-6 - license-built Bréguet 14B.2 Ki-13 - attack aircraft (project only) Ki-19 - 1937 Army twin-engine heavy bomber (prototypes only), lost to the Mitsubishi Ki-21 Ki-31 - two-seat light bomber (project only) Ki-49 - or - 'Helen' 1941 Army heavy bomber Ki-52 - dive bomber, army version of D3N (project only) Ki-68 - army bomber version of G5N (project only) Ki-82 - high-speed heavy bomber (project only)

Reconnaissance Ki-4 - - 1933 reconnaissance biplane

Transport Ki-6 - - 1930 transport, training aircraft; licensed copy of the Fokker Super Universal Ki-16 - cargo transport/ground refueling aircraft based on the Douglas DC-2 (project only) Ki-34 - - 'Thora' 1937 Army transport aircraft version of AT-2 Ki-41 - cargo transport (project only) Ki-50 - aerial refueling/fuel tanker version of the Ki-49 Ki-80 - formation commander version of the Ki-49

Trainer - trainer, license-built version of the Nieuport 83 trainer

Kamikaze aircraft Ki-115 - - 1945 kamikaze aircraft; in IJN service, it was called Ki-230 - projected kamikaze aircraft

Jet prototypes - 1945 Navy experimental land-based ground attack/ASW jet influenced by the Messerschmitt Me 262, two prototypes built; first Japanese jet aircraft

Civil aircraft Nakajima-Douglas DC-2 - license-built Douglas DC-2 Super Universal - 1930 airliner; license-built Fokker Super Universal AN-1 - a Ki-11 prototype converted to a liaison/courier aircraft for the AT-1 - original design of AT-2 AT-2 - 1936 passenger transport LB-2 - - 1936 navy's bomber prototype turned airliner N-19 - a Ki-19 prototype converted to a mail plane for the Nakajima N-36 - 1928 transport prototype Nakajima P-1 - 1933 mail plane; converted from E4N

Aircraft engines ; license-built Bristol Jupiter Ha5 , development of the Nakajima Kotobuki - powered both the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, and its own Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar fighters. Known as Type 99 in Army service and NK1 in Navy service , air-cooled twin-row 18 cylinder radial Ha-49

Ha-109 Ha219 (later known as the Ha-44)

See also List of aircraft manufacturers Subaru

References Citations

Bibliography

Francillon, René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London, Putnam & Company, 1970,1979. .

External links

The Nakajima Aircraft Story