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NAKAJIMA B6N "Jill"
The Mitsubishi B5M was an Imperial Japanese Navy land-based attack aircraft with an Allied reporting name of "Mabel" (also known as "Kate 61"). It was designed in response to a 1935 specification for a new bomber for use on the IJN aircraft carriers. The machine was to have a crew of three, folding wings for flight deck storage, a speed of not less than 322 km/h (200 mph), a flight endurance of not less than seven hours, and the ability to carry at least 800 kg (1,760 lb) of bombs - a tall order for a single-engine aircraft of the mid-1930s. It was intended as a backup for the Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bomber. Although designed as a carrier based aircraft, it was relegated to land-based torpedo bomber duties in World War II.
Sources:
The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft
, 1997, Barnes & Nobles Books, ISBN: 0 7607 0592 5
WARBIRDS RESOURCE GROUP > IJARC > BOMBERS > PREVIOUS PAGE
