The Nakajima Aircraft Company (中島飛行機株式会社, Nakajima Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha) was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation.
Contents
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 Nihon Hikoki (Nippon Aircraft). 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
A1N - Type 3 carrier fighter (三式艦上戦闘機) - 1927 carrier-borne fighter; licensed copy of the Gloster Gambet
A2N - Type 90 carrier fighter (九〇式艦上戦闘機) - 1930 carrier biplane fighter
A4N - Type 95 carrier fighter (九五式艦上戦闘機) - 1935 carrier-borne fighter
A6M2-N - Ni-shiki suisen (二式水戦, Type 2 float fighter) - 'Rufe' 1941 floatplane version of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero
J1N - Gekkō (月光, Moonlight) - 'Irving' 1941 Navy land-based night fighter
J5N - Tenrai (天雷, Heavenly/Divine Thunder) - 1944 Navy land-based single-seat twin-engine interceptor prototype
Kikka - Kikka (中島 橘花, Orange Blossom) - 1945 jet-engined interceptor prototype; Japan's first jet aircraft
A3N - Type 90 Two-seat training fighter (九〇式複座練習戦闘機) - 1936 two-seat trainer developed from the A2N
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 - Type 97 carrier attacker (九七式艦攻, Kyuushichi-shiki Kanko) - 'Kate' 1937 Navy torpedo bomber
B6N - Tenzan (天山, Heavenly Mountain) - 'Jill' 1941 Navy torpedo bomber
C2N - land-based reconnaissance aircraft based on the Nakajima Ki-6
Army aircraft
Ko 3 (甲3) - fighter-trainer, license-built Nieuport 24
Ko 4 (甲4) - biplane fighter, license-built Nieuport-Delage NiD 29
Type 91 fighter (九一式戦闘機) - 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 - Type 97 Fighter (九七式戦闘機) - late 1936 Army monoplane fighter
Ki-37 - 1937 fighter (project only)
Ki-43 - Type 1 Fighter (一式単座戦闘機) or Hayabusa (隼, Peregrine Falcon) - 'Oscar' 1939 Army fighter
Ki-44 - Type 2 Single-seat fighter (二式単座戦闘機) or Shōki (鍾馗, Devil-Queller) - '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 - Type 4 Fighter (四式戦闘機) or Hayate (疾風, Gale) - 'Frank' 1943 Army fighter
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 Asahi Shimbun
AT-1 - original design of AT-2
AT-2 - 1936 passenger transport
LB-2 - Akatsuki-gō (暁号, Dawn) - 1936 navy's bomber prototype turned airliner
N-19 - a Ki-19 prototype converted to a mail plane for the Dōmei Tsushin
Nakajima N-36 - 1928 transport prototype
Nakajima P-1 - 1933 mail plane; converted from E4N
Aircraft engines
Kotobuki (寿, Longevity); license-built Bristol Jupiter
Ha5
Hikari (光, Light), development of the Nakajima Kotobuki
Sakae (栄, Prosperity) - 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
Homare (誉, Honor), air-cooled twin-row 18 cylinder radial
Ha-49
Mamoru (護, Protect)
Ha-109
Ha219 (later known as the Ha-44)