HSG09593 Nakajima B5N2 Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber )Kate' Mod

The Nakajima B5N (Japanese: 中島 B5N, Allied reporting name: Kate) was the Imperial Japanese Navy's standard torpedo bomber for the first years of World War II. Although, like its Allied counterparts the TBD Devastator and Fairey Swordfish, the type was obsolescent by 1939, B5Ns were flown nearly throughout the whole war. Although primarily used as a carrier-based aircraft, it was also used as a land-based bomber on occasions.

The B5N was designed by a team led by Katsuji Nakamura in response to a 1935 specification by the Navy for a torpedo bomber to replace the Yokosuka B4Y. Internally designated Type K by Nakajima, it successfully competed with the Mitsubishi B5M for a production contract. The first prototype flew in January 1937 and was ordered into production soon afterwards with the full designation Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber.