Watanabe E9W

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=Watanabe E9W


caption=
type=Submarine-borne reconnaissance seaplane
national origin=Japan
manufacturer=Watabane Ironworks
designer=
first flight=1935
introduced=1938
retired=1942
status=
primary user=IJN Air Service
more users=
produced=
number built=35
variants with their own articles=The Watanabe E9W was a Japanese submarine-borne reconnaissance seaplane the first aircraft designed by Watanabe Ironworks.

Development and design

In January 1934, the Imperial Japanese Navy had a requirement for a two-seat reconnaissance seaplane to be operated from its J-3 class submarines, and placed an order with Watanabe for design and development of an aircraft to meet this requirement, the first of three prototypes flying in February 1935. Mikesh and Abe 1990, p.259.]

The E9W was a two-seat single-engined twin-float unequal-span seaplane designed to easily dismantled for hangar stowage on a submarine, capable of being re-assembled in two minutes 30 seconds and dis-assembled in one minute 30 seconds. It was armed with a 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine gun operated by the observer. Following successful testing of one of the prototypes on the submarine "I-5", an order for a production batch of 32 aircraft, designated E9W1, was placed. Green 1962, p.137.]

Operational history

The aircraft entered service in 1938 with the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service as the Navy Type 96 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane with the last being delivered in 1940. Although it was in the process of being replaced by the Yokosuka E14Y monoplane, it was still in front line service at the time of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, remaining in service until July 1942, being used to direct their parent submarines onto Chinese ships attempting to pass the Japanese blockade of the China Sea. The E9W1 was given the allied codename Slim in 1942.

Operators

;JPN
* Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

pecifications (E9W1)

aerospecs
ref= War Planes of The Second World War: Volume Six: Floatplanes Green 1962, p.138.]

met or eng?= met

crew=2 (pilot, observer)
capacity=
length m=8.00
length ft=26
length in=3
span m=9.91
span ft=32
span in=9½
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=3.71
height ft=12
height in=2
wing area sqm=23.51
wing area sqft=252.95
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=882
empty weight lb=1,940
gross weight kg=1,253
gross weight lb=2,756
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Hitachi Tempu II radial engine
eng1 kw= 224
eng1 hp= 300
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=232
max speed mph=144
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=148
cruise speed mph=92
range km=731
range miles=454
endurance h=4.9
endurance min=
ceiling m=6,740
ceiling ft=22,100
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=
climb rate ftmin=
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=1 x 7.7mm (0.303in) machine gun
armament2=
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6=

ee also

aircontent
see also=
related=
similar aircraft=*Yokosuka E14Y
sequence=
lists=
*List of seaplanes and flying boats

References

Notes

Bibliography

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