B2M file photo [13883]

B2M

CountryJapan
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Primary RoleTorpedo Bomber
Maiden Flight28 December 1929

Contributor:

ww2dbaseIn 1927, Mitsubishi commissioned the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn to develop a new carrier-borne torpedo bomber design, meant to be used to enter a Japanese Navy competition for a new generation of such aircraft. Blackburn developed the T.7B design for Mitsubishi based on the existing Ripon design (which was being developed for the British Fleet Air Arm), which won the competition. The prototype aircraft took flight on 28 Dec 1929 at Blackburn's factory at Brough, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, and that aircraft was shipped to Japan in Feb 1930. Subsequently designated B2M, Mitsubishi built three additional prototypes with small modifications before the Japanese Navy officially accepted the design; the final production design was designated B2M1 by Mitsubishi and Navy Type 89-1 Model 1 Carrier Attack Plane by the Japanese Navy. B2M1 entered service in Mar 1932 aboard carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Hosho. The B2M2 variant design arrived subsequently (Navy Type 89-2 Carrier Attack Plane), which enjoyed a slight performance gain from reduced wingspan and modified tails. They remained in service through the 1930s and saw action during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, which began in 1937, as light bombers.

ww2dbaseDuring the design's production life, 206 B2M1 and B2M2 aircraft were built.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Oct 2010

SPECIFICATIONS

B2M1
MachineryOne Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr V-12 engine rated at 650hp
Armament1x7.7mm forward machine gun, 1x7.7mm rear flexible machine gun, 1x800kg torpedo or 800kg of bombs
Crew3
Span15.22 m
Length10.27 m
Height3.71 m
Wing Area55.00 m²
Weight, Empty2,260 kg
Weight, Loaded3,600 kg
Speed, Maximum213 km/h
Service Ceiling4,500 m
Range, Normal1,779 km

Photographs

Carrier Akagi off Osaka, Japan with B1M and B2M aircraft on board, 15 Oct 1934B2M biplane torpedo bomber at rest, circa 1930sB2M, A2N, and Ki-4 aircraft operating aboard carrier Kaga, 11 May 1937B2M (left) and another aircraft at rest before the main building of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan, 17 Jan 1940; seen in the publication




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Bojan Djekic says:
20 Jan 2016 08:53:06 AM

My dilemma is about Mitsubishi B2M2 Type89-2 Carrier Attack Aircraft...particularly about operational usage.
More I read about B2M2 I am less convince that was used in 2nd Sino-Japanese War!? I been able to find just a few short texts about B2M and much less about B2M2 Type89-2 particularly! Everywhere says then B2M saw great deal of action in war, but I have impression that it refers only on B2M1 Tupe89-1, not B2M2 Type 89-2!?
So, you understand my dilema-WAS B2M2 USED OR NOT IN 2nd SINO-JAPANESE WAR? And if it was used can anybody tell me in which extend?
2. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
22 May 2016 10:18:40 PM

The B2M2 was an improvement over the B2M1
operated by the Imperial Navy. B2M's were operated in both high and low-level bombing in China and at the start of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War 1937...
3. Bobby says:
23 Oct 2020 11:28:58 PM

It's generally agreed upon that 12 B2Ms were launched from Kaga in the early morning of 15 August 1937 to attack Chinese Air Force assets primarily at the target of Jianqiao Airbase, but were intercepted by Colonel Gao Zhihang's 4th Pursuit Group, claiming "17 Type 89s shot down, when in reality, 11 of the 12 B2M/Type 89s were shot down, which was the worst battle outcome for fleet carrier Kaga until another semi-debacle on 13 April 1938, when John Huang Xinrui a.k.a. John "Buffalo" Wong and his 5th PG scored about 1/2 dozen of Kaga planes including at least one A5M... the next "disaster" for Kaga was Pearl Harbor; suffering 15 of the 29 aircraft lost that day, 07 December 1941.

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
B2M Torpedo Bomber Photo Gallery
Carrier Akagi off Osaka, Japan with B1M and B2M aircraft on board, 15 Oct 1934
See all 4 photographs of B2M Torpedo Bomber


Famous WW2 Quote
"All that silly talk about the advance of science and such leaves me cold. Give me peace and a retarded science."

Thomas Dodd, late 1945


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!