The
Nakajima B5N (B5N,
Allied reporting name "
Kate") was the standard
carrier-based torpedo bomber of the
Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) for much of
World War II.
Although the B5N was substantially faster and more capable than its Allied counterparts, the American
Douglas TBD Devastator monoplane (the U.S. Navy's
first all-metal, carrier-borne monoplane of any type with retracting gear), and the British
Fairey Swordfish and
Fairey Albacore torpedo biplanes, it was nearing obsolescence by 1941. Nevertheless, the B5N operated throughout the whole war, due to the delayed development of its successor, the
B6N. In the early part of the
Pacific War, flown by well-trained IJN aircrews and as part of well-coordinated attacks, the B5N achieved particular successes at the battles of
Pearl Harbor,
Coral Sea,
Midway, and
Santa Cruz Islands.
Primarily a carrier-based aircraft, it was also occasionally used as a land-based
bomber. The B5N carried a crew of three: pilot, navigator/
bombardier/observer, and radio operator/gunner