NAVY TYPE 90-1 RECONNAISSANCE SEAPLANE E3A1

The Aichi E3A was a Japanese reconnaissance seaplane in the biplane arrangement with a fixed float undercarriage from the interwar period. The drive in the basic version was provided by a single Hitachi Tempu engine with a capacity of 300 HP. A prototype flight took place in 1929, and serial production began shortly thereafter. About 10 examples of this plane were built in its course. The deck armament consisted of two 7.7 mm machine guns. The plane could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 60 kilograms. The E3A is a development of the Heinkel HD-56 aircraft, which was designed in Germany by order of the Japanese Navy and the rights to which were transferred to the Aichi factory. The E3A, compared to its predecessor, differed in dimensions and the use of a different power unit. The machine underwent its first naval tests in 1931 and entered the line a year later. Aircraft of this type were embarked primarily on Sendai-class cruisers (eg Jintsu or Naka) on which they served in the initial period of the Japanese-Chinese war of 1937-1945.