AB 2

The Aichi AB-2 was a Japanese prototype biplane reconnaissance seaplane from the interwar period. The prototype flight took place in 1930, but the machine did not enter serial production. The drive was provided by a single Aichi AC-1 engine with 330 HP. The length of the aircraft was 8.24 meters with a wingspan of 11 meters. The deck armament consisted of two 7.7 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 60 kilograms. The maximum speed was up to 180 km / h. The Aichi AB-2 was developed for the needs of the Japanese Navy, which in the late 1920s sought to obtain a reconnaissance seaplane to replace the Nakajima E2N machines in the line. It was assumed that the new plane would operate from catapults of heavy Japanese ships, such as battleships and cruisers. The main designer of the new aircraft was Tetsuo Miki, who created a relatively small plane in the classic biplane layout with a mixed structure. Ultimately, however, The Aichi AB-2 turned out to be a failed machine, and its main problem was a highly malfunctioning engine. Only two prototypes of this aircraft were built.