Mitsubishi 1MF10

1MF10
Mitsubishi 1MF10
Role Fighter aircraft
National origin Japan
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Kokuki KK
Designer Jiro Horikoshi
First flight March 1933
Status Prototype
Number built 2

The Mitsubishi 1MF10 or Mitsubishi experimental 7-Shi carrier fighter (七試艦上戦闘機) was a prototype Japanese monoplane single-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Two were built for the Imperial Japanese Navy, but both were lost in crashes, with no production following.

Design and development

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In April 1932, the Imperial Japanese Navy issued a specification for a replacement for its current carrier-based fighter, the Nakajima A2N, asking for designs from both Mitsubishi and Nakajima. Unlike the biplane which was to be replaced, both competitors submitted monoplanes, with Nakajima offering a version of its Type 91 parasol-wing fighter, already in production for the Japanese Army. Mitsubishi assigned design of its contestant to a team led by Jiro Horikoshi, which created the first low-wing cantilever monoplane to be designed in Japan, the Mitsubishi 1MF10.[1][2]

The 1MF10 was of all-metal construction, with a monocoque duralumin fuselage, with duralumin wing structure covered in fabric, with the pilot accommodated in an open cockpit. The aircraft was powered by a Mitsubishi A4 two-row 14-cylinder radial engine driving a two-bladed propeller. It had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage.[1][2]

The first prototype 1MF10, with the Navy designation Experimental 7-shi Carrier Fighter[a] made its maiden flight in March 1933.[1] It was destroyed in July 1933 when its tail broke up during diving tests, although the pilot escaped by parachute. The second prototype had a revised undercarriage, with the main wheels and undercarriage legs faired into streamlined spats. It was also destroyed in a crash, when it could not be recovered from a flat spin in June 1934 by pilot Motoharu Okamura.[1][2]

Although the design was advanced, it was rejected by the Japanese Navy, having poor handling[1] and not meeting the performance requirements of the specification.[2] It did form the basis of more advanced designs, however, with Horikoshi using elements of it such as the box-spar in the later successful Mitsubishi A5M fighter of similar layout.[4]

Specifications

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Data from Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941[5]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 6.92 m (22 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 3.31 m (10 ft 10 in)
  • Wing area: 17.70 m2 (190.5 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,225 kg (2,701 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,578 kg (3,479 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Mitsubishi A4 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 580 kW (780 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 320 km/h (199 mph, 173 kn) at 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
  • Endurance: 3 hr

Armament

  • Guns: 2× 7.7 mm machine guns[2]

See also

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Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Appearances in media

Notes

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  1. ^ In the Japanese Navy designation system, specifications were given a Shi number based on the year of the Emperor's reign it was issued. In this case 7-Shi stood for 1932, the 7th year of the Shōwa era.[3]
  1. ^ a b c d e Mikesh and Abe 1990, p. 170.
  2. ^ a b c d e Green and Swanborough 1994, p. 407.
  3. ^ Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 2, 286.
  4. ^ Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 170–171.
  5. ^ Mikesh and Abe 1990, p. 171.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mitsubishi 1MF10.
  • Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
  • Mikesh, Robert C.; Abe, Shorzoe (1990). Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-840-2.


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