2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Nakajima A1N: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
- 2. Nakajima, A1N: San Diego Air & Space Museum· No restrictions
what is it?
The Nakajima A1N, or Navy Type 3 Carrier Fighter, was a Japanese carrier-based fighter of the late-1920s and early-1930s. It was a licensed copy of the British Gloster Gambet fighter, built by the Nakajima Aircraft Company for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Approximately 150 were built in two versions, the A1N1 and A1N2.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 9.7 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 99 years ago, in 1927.
- Top speed is 1.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 9.7 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1927-12-12
- introduced
- 1929
- retired
- 1935
- status
- retired
- number built
- 151
- role
- fighter
- makers
- Nakajima
- engines
- 1× Nakajima Kotobuki 2
- crew
- 1
- length
- 6.5 m
- wingspan
- 9.7 m
- height
- 3.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,375 kg
- top speed
- 241 km/h
- cruise speed
- 148 km/h
- range
- 370 km
- ceiling
- 7,000 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q702400, Wikipedia: Nakajima A1N (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.