Nakajima C6N Saiun

what is it?

The Nakajima C6N Saiun (彩雲, "Iridescent Cloud") is a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft designed and produced by the Japanese aviation manufacturer Nakajima Aircraft Company. Flown by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during World War II, the Allied reporting name was Myrt. A relatively advanced design for its time, it was the fastest carrier-based aircraft to be under service by Japan during the conflict.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 610 km/htop speed
• size 5,260 kgmax take-off weight
• built 463made in total

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 83 years ago, in 1943.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1943-05-15

introduced

1944

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

463

role

carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft

origin

Empire of Japan

makers

Nakajima

engines

1× Nakajima NK9B Homare 11

crew

3

length

11 m

wingspan

12.5 m

height

4 m

max take-off weight

5,260 kg

top speed

610 km/h

cruise speed

390 km/h

range

—

ceiling

10,470 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.