1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Nakajima E8N scheda Aerei da Guerra: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
what is it?
The Nakajima E8N was a ship-borne catapult-launched reconnaissance seaplane designed and produced by the Japanese aviation manufacturer Nakajima Aircraft Company. Flown by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS), the Allies assigned it the reporting name "Dave" while it was identified by the British as the Nakajima KT-95 Dave. The E8N originated as the MS proposal, an evolution of the preceding Nakajima E4N which the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) started seeking a replacement for in 1933.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 11 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 92 years ago, in 1934.
- Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 11 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
- 1934-03
- introduced
- 1935
- number built
- 755
- role
- ship-borne reconnaissance seaplane
- makers
- Nakajima
- engines
- 1× Nakajima Kotobuki 2-KAI 2
- crew
- 2
- length
- 8.8 m
- wingspan
- 11 m
- height
- 3.8 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,900 kg
- top speed
- 300 km/h
- cruise speed
- 185 km/h
- range
- 898 km
- ceiling
- 7,270 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q704850, Wikipedia: Nakajima E8N (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.