Kawanishi E15K

infobox Aircraft
name = E15K Shiun
type = Reconnaissance floatplane
manufacturer = Kawanishi Aircraft Company


caption =
designer =
first flight = 1941
introduction =
retired =
status =
primary user = IJN Air Service
more users =
produced =
number built = 15
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Kawanishi E15K "Shiun" (紫雲, "Violet Cloud") was a single-engined Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. The Allied reporting name for the type was "Norm" after Squadron Leader Norman O. Clappison of the RAAF, a member of the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU).

Design and development

It was designed with a single central float, that could be jettisoned to increase speed when leaving the combat zone.

Operational history

Only fifteen were built as the float often failed to separate, and 6 out the 15 were destroyed by US fighters.

Variants

* E15K1 : Single-engined reconnaissance floatplane. Production version.

Operators

;JPN
*Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

pecifications (E15K)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref=Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft [Jackson, Robert, "The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft", Parragon, 2002. ISBN 0-75258-130-9]
crew= Three
capacity=
length main= 11.59 m
length alt= 38 ft 0 in
span main= 13.99 m
span alt= 45 ft 11 in
height main=
height alt=
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main=
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main= 4,893 kg
loaded weight alt= 10,787 lb
useful load main=
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more general=

engine (prop)=Mitsubishi Kasei 24
type of prop= 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with two two-blade contra-rotating propellers
number of props=1
power main= 1,089 kW
power alt= 1,460 hp
power original=

max speed main= 468 km/h
max speed alt= 253 knots, 291 mph
max speed more= at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
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never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
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range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 9,836 m
ceiling alt= 32,270 ft
climb rate main=
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armament=
* 1 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine gun in rear cockpit
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=

lists=
* List of military aircraft of Japan
* List of seaplanes and flying boats
see also=

References

External links

* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/ijna/e15k.htm Imperial Japanese Navy Page]
* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/japan/kawanishi_e15k.php Virtual Aircraft Museum]