Aichi E3A

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=HD 56, E3A


caption=
type=Reconnaissance seaplane
national origin=Germany
manufacturer=Heinkel, Aichi
designer=
first flight=avyear|1929
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=Imperial Japanese Navy
more users=
produced=
number built=12
variants with their own articles=The Heinkel HD 56 was a reconnaissance seaplane developed in Germany in 1929 to operate from warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which designated it the Type 90-1 Reconnaissance Seaplane or E3A. It was a conventional single-bay biplane with staggered wings braced by N-struts. The pilot and gunner sat in tandem, open cockpits. Heinkel designed the aircraft at the request of Aichi, in order to submit it as their entry in an IJN competition to select such an aircraft. Heinkel built a single HD 56 prototype that was evaluated against the Nakajima Type 90-2 Reconnaissance Seaplane and the Kawanishi Type 90-3 Reconnaissance Seaplane. The Heinkel design announced the winner in 1931, on the condition that Aichi would address some shortcomings, particularly a lack of range. Refined versions of the "losing" Nakajima and Kawanishi designs would eventually see production and - in the case of the Nakajima design - in far greater numbers.

Modifications to the HD 56 by Aichi included overall reductions in length and span, the replacement of the prototype's Wright Whirlwind with a locally-built Hitachi Tempu, and numerous detail changes. Flight tests were carried out at Nagoya in August 1931, and the type was accepted into service the following year. E3As were still in service aboard "Sendai" class cruisers at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

pecifications (E3A1)

aerospecs
ref=
met or eng?= met

crew=Two, pilot and gunner
capacity=
length m=8.45
length ft=27
length in=9
span m=11.10
span ft=36
span in=5
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=3.67
height ft=12
height in=0
wing area sqm=34.5
wing area sqft=371
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=1,118
empty weight lb=2,464
gross weight kg=1,600
gross weight lb=3,530
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Hitachi Tempu Type 90
eng1 kw= 224
eng1 hp= 300
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=197
max speed mph=123
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
range km=750
range miles=470
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=4,700
ceiling ft=15,500
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=2.7
climb rate ftmin=540
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.7 mm machine gun in forward fuselage
armament2=1 × trainable, rearward-firing 7.7 mm machine gun for gunner
armament3=2 × 30 kg (66 lb) bombs
armament4=
armament5=
armament6= aircontent
see also=
related=
similar aircraft=
lists=

References

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