Nakajima Aircraft Company

Nakajima logo

The Nakajima Aircraft Company (Japanese:中島飛行機株式会社/Nakajima Hikoki Kabushiki Kaisha) was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer throughout World War II.

Japan's first aircraft manufacturer, it was founded in 1917 by Chikuhei Nakajima and took the name Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1931. After Japan's defeat, the company was reborn as Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Fuji Rabbit scooters & Subaru automobiles.

Nakajima Aircraft Company had the following plants including Tokyo plant, Musashino plant, Donryu plant, Ota plant, which Showa Emperor Hirohito visited on November 16th, 1934, near Ota Station, Koizumi plant near Nishi-Koizumi station. Ota plant and Koizumi plant were bombed on February 10th, 1945 and April 3rd, 1945 respectively to be damaged critically. Nowadays Ota plant is the plant of Fuji Heavy Industries, and Koizumi plant is the plant of Sanyo.

Aircraft produced by Nakajima

Piston-engined

*Nakajima A2N - 1930 carrier biplane fighter
*Nakajima Type 91 - 1931 parasol monoplane fighter
*Nakajima A4N - 1935 carrier-borne fighter
*Nakajima G5N - heavy four-engined long-range bomber
*Nakajima Ki-27 - Late 1936 Army monoplane fighter
*Nakajima Ki-43 隼 "Hayabusa" - Oscar 1939 Army fighter
*Nakajima Ki-44 鍾馗 "Shoki" - Tojo 1940 Army fighter
*Nakajima Ki-201
*Nakajima J1N 月光 "Gekko" - Irving 1941 Navy land-based night fighter
*Nakajima Ki-84 疾風 "Hayate" - Frank 1943 Army fighter
*Nakajima J5N 天雷 "Tenrai" - 1944 Navy land-based interceptor
*Nakajima Ki-87

Jet prototypes

*Nakajima Ki-201 火龍 "Karyu" - 1945 Navy land-based jet, project only
*Nakajima Kikka

References

Nakajima hikouki no omoide