Nakajima J1N Gekko / IRVING

1941

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  ESCORT, NIGHT FIGHTERVirtual Aircraft Museum / Japan / Nakajima  

Nakajima J1N Gekko / IRVING

Just as specialist night-fighter design had largely been ignored by European nations before World War II, Japan's similar failing left the country without adequate night defence when the fortunes of war began their inexorable turn against her in 1943. Fortunately, however, the Imperial Japanese Navy possessed a number of excellent heavy fighters and reconnaissance aircraft, of which the Nakajima J1N Gekko (moonlight) had been arriving in service slowly since April 1942 with reconnaissance units in the Western Pacific. When first encountered in action during the Solomons campaign the aircraft was mistakenly thought to be a fighter and codenamed 'Irving' by the Allies. As night air attacks were stepped up by the Americans it was the commanding officer of the 251st Kokutai, Commander Yasuna Kozono, then based at Rabaul, New Guinea, who first suggested adaptation of the J1N as a night-fighter by installing two 20mm cannon in the observer's cockpit, fixed to fire obliquely forward and upward at an angle of 30°, and another pair firing forward and downward. When two Consolidated B-24s were quickly destroyed, the modifications came to the attention of the Japanese naval staff and an order was placed with Nakajima to go ahead with a dedicated night-fighter version, designed and built as such from scratch. This version, the J1N1-S, entered production in August 1943 and continued until December 1944, during which period a total of 420 J1Ns were produced, the great majority of them J1N1-S night-fighters. These differed from the earlier reconnaissance version in having the crew reduced from three to two, the observer's cockpit being eliminated and faired over; all aircraft retained the upward-firing cannon, but the downward firing guns (found difficult to aim and seldom used) were omitted from later aircraft, while a third upper gun and a forward-firing 20mm cannon was fitted in the J1N1-Sa. Rudimentary centimetric AI radar was installed in the nose and some airciaft also carried a small nose searchlight. In service with the 251st, 302nd and 322nd Kokutais, the J1N1-S night-fighters proved fairly effective against the B-24, which was not in any case well-suited to night operations, but with the appearance of the Boeing B-29 the Japanese night-fighters proved too slow and were seldom able to make more than a single firing attack. Most of them were expended during the final months of the war when, equipped to carry two 250kg bombs, they were employed in kamikaze attacks against ground targets.

Nakajima J1N Gekko / IRVING

Specification 
 MODELJ1N1-S
 CREW2
 ENGINE2 x Nakajima "Sakae-21", 843kW
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight8185 kg18045 lb
  Empty weight4850 kg10692 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan16.98 m56 ft 9 in
  Length12.77 m42 ft 11 in
  Height3.99 m13 ft 1 in
  Wing area40 m2430.56 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed507 km/h315 mph
  Ceiling9320 m30600 ft
  Range w/max.fuel3780 km2349 miles
 ARMAMENT4 x 20mm cannons

3-View 
Nakajima J1N Gekko / IRVINGA three-view drawing (752 x 912)

Comments
wudao, 20.06.2011 06:26

What were the production figures for all forms (recon, night fighter and heavy fighter) of this aircraft type

reply

bombardier, e-mail, 24.05.2011 19:06

Looks like a Bf-110

reply

Terry, e-mail, 12.02.2011 07:25

You can see a J1N Gekko / Irving at the National Air & Space Museum Udvar Hazy Center, located just south of Dulles International Airport. It has been restored and is a fine display aircraft. It may be the sole surviving example, but I'm not sure.

reply

Randy, e-mail, 30.12.2010 05:35

What were the production figures for all forms (recon, night fighter and heavy fighter) of this aircraft type?

reply

Jackie, 08.08.2010 05:51

The J1N Gekko was not really a significant aircraft. Because of its twin engine, it was not maneuverable like other fighters. However, its cannons were deadly against bombers, making it a deadly bomber destroyer until the high flying B-29 Superfortress appeared. It was also used as kamikaze aircraft

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Richard Franson, e-mail, 10.11.2008 06:47

One of these brought down my dad's B-29 over Kyushu Island Japan on April 18th 1945. During a bombing strike against enemy airfields and air battle a plane of this type was hit by machine gun fire from another B-29. Badly damaged the enemy aircraft swept across the formation and collided with my dad's plane.

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