Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace)

Carrierborne Torpedo Bomber / Dive Bomber Aircraft

Imperial Japan | 1944

"By the time the Aichi B7A series made it to operational service, the IJN no longer had its aircraft carriers available."

Image courtesy of the Public Domain. Pictured is an American captured example of the B7A.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) Carrierborne Torpedo Bomber / Dive Bomber Aircraft.

1 x Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 series 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 2,000 horsepower driving a four-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

351 mph
565 kph | 305 kts
Max Speed

36,909 ft
11,250 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling

1,889 miles
3,040 km | 1,641 nm
Operational Range

1,890 ft/min
576 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) Carrierborne Torpedo Bomber / Dive Bomber Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

37.7 ft
11.50 m
O/A Length

47.2 ft
(14.40 m)
O/A Width

13.4 ft
(4.07 m)
O/A Height

8,378 lb
(3,800 kg)
Empty Weight

14,330 lb
(6,500 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) Carrierborne Torpedo Bomber / Dive Bomber Aircraft provided across 3 hardpoints.

STANDARD:
2 x 20mm Type 99 cannons in wings (one gun per wing).
1 x 7,92mm Type 1 OR 13mm Type 2 air-cooled machine gun on trainable mounting in rear cockpit (aft-facing).

OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,765lb of air-dropped ordnance including 1 x Type 91 series torpedo (torpedo bombing) OR conventional drop bombs (dive bombing).

X

Hardpoints Key:

Centerline

Wingroot(L)

Wingroot(R)

Wing

Wingtip

Internal

Not Used

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) family line.

B7A "Ryusei" - Base Series Designation.

B7A1 - Prototype designation; nine examples completed.

B7A2 - IJN production bomber designation.

B7A2X - Experimental mount fitted with Nakajima Jomare 23 series radial piston engine of 1,490 horsepower; single example of B7A2 model.

B7A3 - Proposed variant fitting Mitsubishi MK9A engine of 2,200 horsepower; not produced.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/11/2024 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Aichi-produced B7A "Ryusei" (translated to "Shooting Star" and nicknamed "Grace" by the Allies) was a limited-production torpedo/dive bomber in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the late stages of World War 2. Unfortunately for the design, the aircraft arrived too late to be fielded in force as the Japanese Navy was now without any viable carrier options by the time of the B7A's adoption. With just a scant 114 production aircraft resulting, the series became an overlooked Aichi wartime design that would never have a chance to live up to its perceived potential as a new, all-modern carrier-based torpedo/dive bombing platform.

The B7A Ryusei was conceived of to fulfill a new Japanese Navy requirement for a carrier-based torpedo/dive bomber as early as 1941. A prototype was flown during 1942 but the aircraft, seeing prolonged delays from engine development issues and natural causes (an earthquake on the island), was forced to await receiving its official operational status until 1944. By then, the Japanese Navy was all but crippled of her strategic, and vastly important, aircraft carriers across the Pacific Theater that the B7A would instead see limited-duty from land-based airfields.

At its core, the Aichi B7A Ryusei was a single engined, two-seat, low monoplane aircraft design. A dorsal arrangement allowed for the carrying of a single 1,764lb torpedo or an equal amount of standard drop ordnance. Additionally, two forward-firing, fixed 20mm cannons were mounted in the leading wing edges while a single, defensive-minded, 7.92mm or 13mm machine gun was fitted to a flexible mounting at the rear cockpit position for added defense.

Power was served through a Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 model, 18-cylinder, air-cooled, radial piston engine of 1,825 horsepower providing for a top speed of 352 miles per hour, a range out to 1,890 miles and a service ceiling up to 36,910 feet. The engine drove a four-bladed propeller assembly.

Dimensions included a length of 37 feet, 8 inches, a wingspan of 47 feet, 3 inches, and a height of 13 feet, 5 inches. As the B7A was intended for carrier service, it came complete with hinged wing sections to allow for folding on space-strapped aircraft carriers of the IJN.

Prototypes were recognized as B7A1 and a total of nine were produced. The B7A2 designation marked production quality bombers for the IJN to which 105 examples emerged. One model served as an experimental product fitting the Nakajima Homare 23 series engine. The B7A3 designation was a proposed mark outfitted with the Mitsubishi MK9A (Ha-43) engine - none of this mark were constructed.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 114 Units
Contractor(s): Aichi Kokuki KK - Japan

[ Imperial Japan ]

1 / 1

Image courtesy of the Public Domain. Pictured is an American captured example of the B7A.

Going Further...
The Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) Carrierborne Torpedo Bomber / Dive Bomber Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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