Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul)

Reconnaissance Floatplane / Dive Bomber Aircraft

Imperial Japan | 1944

"The Japanese Aichi E16A series was a great all-around floatplane - though appearing too late in World War 2 to see much use."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/11/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The E16A Zuiun (translated into "Auspicious Cloud" and codenamed "Paul" by the Allies) was a dedicated reconnaissance floatplane and part-time dive-bomber for the Empire of Japan in World War Two. The system was an excellent floatplane type by all accounts, yet appeared at a time when Allied aircraft maintained much of the Pacific skies, relegating the E16A to limited use and even more limited production figures.

The E16A was typical of the Japanese assortment of floatplanes in its arsenal. The system was devised as a direct successor to the E13A "Jake" series of floatplane, both of which were produced by the Aichi aircraft firm. The E16A has crew accommodations for two personnel, a pilot and a rear-cockpit gunner. Pontoons were fitted underside in place of traditional landing gears. Standard armament was 2 x 20mm forward-fixed cannons in the wings and a single 7.7mm machine gun for the rear gunner. An underfuselage position was utilized for strike runs, though the primary use of the aircraft was of carrier-based reconnaissance.

The Aichi E16A was powered by a single Mitsubishi three-blade MK8D Kinsei 54 14-cylinder radial piston engine and could achieve a service ceiling of nearly 33,000 feet while reaching speeds of over 270 miles per hour. Range, like its predecessor, was an impressive 1,491 miles - crucial when operating in the vast open areas of the Pacific Ocean. 256 total examples of the E16A were ever produced and of only made up of the single E16A-1 model designation.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul) Reconnaissance Floatplane / Dive Bomber Aircraft.

1 x Mitsubishi Kinsei 54 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 1,300 horsepower.
Propulsion

273 mph
439 kph | 237 kts
Max Speed

32,808 ft
10,000 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling

1,491 miles
2,400 km | 1,296 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul) Reconnaissance Floatplane / Dive Bomber Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

35.5 ft
10.83 m
O/A Length

42.0 ft
(12.81 m)
O/A Width

15.7 ft
(4.79 m)
O/A Height

10,053 lb
(4,560 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul) Reconnaissance Floatplane / Dive Bomber Aircraft .

STANDARD:
2 x 20mm cannon (forward-firing fixed in wings)
1 x 7.7mm machine gun in rear cockpit position

OPTIONAL:
Underfuselage provision for external stores.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul) family line.

E16A - Base Series Designation

E16A-1 - Only production version produced.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 256 Units
Contractor(s): Aichi - Japan

[ Imperial Japan ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (273mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

256

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 2

2 / 2

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

GROUND ATTACK

MARITIME / NAVY

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul) Reconnaissance Floatplane / Dive Bomber Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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