B7A Ryusei
General information
Type	Torpedo bomber and Dive bomber[1]
National origin	Japan
Manufacturer	Aichi Kokuki 21st Naval Air Arsenal
Primary user	Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Number built	114 total
History
Manufactured	1942–1945
First flight	May 1942[1]
Retired	September 1945

The Aichi B7A Ryusei (流星, Ryūsei, "Shooting Star"; Allied reporting name "Grace") was a large and powerful carrier-borne torpedo-dive bomber produced by Aichi Kokuki for the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during the Second World War. Built in only small numbers and deprived of the aircraft carriers it was intended to operate from, the type had little chance to distinguish itself in combat before the war ended in August 1945.

The B7A Ryusei (originally designated AM-23 by Aichi)^[2] was designed in response to a 1941 16-Shi requirement issued by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for a carrier attack bomber that would replace both the Nakajima B6N Tenzan torpedo plane and the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei dive bomber in IJN service.^[1] It was intended for use aboard a new generation of Taihō-class carriers, the first of which was laid down in July 1941. Because the deck elevators on the Taihōs had a larger square area than those of older Japanese carriers, the longstanding maximum limit of 11 m (36 ft) on carrier aircraft length could now be lifted.^[3]

Chief Engineer Toshio Ozaki (name often seen as Norio Ozaki, but this is incorrect because the Kanji for both first names are the same and often confused) chose a mid-wing arrangement for the B7A to provide for an internal bomb-bay and to ensure enough clearance for the plane's 3.5 m (11 ft) four-bladed propeller. This in turn necessitated the adoption of an inverted gull wing, similar to the F4U Corsair, in order to shorten the length of the main landing gear. The wing featured extendable ailerons with a ten-degree range of deflection, enabling them to act as auxiliary flaps. Dive brakes were fitted underneath just outboard of the fuselage. The B7A's outer wing panels were designed to fold upwards hydraulically for carrier stowage, reducing its overall span from 14.4 m (47 ft) to approximately 7.9 m (26 ft).^[2]

Selection of a powerplant was dictated by the Japanese Navy which requested that Aichi design the aircraft around the 1,360 kW (1,825 hp) Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 18-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine. This was expected to become the Navy's standard aircraft engine in the 1,340 kW (1,800 hp) to 1,641 kW (2,200 hp) range.^[1] One production model B7A2 was later fitted with a 1,491 kW (2,000 hp) Nakajima Homare 23 radial engine and plans were also made to fit the 1,641 kW (2,200 hp) Mitsubishi MK9 radial to an advanced version of the Ryusei (designated B7A3 Ryusei Kai) but the latter effort never came to fruition.

The B7A had a weight-carrying capacity stemming from its requirements,^[3] resulting in a weapons load no greater than its predecessors. The presence of an internal bomb bay with two high-load-capability attachment points allowed the aircraft to carry two 250 kg (550 lb) or six 60 kg (132 lb) bombs. Alternatively, it could carry a single externally mounted Type 91 torpedo, weighing up to 848 kg (1,870 lb).^[4]

Defensive armament initially consisted of two 20mm Type 99 Model 2 cannons in the wing roots and one flexible 7.92mm Type 1 machine-gun mounted in the rear cockpit. Later production models of the B7A2 featured a 13mm Type 2 machine-gun in place of the 7.92mm gun.^[5]

Despite the plane's weight and size, it displayed fighter-like handling and performance, beating the version of the A6M Zero in service at the time. It was fast and highly maneuverable.^[6]

Given the codename "Grace" by the Allies, the B7A first flew as a prototype in May 1942, but teething problems with the experimental NK9C Homare engine and necessary modifications to the airframe meant that the type did not enter into production until two years later in May 1944.^[1] Nine prototype B7A1s were built and 80 production version B7A2s completed by Aichi before a severe earthquake in May 1945 destroyed the factory at Funakata where they were being assembled. A further 25 examples were produced at the 21st Naval Air Arsenal at Omura.^[7]

In June 1944, the Taihō was the only Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier then modern enough to operate the B7A Ryusei in its intended role. Other Japanese carriers lacked the modern arresting gear necessary to assist the recovery of aircraft weighing over 4000 kg. However, Taiho was sunk during the Battle of the Philippine Sea before enough B7As were even available to embark. Afterward, the B7A was relegated to operating from land bases, primarily with the Yokosuka and 752nd Air Groups.^[1] The Japanese completed only one other carrier capable of operating the B7A, the Shinano, which was sunk by Balao-class submarine Archerfish in November 1944, just ten days after being commissioned.

B7A1

One prototype and eight supplementary prototypes.

B7A2

Two-seat torpedo-dive bomber aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Navy; 105 built.^[8]

B7A2 Experimental

One aircraft fitted with a 1,491 kW (2,000 hp) Nakajima Homare 23 radial engine.

B7A3

Proposed version with a 1641 kW (2,200 hp) Mitsubishi MK9A (Ha-43). Not built.

According to Model Art (2000), p. 72.

• Funakata Factory, Aichi Kokuki, Nagoya, work number 3201-3289.

• 21st Naval Air Arsenal, Imperial Japanese Navy, Ōmura, work number 1-25.

 Japan

• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
  • Yokosuka Naval Air Group
  • 131st Naval Air Group
  • 752nd Naval Air Group
  • 1001st Naval Air Group
  • 5th Attack Squadron, a part of 131st/752nd Naval Air Group

Data from Aircraft of World War II - 300 of the World's Greatest aircraft 1939–45,^[1] Aichi B7A Ryusei (Shooting Star),^[8] and Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War ^[5]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 11.49 m (37 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 14.4 m (47 ft 3 in)
• Height: 4.075 m (13 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 35.4 m² (381 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 3,810 kg (8,400 lb)
• Gross weight: 5,625 kg (12,401 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,361 kW (1,825 hp) for take-off

1,250 kW (1,670 hp) at 2,400 m (7,900 ft)

1,160 kW (1,560 hp) at 6,550 m (21,490 ft)

• Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller, 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 567 km/h (352 mph, 306 kn) at 6,550 m (21,490 ft)
• Range: 3,038 km (1,888 mi, 1,640 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 11,250 m (36,900 ft)
• Rate of climb: 9.6 m/s (1,890 ft/min)
• Time to altitude: 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in 6 minutes 55 seconds
• Wing loading: 158.9 kg/m² (32.5 lb/sq ft)
• Power/mass: 0.242 kW/kg (0.147 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Type 99 Model 2 cannon in the wings
  • 1× 7.92 mm (0.312 in) Type 1 machine gun or 13 mm (0.512 in) Type 2 machine gun in the rear cockpit
• Bombs:
  
  • 800 kg (1,764 lb) of general ordnance or
  • 1× 800 kg (1,764 lb) torpedo

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Douglas BTD Destroyer
• Douglas A-1 Skyraider
• Fairey Spearfish
• Blackburn Firebrand

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II
• List of bomber aircraft
• List of military aircraft of Japan

• Chant, Chris. Aircraft of World War II - 300 of the World's Greatest aircraft 1939-45. Amber Books Ltd., 1999. ISBN 0-7607-1261-1.
• Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6.
• Gunston, Bill. Military Aviation Library World War II: Japanese & Italian Aircraft. Salamander Books Ltd., 1985. ISBN 0-89009-899-9.
• Millot, Bernard (October 1976). "Aichi B7A "Ryusei" (Grace)". Le Fana de l'Aviation: Le Fanatique de l'Aviation (in French) (83): 26–29. ISSN 0757-4169.
• Mondey, David. Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. Temple Press, 1984. ISBN 0-600-35027-4.
• Model Art Special Issue Carrier Attack Bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Model Art Co., Ltd., 2000.

• Joao Paulo Julião Matsuura (1997). "Aichi B7A Ryusei (Shooting Star)". combinedfleet.com. WWII Imperial Japanese Naval Aviation Page. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
• Aichi B7A2 Ryusei (Shooting Star) GRACE Archived 2010-04-08 at the Wayback Machine - National Air and Space Museum
• IJN Pics