Aichi Aircraft Company (愛知航空機株式会社 — Aichi Kōkūki KK)
Aichi Kōkūki KK (愛知航空機株式会社), known in English as the Aichi Aircraft Company, was one of Imperial Japan's principal aircraft and aero-engine manufacturers. Founded in Nagoya, Aichi produced a wide range of naval aircraft — from early biplane floatplanes and flying boats to the legendary Aichi D3A dive bomber and the advanced M6A Seiran submarine-launched floatplane. The company also developed its own aero-engines, including a licensed copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601A inverted V12.
Aircraft
The table below lists all known Aichi aircraft models, their first flight dates, production numbers, and type classifications.
| Model Name | First Flight | Number Built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aichi AB-1 | 1928 | 1 | Single engine biplane airliner |
| Aichi AB-2 | 1930 | 2 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AB-3 | 1932 | 1 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AB-4 | 1932 | 6 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance flying boat |
| Aichi AB-5 | — | 1 | Licence-built single engine biplane floatplane |
| Aichi AB-6 | 1933 | 1 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AB-7 | — | 2 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AB-8 | — | 1 | Single engine biplane dive bomber |
| Aichi AB-9 | — | 1 | Single engine biplane dive bomber |
| Aichi AB-10 | — | — | Single engine biplane dive bomber |
| Aichi AB-11 | N/A | 0 | Single engine biplane dive bomber |
| Aichi AB-12 | 1934 | 15 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance flying boat |
| Aichi AB-13 | 1936 | 2 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AB-14 | 1937 | 17 | Single engine biplane reconnaissance flying boat |
| Aichi AM-7 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt single engine monoplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AM-10 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt single engine monoplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AM-15 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt single engine monoplane fighter / sports plane |
| Aichi AM-16 | N/A | 0 | Twin engine monoplane reconnaissance flying boat |
| Aichi AM-17 (D3A) | 1938 | 1,495 | Single engine monoplane dive bomber |
| Aichi AM-18 | — | 2 | Single engine monoplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AM-19 (E16A) | — | 133 | Single engine monoplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AM-20 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt single engine monoplane reconnaissance airplane |
| Aichi AM-21 (H9A) | 1940 | 31 | Twin engine monoplane trainer flying boat |
| Aichi AM-22 (E13A) | 1942 | 256 | Single engine monoplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi AM-23 (B7A) | 1942 | 114 | Single engine monoplane torpedo bomber |
| Aichi AM-24 (M6A) | 1943 | 28 | Single engine monoplane dive bomber floatplane |
| Aichi AM-25 (S1A) | N/A | 2 | Twin engine monoplane night fighter |
| Aichi AM-26 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt single engine monoplane torpedo bomber |
| Aichi Type H | — | 2 | Licence-built single engine biplane carrier fighter |
| Aichi Type 2 Single-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane | — | 1 | Licence-built single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi Type 15-Ko Reconnaissance Seaplane | 1925 | 4 | Single engine monoplane reconnaissance floatplane |
| Aichi Type 2 Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane | — | 16 | Licence-built single engine biplane reconnaissance floatplane |
Engines
Aichi developed and produced a small but significant range of aero-engines, including an original experimental radial and two variants derived from German technology:
- Aichi AC-1 (1929) — Experimental nine-cylinder radial engine, Aichi's first indigenous powerplant development.
- Aichi Atsuta (アツタ / 熱田) — Licensed copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601A inverted V12, used primarily in the Aichi D3A and related naval aircraft. The Atsuta name references the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya.
- Aichi Ha-70 — An experimental coupled powerplant consisting of two Atsuta engines joined together, developed for high-performance applications.
This article is part of the Online Aviation Library Japanese Aircraft Manufacturers series. Further profiles covering Kawanishi, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Nakajima, and other manufacturers will follow.
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