I.J.N. Mitsubishi B2M1 Type-89 torpedo bomber, c. 1930.

“The Mitsubishi B2M was a Japanese carrier-based torpedo bomber of the 1920s and 1930s. It was built by Mitsubishi to a design by Blackburn Aircraft of Britain.

“In 1927, the Japanese company Mitsubishi commissioned the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft to design an aircraft, which would be built under license by Mitsubishi if successful, to enter a competition held by the Imperial Japanese Navy for a carrier-based reconnaissance and torpedo bomber to replace its B1M.

“Blackburn developed a design, the Blackburn T.7B, which was an enlarged development of their ‘Ripon’, which was under development for Britain’s Fleet Air Arm.

“The design was declared the winner of the competition, with a prototype (referred to as the 3MT4) being ordered from Blackburn. This first flew on 28 December 1929 at Blackburn’s factory at Brough, Yorkshire, and was shipped to Japan in February 1930.

“Three development prototypes were built by Mitsubishi in Japan before the aircraft was adopted as the Navy Type 89-1 Model 1 Carrier Attack Plane or Mitsubishi B2M1. The B2M1 entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1932, serving aboard the carriers Akagi, Kaga and Hōshō. B2Ms were extensively used for high- and low-level bombing attacks against China at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.”

– Wikipedia

Performance

Crew: 2
Max. speed: 213 km/h (132 mph, 115 kn)
Range: 1,779 km (1,105 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)