In April 1926, the Navy called upon Mitsubishi, Nakajima and Aichi to develop a new carrier fighter to replace the Type 10 Carrier Fighter. Mitsubishi's entry for this competition was the Taka (Falcon)-Type Fighter. The Taka-Type was designed by a team headed by Joji Hattori, and was an equi-span biplane of wooden construction covered by fabric, and featured a vee-shaped fuselage planing bottom. It was powered by a 600 hp Mitsubishi-Type Hi water-cooled engine and carried an armament of two fixed forward-firing 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine-guns, with provision for two 30 kg (66 lb) bombs.
The first two prototypes were delivered to the Navy in July and September 1927 respectively. These aircraft embodied Navy requirements in having a watertight fuselage with boat-shaped bottom and a watertight lower wing leading edge to enable them to remain afloat in the event of alighting onto water. A jettisonable undercarriage and a fuel dumping system were also incorporated. The first prototype was the first aircraft of Japanese design to feature wing flaps to help reduce landing speed, these being discarded on the second prototype.
Evaluation by the Navy of the three contenders proved that the light-weight Nakajima-G (Gloster Gambit) best met the Navy's needs. The Mitsubishi entry and the Heinkel-designed Achi HD 23 failed in this competition and it was resented that the winner had failed to comply with the provisions for an emergency descent onto water. The Mitsubishi Taka-Type remains the significant, however, in that it was the first carrier fighter designed by a Japanese, and it is further noteworthy in that it was the first Japanese fighter to be equipped with split-flaps.
Technical Data
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Nainenki Seizo KK (Mitsubishi Internal Combustion Engine Manufacturing Co Ltd).
Type: Single-engined carrier-borne fighter.
Crew (1): Pilot in open cockpit.
Powerplant: One 45--600 hp Mitsubishi TypeHi (Hispano-Suiza) twelve-cylinder vee water-cooled engine, driving a two-blade metal propeller.
Armament: Two fixed forward-firing 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine-guns. Provision for two 30 kg (66 lb) bombs.
Dimensions: Span 10.80 m (35 ft 5 1/4 in) length 8.443 m (27 ft 8 1/2 in) height 3.403 m (11 ft 2 in), wing area 41.50 sq m |(446.716 sq ft).
Weights: Empty 1,200 kg (2,645 lb); loaded 1,855 kg (4,090 lb); wing loading 44.69 kg/sq m (9.15 lb/sq ft); power loading 3.8 kg/hp (8.3 lb/hp).
Performance: Maximum speed 132 kt (152 mph); climb to 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 6 min 10 sec; service ceiling 7,000 m (22,965 ft).
Production: 2 prototypes built in July and September 1927 by Mitsubishi Naienki Seizo KK.
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