The Aichi E16A ''Zuiun'' (瑞雲 "Auspicious Cloud", Allied reporting name "Paul") was a two-seat

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

operated by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Design and development

The Aichi E16A originated from a 1939 specification for a replacement for the

Aichi E13A The Aichi E13A ( Allied reporting name: "Jake") was a long-range reconnaissance seaplane used by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1941 to 1945. Numerically the most important floatplane of the IJN, it could carry a crew of three and a bomblo ...

, which at that time had yet to be accepted by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS).Francillon 1979, p. 284. Disagreements about the requirements in the 14-''Shi'' specification prevented most manufacturers from submitting designs, but in 1941 a new 16-''Shi'' specification was drafted by the IJNAS around the Aichi AM-22 design which had already been made by Aichi engineers Kishiro Matsuo and Yasuhiro Ozawa. The first AM-22, which first got the experimental designation Navy Experimental 16-Shi Reconnaissance Seaplane and later the short designation E16A1, was completed by May 1942 and was a conventional, low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

equipped with two floats and had the unusual (for a seaplane) feature of being equipped with dive brakes, located in the front legs of the float struts, to allow it to operate in a secondary role as a

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

Variants

Bunrindō (1983), p. 110–111, p. 159–163Bunrindō (1994), p. 8, p. 25, p. 71–77 ;E16A1 ''Experimental Type 16 reconnaissance seaplane'' (16試水上偵察機, ''16-Shi Suijō Teisatsuki'') :Initial named ''Experimental Type 14 two-seat reconnaissance seaplane'' (14試2座水上偵察機, ''14-Shi 2-Za Suijō Teisatsuki''). 3 prototypes produced. Mounted Mitsubishi MK8A Kinsei 51 engine, 2 × forward-firing 7.7 mm (.303in) Type 97 machine guns, 1 × rearward-firing 7.7 mm

Type 92 machine gun The was developed for aerial use for the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1932. The Type 92 is a light machine gun and not to be confused with the similarly named Type 92 heavy machine gun. Description It was the standard hand-held machine gun in mu ...

. ;E16A1 ''Zuiun Model 11'' (瑞雲11型, ''Zuiun 11-gata'') :General production model. Mounted Mitsubishi MK8N Kinsei 54 engine, 2 × forward-firing 20 mm Type 99-2 cannons, 1 × rearward-firing 13 mm

Type 2 machine gun The Type 2 machine gun was developed for aerial use for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was an adaptation of the German MG 131 machine gun. Installations * Aichi B7A * Aichi E16A * Mitsubishi A6M5c * Mitsubishi G4M * Nakajima ...

. ;E16A2 ''Provisional name Zuiun Model 12'' (仮称瑞雲12型, ''Kashō Zuiun 12-gata'') :Initial named ''Zuiun Model 22''. Single

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

with a Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

. One plane converted from E16A1, incomplete.

Operators

; *

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the Naval aviation, air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first air ...

*Naval vessel ** Battleship ''Ise'', supplied from 634th ''

Kōkūtai A ''Kōkūtai'' () was a term used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) to designate a military aviation unit, similar to the Air Groups in other air arms and services of the time. (''Group'' in the British Royal Air Force, ''Gruppe ...

''. ** Battleship ''Hyūga'', supplied from 634th ''

''. *Air unit ** Kitaura ''Kōkutai'' ** Yokosuka ''Kōkutai'' ** 634th ''Kōkutai'' ** 801st ''Kōkutai'' **301st ''Reconnaissance Hikōtai'' **302nd ''Reconnaissance Hikōtai''

Specifications (E16A1 ''Zuiun Model 11'')

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Francillon, Ph.D., René J. ''Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War''. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. . * Green, William. "Aichi E16A1 Zui-un (Paul)" ''War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Six: Floatplanes''. London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1962, pp. 116–118. * Taylor, Michael J.H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 43. *Bunrindō (Japan) **Kōku-Fan Illustrated Special, ''Japanese Military Aircraft Illustrated Vol. 3 "Recinnaissance/Flying-boat/Trainer/Transport"'', January 1983 **''Famous Airplanes of the World No. 47 "Imperial Japanese Navy Reconnaissance Seaplane"'', July 1994

External links