Nakajima-Douglas DC-2

The Nakajima‑Douglas DC‑2 was a licensed version of the American Douglas DC‑2 produced in Japan by the Nakajima Aircraft Company during the early 1930s. After the Japanese government approved the purchase of the DC‑2 design in 1932, Nakajima received technical drawings and a small number of parts to start domestic production at its Plant 1 in Ota. Between 1933 and 1936 the factory built 107 examples, designated the Nakajima Type 90, Twenty‑Four, or simply Nakajima‑DC‑2. The aircraft retained the original’s all‑metal low‑wing monoplane layout, retractable split‑type landing gear, and twin‑engine (two 710 hp Nakajima Kotobuki radial engines) configuration, but Nakajima incorporated minor modifications such as Japanese‑standard instrumentation and a reinforced fuselage to meet the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service’s requirements.

In service the Nakajima‑DC‑2 served as a fast liaison, light transport, and training platform for both civil airlines like Japan Air Transport and military units. Its reliability and speed—cruising around 300 km/h—demonstrated the viability of modern all‑metal aircraft for Japan and helped spur the development of indigenous designs such as the Nakajima L2D. The aircraft’s successful licensed production paved the way for post‑war Japanese aeronautical engineering, marking a pivotal step in Japan’s transition from wooden biplanes to advanced monoplanes.