Yokosuka B3Y

The Yokosuka B3Y, sometimes designated Navy Type 92 Carrier Attack Bomber, was a biplane torpedo and dive‑bomber developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early 1930s. Designed by the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal and built by several contractors, including Aichi and Nakajima, the B3Y entered service in 1933 as the navy’s first dedicated carrier‑based bomber. Powered by a 450 hp (336 kW) Mitsubishi Hi Jou radial engine, the aircraft featured a staggered two‑bay biplane wing, fixed wide‑track landing gear, and an open cockpit for the pilot with a separate observer/gunner station equipped with a 7.7 mm machine gun. It could carry a single 800 kg torpedo or up to 300 kg of bombs under the wings, and its wooden‑and‑fabric construction gave it modest maneuverability but limited durability. Although quickly outclassed by more modern monoplanes such as the Mitsubishi G3M, the B3Y provided crucial operational experience in carrier strike tactics, night bombing, and torpedo delivery that shaped Japanese naval aviation doctrine. Its service in the early stages of the Second Sino‑Japanese War demonstrated the evolving role of carrier‑borne attack aircraft, marking a transitional step toward the high‑performance bombers of World II.

Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal

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