Nakajima LB-1 and LB-2

Thank you my dears very much,

there is also the Nakajima LB-1,it was designed before LB-2,I think it
was also long range bomber project,does anyonme know it ?.

Hi! Nakajima LB-1 is project only.
I can't find any other information about LB1.
LB-2 was a competitor of Mitsubishi 9-shi Medium Attack Bomber.
Only one LB-2 completed, tested by IJN and delivered to Manshu Air line as cargo carrier.
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Bookend-Ohgai/3853/jnrs/jnrsC234d.htm
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Bookend-Ohgai/3853/jnrs/jnrsC223g.htm

Thank you my dear Blackkite,

and all those projects mentioned in the book,Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941,
also the Tokyo Imperial Univ. designed the LB-1,it was side-by-side two
seat light aircraft,rejected in favour of LB-2 tandem two seat high wing
light aircraft,does anyone know it ?.

Hi! Tokyo imperial university begun to develop light plane in 1936. First plan was side by side type(LB-1) and second plan was tandem type(LB-2). Design was conducted under the leadership of professor Hidemasa Kimura(one of the planner of A-26 and YS-11), completed LB-2 in 1939.
Manufacturer was Nippon Aircraft Corporation. LB means light blue(Tokyo imperial university's school color).
Span:13.0m, length:7.59m, wing area:16m2, MTOW:460kg, Max speed:176km/h, range:564km
I can't find any other information about LB-1.

Hi Nakajima LB-2 long range bomber.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/Bookend-Ohgai/3853/jnrs/jnrsC234d.htm

It's Nakajima's private venture. Only 1 completed in March 1936. Because Mitsubishi 9-shi Rikko(九試陸上攻撃機) already satisfied the IJN requirement.

Thanks blackkite for this link to the LB-2.

You said the LB-2 was rejected in favor of the G3M (later called the "Nell" by the U.S.). Yet I have the LB-2 listed as an 8-Shi Land-Based Bomber (so a 1933 prototype) while the G3M was a 9-Shi Land-Based Attack Bomber (so a 1934 prototype). It seems to me that the LB-2 was more like a competitor of the Mitsubishi Ka-9 = G1M1, which I believe was evaluated both as an 8-Shi Special Reconnaissance Plane and a Land-Based Medium Attack... What can you say about this?

Stargazer2006 said:

Thanks blackkite for this link to the LB-2.

I have the LB-2 listed as an 8-Shi Land-Based Bomber (so a 1933 prototype)

Click to expand...

I think that "LB-2 as an 8-shi land base bomber" is mistake.
Japanese text of this site says that LB-2 was a Nakajima's private venture, not follwed the IJN's request.
Later LB-2 was converted into the transport,delivered to Manshu air line.(満州航空)

blackkite said:

Stargazer2006 said:

Thanks blackkite for this link to the LB-2.

I have the LB-2 listed as an 8-Shi Land-Based Bomber (so a 1933 prototype)

Click to expand...

I think that "LB-2 as an 8-shi land base bomber" is mistake.
Japanese text of this site says that LB-2 was a Nakajima's private venture, not follwed the IJN's request.
Later LB-2 was converted into the transport,delivered to Manshu air line.(満州航空)

Click to expand...

But Nakajima Ki-49 could be build based on experience on LB-2 ? ???

Putnam Japanese Aircraft 1910-41 by Mikesh & Abe seems to infer a private-venture.

I quote from p.235 "There were reports that the LB-2 was classified as the 9-Shi Land-based Attack aircraft in competition with a similar Mitsubishi entry of that type, but this is unconfirmed." Further on it goes further, "The LB-2 was completed in March 1936...and evaluated by the Navy. By this time, the Mitsubishi G3M held the Navy's interest, having helped to develop the project from the beginning."

This suggests that Nakajima, perhaps bouyed by the failure of the Mitsubishi G1M1, and desperate to get into the twin-engined bomber market with either the Army or Navy (Mitsubishi dominated both markets), which was the reason why Nakajima sought licence-rights for the DC-2 as the basis of the LB-2 to get a head start, sought the Navy out as a customer for its private venture. The Navy seemingly was already looking at the G3M and helping with its development so any trial would have been a comparison rather than any competitive fly-off. The LB-2 (Long-Range Bomber) designation seems a little unusual when compared to other Nakajima company designations and doesn't fit with the usual Navy designation series. Interestingly the LB-1 remained a project.