Nakajima J1N Gekkō

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The Nakajima J1N Gekkō (月光; moonlight) is a twin-engined heavy fighter designed and produced by the Nakajima Aircraft Company. It was assigned the Allied reporting name Irving. The J1N was developed during the late 1930s and early 1940s at the behest of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). Envisioned as an escort fighter, it was to be capable of escorting the service's principal bomber used at that time, the Mitsubishi G3M. The operating range of the IJN's standard fighter, the Mitsubishi A5M "Claude", was only 1,200 km (750 mi), insufficient compared with the 4,400 km (2,730 mi) of the G3M. Moreover, the potential of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, which was still under development at that time, remained to be evaluated, stressing the need for a long-range escort fighter, akin to the Luftwaffe's introduction of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 around this same timeframe. The first prototype made its maiden flight in May 1941. Despite originally being intended for escort role, when flight testing...

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