Aichi E16A Zuiun


The Aichi E16A Zuiun, was a two-seat reconnaissance seaplane operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Design and development

The Aichi E16A originated from a 1939 specification for a replacement for the Aichi E13A, which, at that time, had yet to be accepted by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. Disagreements about the requirements in the "Number 14" specification prevented most manufacturers from submitting designs, but, in 1941, a new "Number 16" 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 Number 16 Reconnaissance Seaplane and later the short designation E16A1, was completed by May 1942 and was a conventional, low-wing monoplane equipped with two floats. It had the unusual 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.

Exposed model

A full-scale replica of a Zuiun was created by C2 Praparat for various events related to the Kantai Collection franchise. This model was permanently installed in 2026 in the park of the Yamato Museum.

Variants

;E16A1 Experimental Type 16 reconnaissance seaplane
;E16A1 Zuiun Model 11
;E16A2 ''Provisional name Zuiun Model 12''

Operators