The company was established in 1898 in Nagoya as Aichi Tokei Denki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha (Aichi Watch and Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd.). Aircraft production started in 1920,^[1] and the company relied initially on technical assistance from Heinkel,^[1] which influenced some of their designs. Later, with the prodding and support of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the company started making seaplanes using technology imported from Short Brothers in the UK.^[2]

During the inter-war period, Aichi was the beneficiary of technology transferred from Heinkel of Germany. At the time, a team from the League of Nations occasionally visited German aircraft manufacturers to monitor the ban on military aircraft research and production. A Japanese military attache who was a member of the monitoring team, let Heinkel know, confidentially and in advance, of the planned visits. Heinkel thus succeeded in continuing its design on the aircraft ordered by Aichi Aircraft without being spotted.^[3]

In 1943 the aircraft division was spun off as Aichi Kokuki Kabushiki Kaisha (Aichi Aircraft Co., Ltd.).^[4]

Aircraft edit

Company designations edit

AB - "Aichi Biplane"

• AB-1 - 1929 four-seat biplane/floatplane airliner
• AB-2 - 1930 reconnaissance floatplane prototype
• AB-3 - 1932 carrier-based reconnaissance floatplane based on the AB-2
• AB-4 - 1932 night reconnaissance flying boat
• AB-5 - Japanese-built version of the Heinkel He 62
• AB-6 - 1933 reconnaissance floatplane prototype, lost to the Kawanishi E7K
• AB-7 - company designation for the E8A
• AB-8 - 1932 carrier-based attack bomber prototype, lost to the Kugisho B3Y
• AB-9 - company designation for the D1A
• AB-10
• AB-11 - version of D1A with retractable landing gear, not built
• AB-12 - company designation for the E10A
• AB-13 - company designation for the F1A
• AB-14 - company designation for the E11A

AM - "Aichi Monoplane"

• AM-7 - planned monoplane version of E8A
• AM-10 - planned monoplane version of F1A
• AM-15 - light sport plane (project only)
• AM-16 - planned night reconnaissance flying boat; design resembled the Grumman G-21
• AM-17 - company designation for the D3A
• AM-18 - company designation for the E12A
• AM-19 - company designation for the E13A
• AM-20 - company designation for the C4A
• AM-21 - company designation for the H9A
• AM-22 - company designation for the E16A
• AM-23 - company designation for the B7A
• AM-24 - company designation for the M6A
• AM-25 - company designation for the S1A
• AM-26 - company designation for the B8A

Fighter edit

• Type H Carrier Fighter - 1926 carrier-based floatplane fighter; license-built Heinkel HD 23

Torpedo bomber edit

• B7A 流星 Ryūsei (Shooting Star) - 'Grace' 1941 torpedo/dive bomber
• B8A Mokusei (Wooden Star) - torpedo bomber (project only)

Dive bomber edit

• D1A/D2A - 'Susie' 1934 dive bomber, based on the Heinkel He 66
• D3A - 'Val' 1940 carrier-based dive bomber

Reconnaissance aircraft edit

• Type 15-Ko Reconnaissance Seaplane - 1925 prototype reconnaissance seaplane, lost to the Nakajima E2N
• Type 2 Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane - 1928 reconnaissance floatplane; modified Heinkel HD 25
• Type 2 Single-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane - 1928 reconnaissance floatplane; Japanese-built Heinkel HD 26
• C4A - carrier-based high-speed reconnaissance aircraft (project only)
• E3A - 1929 reconnaissance floatplane, improved Heinkel HD 56
• E8A - 1933 reconnaissance floatplane prototype, lost to the Nakajima E8N
• E10A - 'Hank' 1936 reconnaissance biplane flying boat
• E11A - 'Laura' 1937 maritime patrol biplane flying boat
• E12A - 1937 reconnaissance floatplane prototype
• E13A - 'Jake' 1941 reconnaissance floatplane
• E16A 瑞雲 Zuiun (Auspicious Cloud) - 'Paul' 1942 reconnaissance floatplane
• F1A - 1940 reconnaissance floatplane prototype, lost to the Mitsubishi F1M

Flying boat edit

• H9A - 1940 flying boat trainer

Trainer edit

• E13A1-K - floatplane trainer version of E13A
• M6A1-K 南山 Nanzan (South Mountain) - 1945 prototype trainer version of M6A

Special purpose edit

• M6A 晴嵐 Seiran (Clear Sky Storm) - 1945 submarine-launched dive/torpedo bomber

Night fighter edit

• S1A 電光 Denko (Bolt of Light) - 1944 night fighter prototype
• E13A1a-S/E13A1b-S - night-fighter versions of E13A

Engines edit

• Aichi AC-1 - 1929 experimental nine-cylinder radial engine
• Aichi Atsuta (アツタ or 熱田) - licensed copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601A inverted V12
• Aichi Ha-70 - two Atsuta engines coupled together

After the war, the company was reorganized, manufacturing kei cars under the Cony brand name in Japan. Its current descendant, Aichi Kikai Kōgyō Kabushiki Kaisha (Aichi Machine Industry Co., Ltd.), is integrated with the Nissan corporate structure.^[5]

Nissan engines edit

• Nissan A engine
• HR15DE / HR16DE
• CR12DE / CR14DE
• QG13DE / QG15DE / QG16DE / QG18DE

Transmissions edit

• FS6R31 - with synchronous control.
• F30A / F50A / F70A
• MFA60 / MFA80
• W60A
• FS5R30A
• MRA70
• GR6

Vehicles manufactured edit

• Nissan Cherry
• Nissan Sunny
• Nissan Vanette
• Nissan Serena (Largo)
• Cony Guppy, a two-seat microcar
• Cony 360 Wide, a cabover keitora/Microvan/minitruck
• Cony Giant 360 [ja], predecessor to Cony 360
• Cony 360 a passenger kei car

Notes

Bibliography

• "Aichi Kikai manufacturing history". Aichi Machine Industry Website. Aichi Kikai. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.