Mitsubishi F1M

The Mitsubishi F1M, given the Allied reporting name Pete, was a Japanese observation seaplane of World War II and the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with 944 built between 1936 and 1944. The Navy called it the Type Zero Observation Seaplane. Mitsubishi answered a 1934 specification with the small all-metal Ka-17 biplane; after poor stability on water and in the air, it was redesigned with straighter wings, larger floats and a Mitsubishi Zuisei radial engine of 652 kilowatts. Catapult-launched from warships for gunnery spotting, it also served on convoy escort, patrol, anti-submarine and light strike duties from the Solomons to the Aleutians.