The Nakajima B5N was the standard torpedo bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy for much of World War II. The Allied code name for the plane was Kate. While the B5N1 was substantially faster and more capable than its Allied counterparts, the TBD Devastator and Fairey Swordfish, it was close to obsolescence by 1941. Nevertheless, the B5N operated throughout the whole war, due to the delayed development of its successor, the B6N.