Kyushu Q1W
From The Black Vault Encyclopedia Project
The Kyushu Q1W Tokai (東海 "Eastern Sea"), was a land-based anti-submarine patrol bomber aircraft developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The Allied code name was Lorna.
The design may have been derived from the German Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber, the Japanese Navy having received some examples for technical evaluation during the war.
The Navy ordered development as the 17-shi in September 1942, and the first test flight took place in September 1943. It entered service in January 1945. The Q1W carried two low-power engines, allowing for long periods of low-speed flight, and was the first purpose-designed anti-submarine warfare aircraft in the world.
In same period the K11W1 Shiragiku, a bomber training plane (also used in Kamikaze strikes) and the Q3W1 Nankai (South Sea), another specialized antisubmarine version, were constructed. The latter was of all-wood construction and was destroyed during its first flight.
Another specifically antisubmarine airplane was the Mitsubishi Q2M1 "Taiyo"(was derived from Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu "Peggy" Torpedo-bomber), but this did not progress beyond the preliminary design stage.
Contents |
Versions
- Q1W1 Prototype:1
- Q1W1 Tokai (East Sea), Patrol Aircraft of Navy, Mark 11:first model of serie.
- Q1W2 Mark 21:Basic model modified:tail surfaces in wood
- (total manufacture of Q1W1 Mark 11,21:151 examples)
- Q1W1-K Tokai-Ren: (East Sea-Trainer):Trainer version with capacity for four pilots, all-wood constructed.
- (One example)
- Total Production:153 examples.
Specifications (Q1W1)
General characteristics
- Crew: three
- Length: 12.09 m (39 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 16.00 m (52 ft 6 in)
- Height: 4.12 m (13 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 38.2 m² (411 ft²)
- Empty: 3,102 kg (6,824 lb)
- Loaded: 4,800 kg (10,560 lb)
- Maximum takeoff: 5,318 kg (11,700 lb)
- Powerplant: 2x Hitachi Amakaze 31 9-cylinder radial engines, 455 kW (610 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 322 km/h (201 mph)
- Range: 1,342 km (839 miles)
- Service ceiling: 4,490 m (14,727 ft)
- Rate of climb: 229 m/min (751 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 126 kg/m² (26 lb/ft²)
- Power/Mass: 0.19 kW/kg (0.12 hp/lb)
Armament
- 1x flexible rearward-firing 7.7 mm Type 92 machine gun
- 1x or 2x fixed forward-firing 20 mm Type 99 cannon sometimes fitted
- 2x 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or depth charges
Copyright
"Original data received from Wikipedia on April 11, 2006. Credit given to original authors can be seen Here."
