Kawasaki Type 88
| Kawasaki Type 88 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Reconnaissance and bombing aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1927 |
| Production time: |
1928-1932 |
| Number of pieces: |
1119 |
The Kawasaki Type 88 (also: KDA-2 ) was a Japanese reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft .
development
The aircraft was created in the second half of the 1920s in response to the Army Air Force's request for a reconnaissance aircraft. The German engineer Richard Vogt , who works as chief designer at Kawasaki, was responsible for the design. In 1927 three prototypes designated as KDA-2 were built. After the in-house and official tests had been completed, the decision was made to put the model into series production as an Army Type 88-I reconnaissance biplane . This was followed by an improved version with revised engine cowling and modified fin, which also went into series production as the Army Type 88-II reconnaissance biplane . Part of the production was relocated to Tachikawa , where 187 of the 707 aircraft built by 1931 were made.
In 1929, the bomber version Heerestyp 88-II light bomber , derived from the Type 88-II , appeared, of which 407 were built by 1932. A transport version named KDC-2 with a closed cabin for four passengers behind the cockpit was built in only two copies and did not go into series production. One of them was designed as a seaplane with two double floats.
The Type 88 was used, among other things, during the Manchuria crisis between China and Japan. The last deployments were made in 1937 in the early stages of the war between China and Japan , after which the pattern was withdrawn from the front line.
construction
The Type 88 is a single-handle, semi-cantilever double-decker made of metal. The fuselage is formed by a metal framework with a rectangular cross-section and fabric covering. The upper and lower wings also consist of a metal frame covered with fabric. They are connected to one another by an I-strut on each side, to which there is also a diagonal strut that runs from the connection point of the I-stem on the upper wing to that of the lower wing on the lower edge of the fuselage. In the upper and lower wings there are ailerons, which are connected on both sides by a strut. Like the supporting structure, the tail unit is formed from a fabric-covered metal framework, with the horizontal stabilizer being supported by a V-strut on each underside towards the fuselage. Both rudder and elevator are balanced. The rigid chassis consists of two triangular sheet metal girders crossed with wires, which are not connected to one another by an axle and at the ends of which the two main wheels are attached. There is a grinding spur at the rear.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (Type 88-I) | Data (Type 88-II) |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 2 | |
| length | 11.56 m | |
| span | 15.2 m (top) 13.34 m (bottom) |
|
| height | k. A. | |
| Wing area | 48.2 m² | |
| Wing loading | 62.2 kg / m² | 56.2 kg / m² |
| Power load | 6.6 kg / hp | 6 kg / hp |
| Area performance | 9.3 hp / m² | |
| Preparation mass | 1760 kg | 1580 kg |
| payload | 1240 kg | 1120 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 3000 kg | 2700 kg |
| drive | a liquid-cooled twelve-cylinder - V-engine | |
| Type | BMW VI (license Kawasaki) | |
| power | 600 hp (441 kW) | |
| Top speed | 220 km / h | 230 km / h |
| Landing speed | 95 km / h | |
| Rise time | 4.8 min at 1000 m 25.7 min at 3000 m 35.3 min at 5000 m |
15 min at 3000 m 25 min at 5000 m |
| Summit height | 6500 m | |
| Range | 750 km | 900 km |
| Armament | a rigid, synchronized 7.7 mm machine gun, a movable 7.7 mm machine gun on a rotating mount |
a rigid, synchronized 7.7 mm machine gun, a movable 7.7 mm twin machine gun on a rotating carriage |
| Drop ammunition | 250 kg bombs at under wing stations | k. A. |
literature
- Peter All-Fernandez (ed.): Aircraft from A to Z . Volume 2: Consolidated PBY – Koolhoven FK 55. Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1988, ISBN 3-7637-5905-0 , p. 420 .
- Werner von Langsdorff : Handbook of aviation . Born in 1939. 2nd, unchanged edition. J. F. Lehmann, Munich 1937, p. 306/307 .
