Yokosuka P1Y
| Yokosuka P1Y Ginga | |
|---|---|
 Yokosuka P1Y |
|
| Type: | bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
Yokosuka marine workshops (3 × prototypes) |
| First flight: |
August 1943 |
| Number of pieces: |
1.102 |
The Yokosuka P1Y Ginga ( Japanese 銀河 , “galaxy”, allied code name “Frances”) was a twin-engine land-based bomber developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II . It was the successor to the Mitsubishi G4M .
development
The P1Y was built by the First Naval Aviation Technical Arsenal in Yokosuka on the basis of a Navy tender for an aircraft with the speed of a Zero , the range of a G4M, a bomb load of one ton and the possibility of using it as a dive bomber as well as a torpedo bomber . The result showed an excess of complexity and was difficult to build and use. Problems with the Nakajima-Homare engine led to it being exchanged for the Mitsubishi Kasei .
The first flight took place in August 1943. Nakajima built 1,002 aircraft of this type.
The night fighter version, the P1Y2-S Kyokko (極光, "Aurora") was equipped with a radar device as well as upward and forward-firing 20 mm cannons. Kawanishi built 97 aircraft of this type. However, due to insufficient altitude performance compared to the American Boeing B-29 bombers, many of them were converted back to Ginga bombers.
Versions
- Prototypes: six aircraft with Homare NK9C-11 engines, 1044 kW (1820 hp).
- P1Y1 Ginga (Milky Way) Model 11, land-based naval bomber: first production model
- P1Y1 Ginga Kai Model 11 Special: modified version to accommodate a Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka "Baka" (Model 22).
- P1Y1-S Byakko (white light), naval night fighter: armed with four 20 mm type 99 cannons that fired diagonally upwards ( weird music ), as well as a 13 mm type 2 machine gun as defensive armament in the rear.
- P1Y2-S Kyokko (Aurora) Marine Night Fighter: Another night fighter version with the new Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25a , 2044 kW (1850 PS) engine. Armed with two 20 mm type 99 cannons firing diagonally upwards and a 13 mm type 2 machine gun as defensive armament in the rear.
- P1Y2 Model 16: Conversions from previous night fighters
- P1Y1a / P1Y12a: similar to P1Y1 / P1Y2 with a 20 mm type 99 cannon in the front of the cabin and a 13 mm type 2 machine gun as defensive armament in the rear.
- P1Y1b / P1Y2b: Version with a gun turret on the back of the fuselage, equipped with two 13 mm type 2 machine guns and a 20 mm type 99 cannon in the front of the cabin.
- P1Y1c / P1Y2c: similar to P1Y1b / P1Y2b but with a 13 mm type 2 machine gun instead of the cannon in the cabin.
- P1Y3-P1Y6: other engines and turbochargers , only projected.
Total production:
1,002 or 1,098 aircraft
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (P1Y1a) |
|---|---|
| crew | 3 |
| length | 15.00 m |
| span | 20.00 m |
| height | 4.30 m |
| Wing area | 55 m² |
| Empty mass | 7,265 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 13,500 kg |
| Engines | 2 × Nakajima Homare |
| Engine type | 18-cylinder radial engine |
| power | 1,361 kW (1,850 hp) |
| Top speed | 547 km / h |
| Range | 5,370 km |
| Summit height | 9,400 m |
| Rate of climb | 706 m / min |
| Wing loading | 245 kg / m² |
| Power / mass ratio | 0.20 kW / kg |
| Armament | 1 × movable 20 mm cannon type 99 in the bow 1 × movable 13 mm machine gun type 2 as defensive armament in the stern max. 1,000 kg bombs or 1 × air torpedo |
Web links
- avia.russian.ee: Yokosuka P1Y Ginga / Francis ( Memento from October 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (English)