Kawanishi Baika
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The Kawanishi Baika (梅花 - "Ume Blossom") was a pulsejet-powered kamikaze aircraft under development for the Imperial Japanese Navy towards the end of World War II. The war ended before any were built.
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[edit] History
Nazi Germany supplied the Japanese with a great deal of technical data on the V1 flying bomb and its Argus As 014 pulse jet engine, including the piloted version of the V1, the Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg), which inspired the design of the Baika. The only tangible outcome of the Axis cooperation, however, was the construction of prototypes of the Maru Ka-10 pulse jet engine which was to power the Baika.[1]
[edit] Variants
- Type I - Pulsejet intake located above and behind the cockpit, droppable landing gear. Intended for conventional take off on own power (possibly with the help of droppable rocket boosters).
- Type II - Similar to Type I, but with pulsejet moved forwards, no landing gear. Intended for submarine launch.
- Type III - Pulsejet mounted ventrally, no landing gear. Presumably, this version was intended to be air-launched by medium bombers such as the Mitsubishi G4M, Nakajima G8N or Yokosuka P1Y.
NB: On a 1953 paper written by Technical Commander Iwaya (the man who brought the Me 163 and BMW 003 info to Japan) all three versions of the Baika are shown with tricycle landing gear in place.
[edit] Specifications (Baika, as designed)
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General characteristics
- Crew: One, pilot
- Length: 7.00 m (23 ft)
- Wingspan: 6.60 m (21 ft 8 in)
- Height: ()
- Wing area: 7.6 m² (82 ft²)
- Empty weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,430 kg (3,152 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Maru Ka-10 Pulse jet engine, 2.9 kN (660 lbf)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 556 km/h (300 kn, 347 mph)
- Wing loading: 188 kg/m² (38 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.2:1
Armament
- 1 × 250 kg (550 lb) warhead
[edit] Notes
- ^ Zaloga, Steven J.; Jim Laurier (2005). V-1 Flying Bomb 1942-52: Hitler's Infamous 'Doodlebug'. Osprey Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 9781841767918.
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
- List of aircraft of Japan, World War II
- List of World War II jet aircraft
- List of military aircraft of Japan
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