Brief description: This picture gallery contains aircraft models of World War II on a scale 1:72 as injection moulded, resin- and vacu- formed kits as well as home-made conversions.
As of today 570 Models and7,695 Images are uploaded.
Dear Visitor,
Here, you will find photos of aircraft models of World War II on a scale 1:72. e.g. those of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), the United States Navy (USN), the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Navy (RN) , the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF), the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force (IJNAF), the German Air Force (Luftwaffe, GAF) and the Air Force of the Soviet Union. Within these branches of the services you can select between fighters, fighter-bombers, bombers, trainers etc. Also you can select projects, designed on the drawing board as well as post-war developments, whose origin dated back into the time of WW II.
Important notice: Among the aircraft models shown here there are many aircraft from the former German Air Force (Deutsche Luftwaffe). They all show the swastika as a national symbol of that time. I would like to point out that this is not a political statement, but rather a source of historical information on the types of aircraft flown by the German Luftwaffe before and during the Second World War. It is to be taken as a reference for all aviation enthusiasts, and not taken as an expression of any sympathy for the Nazi regime or any Neo-Nazi or Right wing hate Groups.
I have built all these models just for fun and never, it has been my intention to show them anybody or to present them at a show. Over the years more then 1.500 models have emerged, and many more kits have not been completed yet, or are still waiting for the finish or the last little detail.
POWER PLANT: Two Daimler-Benz DB 603E1-cooled piston engines with two-stage superchargers, rated at 1,900 hp at 5,900 ft
PERFORMANCE: 474 mph at 21,300 ft
COMMENT: The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Arrow) was a heavy fighter built by Dornier for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The Pfeil’s performance was predicted to be better than other twin-engine designs due to its unusual push-pull configuration and the lower aerodynamic drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. It was Nazi Germany’s fastest piston-engined aircraft of World War II. The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant that only a handful were delivered before the war ended.
The Do 335 was originally designed as a Schnellbomber. It could reach speeds of almost 500 mph in level flight, and could outrun most of the military aircraft in service at the time, with only first generation jet fighters being faster. The front engine of the Pfeil was the Daimler-Benz DB 605, and the rear one the DB 605 QA
The first 10 Dornier Do 335A-0s were delivered for testing in May 1944. By late this year, the Do 335A-1 was on the production line. It was similar to the A-0 but with the uprated DB 603E-1 engines of some 1,800 hp take-off power rating apiece and two underwing hardpoints for additional bombs, drop tanks or guns. It had a maximum speed of 474 mph at 21 300 ft with MW 50 boost, or 426 mph without boost, and climbed to 26, 250 ft in under 15 minutes. Even with one engine out, it reached about 350 mph.
With the worsening of war situation development emphasis in the „Pfeil“ programme switched from the A-series fighter-bomber to the more heavily armed B-series „Zerstörer“ (Destroyer), and during the winter 1944-45 the first Do 335B prototypes were completetd at Oberpfaffenhofen. The initial B-series „Zerstörer“ were essentially similar to the Do 335A-1 apart from armament and the deletion of internal weapon bay, its space being utilized by a supplement fuel tank.
These were destined to be the only B-series prototypes actually completed and flown, although six additional aircraft were under construction at Oberpfaffenhofen when further development was terminated. These were the Do 335 V15 and V16, respectively the second prototype of the Dornier Do 335B-1 and Dornier Do 335B-2 models, the Do 335 V17 which was intended as a prototype of the B-6 two-seat night and bad weather fighter similar to the A-6 but posessing the same armament as that oft he B-1; The Do 335 V18 which was to have been the second prototype fort he Do 335B-6, and the Do 335 V19 and V20 which would have been respectively prototypes for the Do 335B-3 and B-7 powered by DB 603LA engines with two stage superchargers, the former being a single-seater similar to the B-2 and the latter being a two-seater similar to the B-6.
The two-seated night-fighter Dornier Do 335B-6 was provided with a FuG 218 Neptun radar system with Hirschgeweih ( stag’s antlers) eight-dipol array with shorter elements than the previous 90 MHz SN-2 radar (Ref.: 7, 24).
POWER PLANT: One Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 air-cooled radial engine, rated at 1,560 hp.
PERFORMANCE: 375 mph at 19,850 ft
COMMENT: The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Comet; Allied reporting name “Judy”) was a two-seat carrier-based dive bomber developed by the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal and operated by the Imperial Japanese Nay (IJN) from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Development of the aircraft began in 1938. The first D4Y1 was complete in November 1940 and made its maiden flight at Yokosuka the following month.
While the aircraft was originally conceived as a dive bomber, the D4Y was used in other roles including reconnaissance, night fighter and special attack (kamikaze)). It made its combat debut as a reconnaissance aircraft when two pre-production D4Y1-Cs embarked aboard the aircraft carrier Sōryū to take part in the Battle of Midway in 1942. It was not until March 1943 that it was accepted for use as a dive bomber. The early D4Y1 and D4Y2 featured the liquid-cooled Aichi Atsuta engine, a licensed version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601, while the later D4Y3 and D4Y4 featured the Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsai radial engine.
The aircraft was a single-engine, all-metal low-wing monoplane, with a wide-track retractable undercarriage and wing-mounted dive brakes. It had a crew of two: a pilot and a navigator/radio-operator/gunner, seated under a long, glazed canopy which provided good all-round visibility. The pilot of bomber versions was provided with a telescopic bombsight. The aircraft had a slim fuselage that enabled it to reach high speeds in horizontal flight and in dives, while it had excellent maneuverability despite high wing loading, with the Suisei having superior performance to contemporary dive bombers such as the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. In order to conform with the Japanese Navy’s requirement for long range, weight was minimized by not fitting the D4Y with self-sealing fuel tanks or armor, Subsequently, the D4Y was extremely vulnerable and tended to catch fire when hit
Bombs were fitted under the wings and in an internal fuselage bomb bay. It usually carried one 500 kg bomb but there were reports that the D4Y sometimes carried two 250 kg lb) bombs. The aircraft was armed with two 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns in the nose and a The rear gun was replaced by a 13 mm Type 2 machine gun in the rear of the cockpit.
The aircraft was engined with the reliable Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 air-cooled radial engine radial engine as the Yokosuka D4Y3 Model 33. Although the new engine improved ceiling and rate of climb to over 33,000 ft, and climb to 9,800 ft in 4.5 minutes, instead of 30,800 ft and 5 minutes, the higher fuel consumption resulted in reduced range and cruising speed and the engine obstructed the forward and downward view of the pilot, hampering carrier operations. These problems were tolerated because of the increased availability of the new variant.
In October 1944, an attack by a lone D4Y3 resulted in the sinking of light carrier USS Princeton in the Batlle of Leyty Gulf. Similarly in March 1945, a single D4Y3 managed to hit the carrier USS Franklin with two bombs, nearly sinking Franklin and resulting in the loss of almost 800 of her crew. Famously, a D4Y3 was used in one of the final kamikaze attacks in 1945, hours after the surrender of Japan, with Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki in the rear cockpit (Ref.: 24).
POWER PLANT: Four BMW 801 G radial engines with turbochargers and GM-1 boost system., rated at 1,750 hp each for take-off
PERFORMANCE: 351 mph at 27,230 ft with GM-1 operating
COMMENT: The Messerschmitt Me 264 was a long-range strategic bomber developed during WW II for the German Luftwaffe as its main strategic bomber. The design was later selected as Messerschmitt’s competitor in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium’s (RLM, German Air Ministry) Americabomber programme, for a strategic bomber capable of attacking New York City from bases in France or the Azores.
Three prototypes were built but production was abandoned to allow Messerschmitt to concentrate on fighter production (Messerschmitt Me 262) and the Junkers Ju 390 was selected in its place. Nevertheless, development oft he Me 264 continued as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft instead.
The origin of the Me 264 design came from Messerschmitt’s long-range reconnaissance aircraft project, the P.1061 of the late 1930‘s. A variant on the P.1061 was the P.1062 of which three prototypes were built, with only „two engines” to the P.1061’s four, but they were, in fact, the more powerful Daimler Benz DB 606 “power systems”, each comprising a pair of DB 601 inverted V-12 engines. These engines were successfully used in the long-range Messerschmitt Me261 itself originating as the Messerschmitt P.1064 design of 1937. Also, the DB 606 engine powered Heinkel He 177A heavy bomber. In early 1941, six P.1061 prototypes were ordered from Messerschmitt, under the designation Me 264. This was later reduced to three prototypes.
The Me 264 was an all-metal, high-wing, four-engine heavy bomber of classic construction. The fuselage was round in cross-section and had a cabin in a glazed nose, comprising a “stepless cockpit” with no separate windscreen section for the pilots, which was common for most later German bomber designs. A strikingly similar design was used for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, of slightly earlier origin. The wing had a slightly swept leading edge and a straight trailing edge. The empennage had double tail fins. The undercarriage was a retractable tricycle gear with large-diameter wheels on the wing-mounted main gear.Overall, it carried very little armour and few guns as a means of increasing fuel capacity and range.
The first prototype, the Messerschmitt Me 264 V1, bearing the Stammkennzeichen (factory code) RE+EN, was flown on 23 December 1942. It was powered at first by four Junkers Jumo 211J inline engines of 1,340 hp each. In late 1943, these were changed to the BMW 801G radials which delivered 1,750 hp. Trials showed numerous minor faults and handling was found to be difficult. One of the drawbacks was the very high wing loading of the Me 264 in fully loaded conditions. The relatively high wing loading caused poor climb performance, loss of manoeuvrability, stability and high take-off and landing speeds. The first prototype was not fitted with weapons or armour. On 18 July 1944, the Me 264 V1, which had entered service with Transportstaffel 5 (Transport Wing 5) ,was damaged during an Allied bombing raid and was not repaired.
The second prototype Me 264 V2, Stammkennzeichen (factory code) RE+EO, was to be powered by for BMW 801G radial engines with turbochargers and GM-1 injection. The wing-span was extended and 1.000 kg of armor added around the more vital parts of the aircraft. For increased range six additional auxillary fuel tanks were mounted under the wings. Due to compensade overweight two droppable auxiliary wheels were attached to the main landing gear.
The third prototype was unfinished and destroyed during the same raid. In October 1943. So officially, further development of the Me 264 was stopped to concentrate on the production of the Messerschmitt Me 262 turbojet-fighter.
Nevertheless, Messerschmitt was convinced in increased requirements of a multi-engine long-range bomber/reconnaissance aircraft. So the design team still worked on a six-engine version of the Me 264, the Me 264/6m (or alternatively Me 364). But the collaps of the „Third Reich“ ended all activities (Ref.: 24).
POWER PLANT One Rools-Royce Giffon 89 liquid-cooled engine, rated at 2,350 hp driving six-bladed contra-rotating propeller
PERFORMANCE: 475 mph at 21.000 ft
COMMENT: The Supermarine Seafang was a British fighter aircraft designed by Supermarine to Air Ministry Specification N5/45 for naval use. It was based on the Supermarine Spiteful, which was a development of Supermarine’s Griffon-engined Spitfire aircraft. By that time the Supermarine Spitfire was a 10-year-old design in a period of rapid technical development in aviation. The Seafang was outmoded by jet aircraft, and only 18 were built.
The Seafang was essentially a Spiteful redesigned for Royal Navy carrier use, with the addition of an arrester hook, a contra-rotating propeller to eliminate engine torque effects, and power folding outer wing panels.
Two prototype Type 396 Seafang Mark 32s were ordered on March 1945 followed by an order for 150 Type 382 Seafang Mark 31s on May 1945. To expedite entry into service the interim Mark 31 was ordered which was a navalised Spiteful, basically a Spiteful with an arrestor hook added. This would allow the Mark 32 to be developed; it would be the definitive naval variant, with the folding outer wings and contra-rotating propeller.
The first prototype Seafang Mark 32 was first flown in June 1946. It was powered by a Griffon 89 engine rated at 2,350 hp driving two three-bladed contra-rotating propellers. In August 1946, was demonstrated to the Royal Netherlands Navy at Valkenburg. The same aircraft was flown in May 1947 during deck landing trials on carrier HMS Illustrious. Compared to the Supermarine Seafire, its performance advantage was not deemed to be enough to disrupt series production of new navalised Gloster Meteor and de Havilland Vampire jet fighters. Also, the Seafang’s low-speed handling characteristics were not as good as hoped, and the contemporary Hawker Sea Fury was preferred as a fleet fighter (Ref.: 24).
POWER PLANT: One BMW 801D-2 air-cooled radial engine, rated at 1,677 hp
PERFORMANCE: 405 mph at 9,420 ft
COMMENT: The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed Würger (Shrike) was a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulff Company in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Me 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force) of the Luftwaffe. The twin-row BMW 801 radial engine that powered most operational versions enabled the Fw 190 to lift larger loads than the Me 109, allowing its use as a day fighter, fighter bomber, ground-attack aircraft and to a lesser degree, nught fighter.
The Fw 190A started flying operationally over France in August 1941 and quickly proved superior in all but turn radius to the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. V, the main front-line fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF), particularly at low and medium altitudes. The 190 maintained its superiority over Allied fighters until the introduction of the improved Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX. In November/December 1942, the Fw 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front, finding much success in fighter wings and specialised ground attack units (Schlachtgeschwader – Battle Wings or Strike Wings) from October 1943.
The Fw 190A series’ performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 20,000 ft and above, which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude interceptor. From the Fw 190’s inception, there had been ongoing efforts to address this with a turbosuper-charged BMW 801 in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190B model, the much longer-nosed Focke-Wulf Fw 190C model with efforts to also turbocharge its chosen Daimler Benz DB 603 inverted V12 powerplant, and the similarly long-nosed Focke-Wulf Fw 190D model with the Junkers Jumo 213. Problems with the turbocharger installations on the -B and -C subtypes meant only the D model entered service in September 1944. These high-altitude developments eventually led to the Focke-Wulf/Tank Ta 152, which was capable of extreme speeds at medium to high altitudes (469 mph at 44,300 ft. While these “long nose” Fw 190 variants and the Ta 152 derivative especially gave the Germans parity with Allied opponents, they arrived too late to affect the outcome of the war.
The Fw 190A-8 entered production in February 1944, powered either by the standard BMW 801 D-2 or the 801Q (also known as 801TU). The 801Q/TU, with the “T” signifying a Triebwerksanlage unitized powerplant installation, was a standard 801D with improved, thicker armour on the BMW-designed front annular cowling, which still incorporated the BMW-designed oil cooler, upgraded from 6 mm on earlier models to 10 mm. Changes introduced in the Fw 190 A-8 also included the C3-injection Erhöhte Notleistung emergency boost system to the fighter variant of the Fw 190 A (a similar system with less power had been fitted to some earlier Jabo variants of the 190 A), raising power to 1,950 hp for 10 minutes. The 10 minute emergency power may be used up to three times per mission with a 10 minute cooldown in “combat power” between each 10 minute use of emergency power.
The Focke-Wulf A-8/R-1 Zerstörer (Destroyer) had a quartette of underwing-mounted MG 151 cannon (Rüstsatz 1, Field conversion set), the standart twin fuselage mounted MG 131 and wing root-mounted MG 15.
Of the total of 23.823 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 built in all variants 6.655 aircraft were Fw 190A-8.
The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe’s most successful fighter aces claimed many of their kills while flying it. The Fw 190 had greater firepower than the Messerschmitt Me 109 and, at low to medium altitude, superior manoeuvrability, in the opinion of German pilots who flew both fighters. It was regarded as one of the best fighter planes of World War II .
The Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8/R-1 shown here belonged to the II. Gruppe (Wing) of JG 1 (Jagdgeschwader, Fighter Group) (Ref.: 24).
POWER PLANT: Two Allison V-1710 (-89 left hand rotation and -91 right hand rotation) liquid-cooled turbo-supercharged piston engine, rated at 1,425 hp each at 26,000 ft
PERFORMANCE: 420 mph
COMMENT: The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twin-boom design with a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Along with its use as a general fighter, the P-38 was used in various aerial combat roles, including as a highly effective fighter-bomber, a night-fighter, and a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks The P-38 was also used as a bomber-pathfinder, guiding streams of medium and heavy bpmbers, or even other P-38s equipped with bombs, to their targets Used in the aerial reconnaissance role, the P-38 accounted for 90 percent of American aerial film captured over Europe. Although it was not designated a heavy fighter or a bomber destoyer by the USAAC, the P-38 filled those roles and more; unlike German heavy fighters crewed by two or three airmen, the P-38 with its lone pilot was nimble enough to compete with single-engine fighters.
The P-38 Lightning was used most successfully in the Pacific and the China-Burma-India Theaters of Operatio In the South-West Pacific Theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of USAAF until the introduction of large numbers of North American P-51 Mustangs toward the end of the war. Unusual for an early-war fighter design, both engines were supplemented by turbosuperchargers, making it one of the earliest Allied fighters capable of performing well at high altitudes. The turbosuperchargers also muffled the exhaust, making the P-38’s operation relatively quiet. The Lightning was extremely forgiving in flight and could be mishandled in many ways, but the initial rate of roll in early versions was low relative to other contemporary fighters; this was addressed in later variants with the introduction of hydraulically boosted ailerons The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in large-scale production throughout American involvement in the war, from the Attack on Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day.
Throughout the lightnings production life its external contours had remained virtually unchanged until, in August 1943, the P-38J began to appear. Known by the manufacturers as the Model 422, the P-38J-1-LO introduced a beared radiator under each drive shaft,resulting from the sandwiching of the inter-cooler air intake between the oil radiator intakes. The price paid for this modification was a slight increase in drag, but this was more than compensated for by the improved cooling effect enabling the Allison V-1710-89/91 engines to develop its full 1,425 hp at 26,000 ft, and with a maximum speed of 420 mph at that altitude, the P-38J was the fasted variant of the entire Lighning series. However. The wing instability problems first experienced during wind tunnel tests in 1939 now reappeared. Careful filleting of the wing-fuselage junction eventually overcame these difficulties.
From the P-38J-5-LO production batch, the leading-edge space formerly occupied by the intercooler was occupied by two additional fuel tanks, increasing total internal fuel capacity to 341 Imp gal. To counteract a strong nose-down pitching movement at high speed in this model of the Lightning, a small electrically-operated dive flap was introduced under each wing commencing the the P-38J-25-LO production batch. To increase manoeurability, this batch also introduced a power-boosting system on the ailerons which, consisting of hydraulically-operated bell-cranks and push-pull rods, was one of the first applications on powered controls to any fighter.
2.970 J-Model Lightnings were produced, several hundred of these being converted as Lockheed F-5E and F-5F Lightnings (Ref.: 24).
POWER PLANT: One BMW 003 turbojet engine, rated at 950 kp thrust, later one Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engine, rated at 1.300 kp thrust
PERFORMANCE: 684 mph
COMMENT: Due to the rapidly deteriorating war conditions in Germany in the last months of WWII, the RLM (Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium, German Air Ministry) issued a specification for a fighter project that would use a minimum of strategic materials, be suitable for rapid mass production and have a performance equal to the best piston engined fighters of the time. The Volksjäger (People’s Fighter), as it became known as, was issued on September 8, 1944 to Arado, Blohm & Voss, Fiesler, Focke-Wulf, Junkers, Heinkel, Messerschmitt and Siebel. The new fighter also needed to weigh no more than 2000 kg have a maximum speed of 457 mph, a minimum endurance of 30 minutes, a takeoff distance of 500 m (1604′), an endurance of at least 30 minutes and it was to use the BMW 003 turbojet engine.
Although not chosen to submit a design, the Horten Brothers came up with the Ho X that met the specifications laid out by the RLM. Using a similar concept that they had been working on with their Horten IX (Ho 229) flying wing fighter, the Ho X was to be constructed of steel pipes covered with plywood panels in the center section, with the outer sections constructed from two-ply wood beams covered in plywood. The wing featured two sweepbacks, approximately 60 degrees at the nose, tapering into a 43 degree sweepback out to the wingtips. Control was to be provided by combined ailerons and elevators at the wingtips, along with drag surfaces at the wingtips for lateral control. A single BMW 003E turbojet engine with 900 kp of thrust was housed in the rear of the aircraft, which was fed by two air intakes on either side of the cockpit. One advantage to this design was that different jet engines could be accommodated, such as the Heinkel-Hirth He S 011 with 1300 kp of thrust, which was to be added later after its development was complete. The landing gear was to be of a tricycle arrangement and the pilot sat in a pressurized cockpit in front of the engine compartment. Armament consisted of a single MK 108 30mm cannon or a single MK 213 30mm cannon)in the nose and two MG 131 13mm machine guns, one in each wing root.
In order to determine the center of gravity on various sweepback angles, scale models with a 3.05 meter wingspan were built. A full-sized glider was also under construction but was not completed before the war’s end. Further development would have been to add an 240 horsepower Argus As 10C piston engine in a pusher configuration and later the more powerful Heinkel-Hirth He S 011 with 1300 kp of thrust. Due to the ending of hostilities in 1945, the Horten Ho X was not completed (Ref.: 17).
POWER PLANT: Two Mitsubishi Ha-112-II Army Type 4 radial engines, rated at 1,500 hp each
PERFORMANCE: 404 mph at 19,095 ft
COMMENT: The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in WW II. Its Army designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft; the Allied nickname was DINAH.
At the beginning of the conflict the newest version of the Mitsubishi Ki-46-II were able to performe their missions with almost complete freedom from interception as, without the benefit of ground control radar to guide them, the Allied squadron‘ obsolescent fighters failed to reach the elusive Nipponese aircraft in time.
As the production of the Mitsubishi Ki-46-III (Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Plane Model 3) gained tempo, a high-altitude interceptor fighter version was developed by the Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo (Army Aerotechnical Research Institute) as a stopgap pending production of specialized aircraft. Initially studies for this aircraft bgan in June 1943 and ist development was persued actively from May 1944 onwards. A modification programme was initiated at the Tachikawa Dai-Ichi Kokusho (First Army Air Arsenal at Tachikawa) where the photographic equipment of the standard Ki-46-III was removed. Modifications also included the redesign of the nose to provide space for two 20 mm Ho-5 cannon and the replacement of the top centre fuselage fuel tank by an obliquely mounted forward-firing 37 mm Ho 203 cannon. The first Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter (Ki-46-III KAI) was completed in October 1944 and, a month later, aircraft of this type were issued to various units operating in defence of Japan. Operational results were disappointing as the Ki-46-III KAIs did not have the climbing speed required for an interceptor, but further developments of this variant resulted in the Army Type 100 Assault Plane (Ki-46-IIIb), of which only a few were built, and the Ki-46-IIIc which remained on the drawing board.
Retaining the Ki-46-III airframe but powered by two Ha-112-II Ru engines fitted with exhaust-driven turbosuperchargers, four Ki-46-IV prototypes were built in 1943-44. With a military rating of 1,100 hp at 33,465 ft, the Ha.112-II Ru gave the aircraft superior performance at altitude. Compared with the Ki-46-III, the Ki-46-IV differed by the installation, in the lower rear portion of the engine nacelles, of the turbosuperchargers, the air intake being methanol-cooled as space restriction prevented the use of an intercooler, and by an increase in internal fuel capacity to 1,977 litres. Tests began in February 1944, but difficulties with the turbosuper-charging system delayed the production of the Army Type100 Command Reconnaissance Plane Model 4a (Ki-46-IVa) and its fighter version, the Ki-46-IVb with nose-mounted cannon, both aircraft being finally deleted from the production priority list.
While the Mitsubishi Ki-46-IIs and Ki-46-IIs operated until the end of the war, two Ki-46-IVs demonstrated in February 1945 that the Dinah was still one of the best reconnaissance aircraft of the time by covering, with the help of strong tailwinds, 1,430 miles at an average speed of 435 mph (Ref.: 1).
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH)
POWER PLANT: One Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011A0 turbojet engine, rated at 1.300 kp thrust
PERFORMANCE: 680 mph (estimated)
COMMENT: The Messerschmitt P.1112 was a proposed German turbojet fighter, developed by Messerschmitt AG during the closing stages of World War II, and intended for use by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). The progress of the war prevented the completion of a prototype before the fall of Nazi Germany. Its design, however, had a direct influence on postwar US Navy carrier fighters.
The work on the Me P.1112 started on February 1945 ( Ten weeks before the unconditional surrender of the Reich!!!!!) after Willy Messerschmitt decided to halt the development of the Messerschmitt Me P.1111, which would have required, as standard equipment, a pressurized cockpit and ejection seat. Designed by the head of the Messerschmitt Project Office W. Vogt, between 3rd and 30th March 1945 as an alternative to the Me P.1111, the Messerschmitt Me P.1112 design was less radical than the Me P.1111 and incorporated the lessons learned from the development of the Messerschmitt Me P.1110 design. Voigt estimated that the Me P.1112 would commence flight testing by mid-1946.
Intended to be powered by a single Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engine, three design concepts of the Me P.1112 were developed. The last proposed design was the Me P.1112/V1 using a V-tail design and fuselage lateral intakes; the two first were the Me P.1112 S/1, with wing root air intakes, and the Me P.1112 S/2, with fuselage lateral intakes, both with a larger, single fin; both designs lacked conventional horizontal stabilizers. All three had a fuselage maximum diameter of 1.1 metres.The aircraft’s wing design was similar in appearance to that of Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket fighter. The pilot was seated in a semi-reclined position, and was equipped with an ejection seat.
A partial mockup of the Me P.1112 V/1, consisting of the aircraft’s forward fuselage section, was constructed in the “Conrad von Hötzendorf“ Kaserne at Oberammergau, Bavaria, but the Messerschmitt facilities there were occupied by American troops in April 1945, before construction of the prototype could begin
Although the Me P.1112 was never completed, follow-on designs were already proposed, even as design work on the type itself was done. These included a proposed night fighter version, which was intended to be fitted with twin engines mounted in the wing roots of the aircraft.
Following WW II, Voigt’s experience in tailless aircraft design was put to use by the Chance Vought Company in the United States, where he was involved in the design of the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass fighter (Ref 24).
TYPE: Carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft, land-based night fighter
ACCOMMODATION: Crew of two
POWER PLANT: One Nakajima NK9B Homare 11 air-cooled radial engine, rated at 1,991 hp
PERFORMANCE: 380 mph at 20,000 ft
COMMENT: The Nakajima C6N Saiun ( “Iridecent Cloud“) was a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. Advanced for its time, it was the fastest carrier based aircraft put into service by Japan during the war. The Allied reporting name was Myrt.
The Nakajima C6N originated from a 1942 Imperial Japanese Navy specification for a carrier-based reconnaissance plane with a top speed of 403 mph at 19,700 ft and a range of 2,500 nautical miles. Nakajima’s initial proposal, designated N-50, was for a craft with two 1,000 hp engines housed in tandem in the fuselage, driving two propellers mounted on the wings. With the development of the 2,000 hp class Nakajima Homare engine, the dual powerplant configuration was abandoned and Nakajima decided on a more conventional single-engine layout. Unfortunately the new Homare’s power output was less than expected, and the design had to be optimized in other areas. The resulting aircraft was designed around a long and extremely narrow cylindrical fuselage just large enough in diameter to accommodate the engine. The crew of three sat in tandem under a single canopy, while equipment was similarly arranged in a line along the fuselage. The C6N’s low-mounted laminar flow wing housed fuel tanks and was fitted with both Fowler and slit flaps and leading-edge slats which lowered the aircraft’s landing speed to ease use aboard aircraft carriers. Like Nakajima’s earlier B6N Tenzan torpedo bomber, the vertical stabilizer was angled slightly forward to enable tighter packing on aircraft carrier decks.
The C6N’s first flight was on May 1943, with the prototype demonstrating a speed of 397 mph. Performance of the Homare engine was disappointing, especially its power at altitude, and a series of 18 further prototypes and pre-production aircraft were built before the Saiun was finally ordered into production in February 1944.
Although designed for carrier use, by the time it entered service in September 1944 there were few carriers left for it to operate from, so most C6Ns were flown from land bases. Its speed was exemplified by a telegraph sent after a successful mission: “No Grummans can catch us.” The top speed of the Grumman F6F Hellcats was indeed of the same level, so overtaking a Saiun was out of the question.
A total of 463 aircraft were produced. A single prototype of turbocharged development mounting a 4-blade propeller was built; this was called the C6N2 Saiun-kai. Several examples of a night fighter version C6N1-S with oblique-firing (Schräge Musik configuration) single 30 mm (or dual 20 mm) cannon were converted from existing C6N1s. As Allied bombers came within reach of the Japanese home islands, a first class night fighter was required. This led Nakajima to develop the C6N1-S by removing the observer and replacing him with two 20 mm cannons. The C6N1-S’s effectiveness was hampered by the lack of air-to-air radar, although it was fast enough to enjoy almost complete immunity from interception by Allied fighters. The 30 mm version was only used to attack Boeing B-29 Superfortress once, on August 1, 1945. The destructive power of the Type 2 cannon extended to twisting the skin of the Saiun’s lightweight fuselage.
A torpedo carrying C6N1-B was also proposed, but was not needed after most of Japan’s aircraft carriers were destroyed.
Despite its speed and performance, on 15 August 1945 a C6N1 happened to be the last aircraft to be shot down in World War II. Just five minutes later, the war was over and all Japanese aircraft were grounded (Ref. 24).
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