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39-588: 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 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

78-419: A spy plane ) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography ), signals intelligence , as well as measurement and signature intelligence . Modern technology has also enabled some aircraft and UAVs to carry out real-time surveillance in addition to general intelligence gathering . Before

117-645: A licensed copy of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601 , rated at 895 kW (1,200 hp). The radiator was behind and below the three-blade propeller, as in the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk . 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

156-476: A lone D4Y resulted in the sinking of light carrier USS Princeton in the Battle of Leyte Gulf . Similarly in March 1945, a single D4Y 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 D4Y was used in one of the final kamikaze attacks in 1945, hours after the surrender of Japan , with Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki in

195-569: 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 armour . 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 (1,100 lb) bomb but there were reports that

234-578: The Nakajima B5N and B6N , which were not given forward-firing armament until the late-war Aichi B7A , which was expected to serve as both a dive-bomber and torpedo-bomber and was given a pair of 20mm Type 99-2 cannon . The forward machine guns were retained in the kamikaze version. The first (of five) prototypes was complete in November 1940 and made its maiden flight in December 1940. After

273-798: The RB-47 , RB-57 , Boeing RC-135 and the Ryan Model 147 drones . Since the Cold War much of the strategic reconnaissance aircraft role has passed over to satellites , and the tactical role to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This has been proven in successful uses by the United States in Desert Storm operations. [REDACTED] Media related to Reconnaissance aircraft at Wikimedia Commons Type 97 aircraft machine gun The Type 97 aircraft machine gun ( 九七式七粍七固定機銃 )

312-694: The Vickers Class E machine gun . It was highly suitable for synchronization and was used as the cowling armament on the A6M Zero . However, the Type 97 remained chambered for the British 0.303 in (7.7 mm) cartridge and the Type 89 was chambered for a new 0.303 in (7.7 mm) cartridge developed in Japan, making their ammunition non-interchangeable. The Type 97 came into service in 1937, and

351-501: The invasion of Okinawa . The Japanese responded with massive kamikaze attacks, codenamed Kikusui , in which many D4Ys were used. A dedicated kamikaze version of the D4Y3, the D4Y4, with a non-detachable 800 kg bomb attached in a semi-recessed manner, was developed. The Japanese had begun installing rocket boosters on some Kamikazes, including the D4Y4, in order to increase speed near

390-598: The 20th century, machines for powered and controllable flight were not available to military forces, but some attempts were made to use lighter than air craft. During the Napoleonic Wars and Franco-Prussian War , balloons were used for aerial reconnaissance by the French. In World War I , aircraft were deployed during early phases of battle in reconnaissance roles as 'eyes of the army ' to aid ground forces. Aerial reconnaissance from this time through 1945

429-464: The A6M Zero, and some were employed as D4Y2-S night fighters against Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers late in the war. The night fighter conversions were made at the 11th Naval Aviation Arsenal at Hiro. Each D4Y2-S had its bombing systems and equipment removed and replaced by a 20 mm Type 99 cannon installed in the rear cockpit, with the barrel slanted up and forwards in a similar manner to

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468-468: The Americans called " The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot ", with 400 Japanese aircraft shot down in a single day. A single Hellcat pilot, Lieutenant Alexander Vraciu , shot down six D4Ys within a few minutes. One D4Y was said to have damaged the battleship USS  South Dakota . The D4Y was relegated to land operations where both the liquid-cooled engine D4Y2, and the radial engine D4Y3 fought against

507-492: The D4Y sometimes carried two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs.} The aircraft was armed with two 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 97 aircraft machine guns in the nose and a 7.92 mm (.312 in) Type 1 machine gun – selected for its high rate of fire – in the rear of the cockpit . The rear gun was replaced by a 13 mm (.51 in) Type 2 machine gun . This armament was typical for Japanese carrier-based dive-bombers, unlike "carrier attack bombers" ( torpedo bombers ) like

546-784: The German Schräge Musik armament fitting (pioneered by the IJNAS in May 1943 on the Nakajima J1N ). Some examples also carried two or four 10 cm air-to-air rockets under the wings; lack of radar for night interceptions, inadequate climb rate and the B-29's high ceiling limited the D4Y2-S effectiveness as a night fighter. Little is known of their operations. At the end of the war, D4Ys were still being used operationally against

585-569: The U.S. Navy. Among the last of these were 11 aircraft led by Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki on a suicide mission on 15 August 1945, of which all but three were lost. In 1988, a restored D4Y1 (serial 4316 ) was donated to the Yasukuni Shrine Yūshūkan Museum in Tokyo, where it remains on display. The wreck was recovered from Colonia Airfield on Yap Island and restored at Kisarazu Air Field from 1979 to 1980. An engineless D4Y3

624-628: The U.S. fleet, scoring some successes. An unseen D4Y bombed and sank the Princeton on 24 October 1944. D4Ys hit other carriers as well, by both conventional attacks and kamikaze actions. In the Philippines air battles, the Japanese used kamikazes for the first time, and they scored heavily. D4Ys from 761 Kōkūtai may have hit the escort carrier USS  Kalinin Bay on 25 October 1944, and

663-465: The carrier USS  Wasp . On 12 April 1945, another D4Y, part of Kikusui mission N.2, struck Enterprise , causing some damage. During Kikusui N.6, on 11 May 1945, USS  Bunker Hill was hit and put out of action by two kamikazes that some sources identify as D4Ys. This was the third Essex -class carrier forced to retire to the United States to repair. The D4Y was faster than

702-454: The constant-speed type and more armour for the crew and fuel tanks. Ultimately, 2,038 of all variants were produced, mostly by Aichi Kokuki . Lacking armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Suiseis did not fare well against Allied fighters . They did, however, cause considerable damage to ships, including the carrier USS  Franklin which was nearly sunk by an assumed single D4Y and

741-465: The crew and fuel tanks. Nevertheless, the D4Y was one of the fastest dive bombers of the war, particularly the D4Y4 whom Max Gadney said was the "fastest dive-bomber of World War II" and that it was "faster than the Zero". Only the delays in its development hindered its service while its predecessor, the slower fixed-gear Aichi D3A , remained in service much longer than intended. In October 1944, an attack by

780-575: The development of devices such as radar , military forces relied on reconnaissance aircraft for visual observation and scouting of enemy movement. An example is the PBY Catalina maritime patrol flying boat used by the Allies in World War II : a flight of U.S. Navy Catalinas spotted part of the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle of Midway . Prior to

819-608: 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. The last version was the D4Y4 Special Strike Bomber , a single-seat kamikaze aircraft, capable of carrying one 800 kg (1,800 lb) bomb, which was put into production in February 1945. It was equipped with three rocket boosters for terminal dive acceleration. This aircraft

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858-651: The increasing losses incurred by the D3A resulted in production switching to the D4Y1 dive-bomber, the aircraft's structural problems finally being solved. Although the D4Y could operate from the large fleet carriers that formed the core of the Combined Fleet at the start of the war, it had problems operating from the smaller and slower carriers such as the Hiyō class , which formed a large proportion of Japan's carrier fleet after

897-435: The light carrier USS  Princeton which was sunk by a single D4Y. The D4Y was operated from the following Japanese aircraft carriers: Chitose , Chiyoda , Hiyō , Junyō , Shinyo , Shōkaku , Sōryū , Taihō , Unryū , Unyō and Zuikaku . The D4Y1-C reconnaissance aircraft entered service in mid-1942, when two of these aircraft were deployed aboard Sōryū at the Battle of Midway , one of which

936-554: 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 Kinsei radial engine . Like many other Japanese aircraft of the time, the D4Y lacked armor and self-sealing fuel tanks and it was not until the final variant, the D4Y4, that the aircraft was given bulletproof glass and armor protection for

975-550: The losses of the Battle of Midway . Catapult equipment was fitted, giving rise to the D4Y1 Kai (or improved) model. Early versions of the D4Y were difficult to keep operational because the Atsuta engines were unreliable in front-line service. From the beginning, some had argued that the D4Y should be powered by an air-cooled radial engine which Japanese engineers and maintenance crew had experience with, and trusted. The aircraft

1014-507: The next day, USS  Suwannee . Both were badly damaged, especially Suwannee , with heavy casualties and many aircraft destroyed. A month later on 25 November, USS  Essex , Hancock , Intrepid and Cabot were hit by kamikazes , almost exclusively A6M Zero fighters and D4Ys, with much more damage. D4Ys also made conventional attacks. All these D4Ys were from 601 and 653 Kōkūtai . Task Force 58 approached southern Japan in March 1945 to strike military objectives in support of

1053-521: The prototype trials, problems with flutter were encountered, a fatal flaw for an airframe subject to the stresses of dive bombing. Until this could be resolved, early production aircraft were used as reconnaissance aircraft, as the D4Y1-C , which took advantage of its high speed and long range while not over-stressing the airframe. Production of the D4Y1-C continued in small numbers until March 1943, when

1092-566: The rapid advances in American materiel in 1944 (among them, the introduction in large numbers of the Essex -class aircraft carrier ) left the Japanese behind. Another disadvantage suffered by the Japanese was their inexperienced pilots. The U.S. Task Force 58 struck the Philippine airfields and destroyed the land air forces first before engaging Japanese naval aircraft. The result was what

1131-762: The rear cockpit. Development of the aircraft began in 1938 at the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal when the Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau ( Kaigun Kōkū Hombu ) issued requirements of a Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne specification for an aircraft carrier -based dive bomber to replace the Aichi D3A . Its design was inspired by the Heinkel He 118 which the Japanese Navy had acquired from Germany in early 1938. The aircraft

1170-415: The target. As the D4Y4 was virtually identical in the air to the D4Y3, it was difficult to determine the sorties of each type. The carriers USS  Enterprise and Yorktown were damaged by D4Ys of 701 Wing on 18 March. On 19 March, the carrier USS  Franklin was hit with two bombs from a single D4Y. Franklin was so heavily damaged that she was retired until the end of the war. Another D4Y hit

1209-704: The visual range of the ship's lookouts, and could spot the fall of shot during long range artillery engagements. Observation seaplanes were replaced by helicopters after World War II. After World War II and during the Cold War the United States developed several dedicated reconnaissance aircraft designs, including the U-2 and SR-71 , to monitor the nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union . Other types of reconnaissance aircraft were built for specialized roles in signals intelligence and electronic monitoring, such as

Yokosuka D4Y - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-434: 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 was powered by an Aichi Atsuta liquid-cooled inverted V12 engine ,

1287-505: Was an almost ideal kamikaze model: it had a combination of speed (560 km/h/350 mph), range (2,500 km/1,550 mi) and payload (800 kg/1,760 lb) probably not matched by any other Japanese aircraft. The D4Y5 Model 54 was a planned version designed in 1945. It was to be powered by the Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 radial engine rated at 1,361 kW (1,825 hp), a new four-blade metal propeller of

1326-674: Was lost when Sōryū was bombed. The other had been launched on a scouting mission and returned to Hiryū ; it was then lost when Hiryū was bombed. During the Battle of the Marianas , the D4Ys were engaged by U.S. Navy fighters and shot down in large numbers. It was faster than the Grumman F4F Wildcat , but not the new Grumman F6F Hellcat , which entered combat in September 1943. The Japanese aircraft were adequate for 1943, but

1365-554: Was mostly carried out by adapted versions of standard fighters and bombers equipped with film cameras . Photography became the primary and best-known method of intelligence collection for reconnaissance aircraft by the end of World War II . World War I also saw use of floatplanes to locate enemy warships. After the battle of Jutland demonstrated the limitations of seaplane tenders , provisions were made for capital ships to carry, launch, and recover observation seaplanes . These seaplanes could scout for enemy warships beyond

1404-493: Was re-engined with the reliable Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 , a 14-cylinder two-row radial engine as the Yokosuka D4Y3 Model 33. Although the new engine improved ceiling and rate of climb to over 10,000 m (33,000 ft), and climb to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 4.5 minutes, instead of 9,400 m (30,800 ft) and 5 minutes, the higher fuel consumption resulted in reduced range and cruising speed and

1443-758: Was recovered from Babo Airfield , Indonesia in 1991. It was acquired and restored to non-flying status by the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California . It was restored to represent a radial engined D4Y3, using an American Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engine. The engine is in running condition and can be started to demonstrate ground running and taxiing of the aircraft. Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially,

1482-611: Was the standard fixed light machine gun on aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II . This weapon was not related to the Type 97 heavy tank machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in armored vehicles, or the Type 97 automatic cannon used as an anti-tank rifle. The 'Navy Type 97 aircraft machine gun' was similar to the 'Army Type 89 machine gun ', being a licensed copy of

1521-726: Was used in the Nakajima B6N , Yokosuka K5Y , Yokosuka D4Y , Aichi D3A , Aichi E16A , Kawanishi E7K , Kawanishi N1K and its land-based derivative, the N1K-J, Mitsubishi J2M , Mitsubishi F1M2 , in addition to the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and its floatplane derivative, the Nakajima A6M2-N . The Type 97 also has been used by the ground troops with modification by adding bipod and spade grip. Indonesian Republican forces used ex-Japanese Type 97s for ground use during

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