Aircraft PicturesDiscuss Foreign aircrafts in Japan in the World War II - Aviation forums; Recently I found a very nice site of the Japanese Air Forces during the WWII with an extraordinary amount of ...
Recently I found a very nice site of the Japanese Air Forces during the WWII with an extraordinary amount of pictures. Many of them were pictures of aircrafts that were evaluated, tested and, some of them, finally acquired during the 1930s. Many european and american prototypes were bought by the japanese to be used, copy or reproduced by its Air Forces. In this thread I will post pictures of these planes with japanese colours, some of them very rare, like a japanese Stuka or a Br.20 Cicogna. Enjoy them!!
The Japanese military always interested in German aircraft production, were impressed by the offensive performance of the Stukas during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939; they bought two Ju-87 A-1 in 1940 (W.Nr. 870119 and 870120). The machine was painted in Japanese colours and production in Japan was considered for a time. But the Ju-87 A-1 was only used as a technological model. It was taken to bits and studied from all possible angles (the Japanese Navy's 'Val' used dive brakes copied entirely from the Ju-87's) before being reassembled and exhibited in the Tokorozawa Museum, near Tokyo. It was subsequently destroyed during an American air raid.
The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during that conflict. Over 10,000 would be built from 1913 to the time production ended in 1932. The japanese version was the Yokosuka K2Y1; a Avro 504N powered by a 130 hp (100 kW) Mitsubishi-built Armstrong-Siddeley Mongoose radial piston engine. 104 units were built. The Yokosuka K2Y2 was a improved version of the K2Y1, powered by a 160 hp (120 kW) Gasuden Jimpu 2 radial piston engine. 360 were built (K2Y1 and K2Y2).
In July 1937, when Japan entered into full scale war with China (the Second Sino-Japanese War), the Japanese Army Air Force found itself short of modern long-range bombers pending delivery of the Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally", which was undergoing prototype trials, and so required an interim purchase of aircraft from abroad. Italy was willing to give priority to any Japanese orders over its own requirements, and offered the Caproni Ca.135 and the BR.20. While the Caproni could not meet the Japanese requirements, the BR.20 closely matched the specification, and so an initial order was placed in late 1937 for 72 Br.20s, soon followed by an order for a further 10 aircraft.
Deliveries to Manchuria commenced in February 1938, with the BR.20 (designated the I-Type (Yi-shiki)) replacing the obsolete Mitsubishi Ki-1, equipping two Air Wings (the 12th and 20th Sentai), which were heavily deployed on long-range bombing missions against Chinese cities and supply centres during the winter of 1938–39. The BR.20s were operating with no fighter cover at the extremes of their range and consequently incurred heavy losses from Chinese fighters, as did the early Ki-21s that shared the long-range bombing tasks. The fabric-covered surfaces were viewed as vulnerable, even if the main structure of this aircraft was noticeably robust. The aircraft had unsatisfactory range and defensive armament, but the first Ki-21s that entered service were not much better, except for their all-metal construction and the potential for further development when better engines became available (both types initially used two 746 kW/1,000 hp engines). The 12th Sentai was redeployed to the Mongolian-Manchurian border to fight in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, but when this war ended, in September 1939, the BR.20s were progressively withdrawn and replaced by the Ki-21. Despite having been phased out from operational service, the BR.20 was allocated the Allied code name "Ruth".
The Dewoitine D.500 was an all-metal, open-cockpit, fixed-undercarriage monoplane fighter aircraft, used by the French Air Force in the 1930s. Introduced in 1936, the design was soon replaced by a new generation of fighter aircraft with enclosed cockpits and retractable undercarriage, including the 510's successor, the Dewoitine D.520. A single Dewoitine D.510 supplied to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for evaluation in 1935, receiving the name of AXD1.
It was soon recognized by the Aviation Militaire that not only were the A.R. 1's and A.R. 2's underpowered, but also the Sopwith 1A2 Strutters were both too fragile and carried an inadequate payload. In 1916, therefore, the Aviation Militaire established a requirement for a 2-seat reconnaissance machine capable of carrying a crew of two, several machine guns, and a wireless set. The Société des moteurs Salmson designed a biplane based on their knowledge gained from the production of the Sopwith machines.
The Salmson 2 was powered by a 230 hp Salmson 9Za engine. The wings were of equal span with ailerons on both upper and lower wings. Armament consisted of a single fixed machine gun for the pilot and a twin machine gun configuration for the observer. The Salmson underwent STAé testing on 29 April 1917 and its performance was judged to be good. A production order was placed and eventually 3200 aircraft were manufactured. As the war progressed field modifications were carried out to allow the Salmson to carry 230 kg of bombs for ground attack duties.
The AEF air service purchased 705 Salmson 2's. The first 18 were delivered in April 1918 and were used to replace A.R. 1's and Sopwith 1 ½ Strutters. Salmson 2's saw duty in the following 1st Army with: 1st Corps Observation Group {1st and 12th Observation Squadrons}; 3rd Corps Observation Group {88th and 90th Corps Observation Squadrons}; 5th Corps Observation Group (99th and 104th Observation Squadrons}; 7th Corps Observation Group {258th Corps Observation Squadron}; and the 1st Army Observation Group {24th and 91st Army Observation Squadrons}. In addition, the 167th Corps Observation Squadron of the 2nd Army Observation Group used the Salmson. The first Salmsons supplied to the 1st and 12th Aero Squadrons had a Lewis gun mounted on the upper wing. This position degraded performance so severely that they were removed. Some Salmsons were reequipped with a modified Lewis gun manufactured by the Savage Arms Co. Also, in some machines the pilot's Vickers gun was replaced by Marlin machine guns.
"Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts"
Sir Winston Churchill
"To him the People of the World Largely owe the Freedom and Liberties they Enjoy Today"
Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London
When the DC-2 arrived on the scene in 1934, the Nakajima Company of Japan immediately showed an interest. Japan was building its industrial power, and it needed modern air transportation. This led Japan’s Nakajima Aircraft Company to open negotiations with the Douglas Aircraft Company. At the time, Japan was looking to replace its ageing Fokker Super Universals and trimotors, and the DC-2 caught their attention as it did elsewhere around the world.
When those officially imported aircrafts were reproduced, they were done under the license.
Even for the Hamilton propellers, Sumitomo Metal Industries paid all royalty after the war.
The G.4 entered service with the French Aéronautique Militaire in November 1915. It was the first twin engined aircraft in service in any numbers with the French. The Caudron G.4 was used to carry out bombing raids deep behind the front line, being used to attack targets as far away as the Rhineland. Increasing losses led to its withdrawal from day bombing missions by the French in the autumn of 1916.
The British Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) also used the G.4 as a bomber, receiving 55, of which twelve were licence built by the British Caudron company and the remainder supplied from France. Number 4 and 5 Wing RNAS using the G.4 for attacks against German seaplane and airship bases in Belgium. It was finally replaced in RNAS service by Handley Page O/100 aircraft in the autumn of 1917. Italian G.4s proved successful in operating in the mountainous Alpine fronts, where its good altitude capabilities proved useful. The G.4 was also used by the Imperial Russian Air Force for reconnaissance purposes.
The Heinkel He 70 was a German mail plane, passenger, liaison, training and bomber aircraft of the 1930s. Although useful, it had a relatively brief commercial career before it was replaced by types which could carry more passengers. As a combat aircraft, it was a not a great success because it rapidly became outdated. Nevertheless, the He 70 was a brilliant design for its day, setting no fewer than eight world speed records by the beginning of 1933. One single He 70 was delivered to the Empire of Japan for evaluation, resulting in the Aichi D3A "Val" light bomber of the IJN. Heinkel and the Empire would meet on such common ground on several more occasions before the war negated such exchange of ideas and technology.
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