This might be of interest to someone. A photo of the Kawanishi H8K3 with modified side gunner positions. The same side gunner positions were fitted to late production H8K2s.
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https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/WqLqft6wSEAA
Guys, we need some help to push Gaijin to fix it!
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Maybe its different airplane? So one for the tree?
Nope, it’s just a prototype, so only for the premium one
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Sad
J2M5 with 30mm wasn’t really prototype. Low number of serial planes got this guns and was sent to the actual squadrons (302nd and 352nd? Don’t clearly remember numbers)
Somewhere read there were around 16 planes with this guns but maybe do mistake
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I haven’t found any record that J2M5 was sent to battle, maybe they just had a fly test. It was not officially recorded in most of the Japanese fighter’s books, which have 30mm guns
Are there any Minengeschoss shells for the Japanese 30mm developed? I remember there being a program at the near end of the war the Japanese where developing the shell type.
Mitsubishi A6M3s with Type 2 30mm cannons were used briefly on Rabalau, and J2M2s with Type 2 30mm cannons were used by the 302nd Naval Squadron. There are even reports of a J2M2 with Type 2 cannons being used on December 3, 1944, by Mikami Hiso, who shot down a B-29, and Shiji Kuroda on May 29, 1945. Both aircraft were shot down, but saw combat.
It would be strange that the Japanese did not use the better J2M5 with better armament in the form of the Type 5 30mm in combat.
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J2M5 Type 5 was even sent in several squadrons so it would be weird to use it only for test flights
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I checked the sources I have, and they only mention that of the approximately 40 J2M5s built, only a few were equipped with the Type 5 30mm cannon. So more than one prototype was built, and likely, just like the Ki-60 and J2M4 prototypes, they reached combat units.
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An interesting version of the Mitsubishi J2M3. Some sources claim that it’s the J2M3-J, but such a designation doesn’t make sense.
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I wonder if this 30mm modification was just some sort of professionalizing of a field modification.
I wonder if it was some sort of Schräge Musik but only once you roll 90’ right so your pulling away right after firing to avoid b-29 defensive weapons.
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These were aircraft produced in small batches at the factory. Just like the A6M5-S or J2M4.
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A field modification became factory standard. Though Japan was not really known to my knowledge of field modifications so this may be unlikely.
The first J1N1-S were a field modification, as were the Ki-84 Tei
I’ve never heard of that before. I assume no pictures survive?
Unfortunately, they have not survived. The suggestion is pending approval.
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I’ll be looking forward to it!
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