- Yes
- No
- North Korea sub-tree in China
- United Korea tech tree
- Other
- I said no
TL;DR: One of only 2 true indigenous aircraft developed by North Korea. Armed with bombs and a radar.
History
The Korean People’s Air Force (KPAF) was founded in August of 1947, and was initially equipped with Japanese and Soviet planes from WWII, which were used during the Korean War, alongside some early jets (MiG-15/15bis) later into the conflict. In the following decades, the DPRK obtained steady deliveries of jets from both China and the Soviet Union.
At some point in the early 1970s, the DPRK developed their first homegrown ground-attack aircraft – an odd mix between an Il-10 and a Yak-18. This was seen rarely in military footage and was retired very quickly. 2 decades later, the DPRK experimented with another indigenous design, likely conceived as a training aircraft. At least 4 were built, with serial numbers 411-415. However, it too, remains unnamed and was retired very quickly.
Characteristics
- Soviet Yak-6
The bomber was a twin-engine propellor-driven design, very similar to the Soviet Yak-6. North Korea never reportedly got their hands on the Yak-6, nor did it didn’t serve with the Soviets or Chinese in the Korean War, so why they seemingly picked it as their base design is a mystery. (although, I found one source that says the American forces reported having destroyed a twin-engine bomber, likely the Yak-6, in a strafing run; below)
Spoiler
Alternatively, the aircraft could be based on the Japanese Ki-54 light trainer, of which North Korea operated at least 1, below.
The aircraft is supposedly equipped with the Ivchenko AI-14 engine, as found on the Yak-18A/CJ-5 trainer aircraft in high supply in North Korea’s arsenal. These would provide the bomber with 2x 260hp (520hp total) – much higher than the Yak-6’s original 280hp total. While the Yak-6 has a top speed of 187km/h, this bomber can likely exceed that, although to what extent is unknown. The aircraft has a ‘duck nose’, and redesigned cockpit windows providing better visibility.
Images of the cockpit show both a bomb sight and a radar. It’s unknown what bombs it could carry, but using the Yak-6 as a baseline, it might have five bomb racks, with up to five 100kg bombs, or (no more than 2) 250kg bombs in the centre 3 racks. Alternatively, the Yak-6 could carry 10 RS-82 rockets. North Korea has all of these weapons in pretty high supply, so all of this is a technical possibility.
Rather uniquely for what will turn out to be a very low BR plane, this aircraft has a radar. Specifications are unknown, but it could be the same as the Il-28/H-5, the main bombers in North Korea’s arsenal, and what this aircraft was likely training for. The radar would be practically useless in-game, so more of a gimmick feature.
- In flight (they work!)
Conclusion
This bomber is one of North Korea’s only truly indigenous aircraft, and as such, deserves to be present in a future North Korean sub-tree or United Korean tree. I think it would likely have a BR of 1.3-1.7.
Specifications
Weight: Unknown. Yak-6 weighs 2.3kg at its maximum.
Engine: 2x AI-14, 520hp total.
Maximum Speed: Unknown, >187km/h
Crew: 2
Primary Armament: N/A
Defensive Armament: N/A
Suspended Armament: 5x 100kg bombs, possibility for 2x 250kg bombs instead of 2 of the others. 10x rockets.
Images
Sources
Spoiler
The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun – Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
独自型双発機 - 北朝鮮軍装備大全@ ウィキ | ChosunArmy - atwiki（アットウィキ）
Yakovlev Yak-6 Light Transport Aircraft
Dildy, Douglas C. “The Korean People’s Air Force in the Fatherland Liberation War: Part II.” Air Power History, vol. 59, no. 4, 2012, pp. 4–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26276243. Accessed 4 May 2024.