- Yes
- No
Yokosuka D4Y4 (early) (彗星四三型 )
The Yokosuka D4Y4 is a Japanese dive bomber that is often referred to as a kamikaze aircraft, this is only half true, and this suggestion will introduce an early model of the D4Y4 and show that it is not just a kamikaze aircraft.
History
In 1944, after the creation of the improved Yokosuka D4Y3 aircraft, the Japanese Navy noticed a serious problem, at this point in the war, the lack of defensive equipment meant that the planes could be easily shot down. The Japanese also noticed that the defensive 7.92 mm or 13.2 mm machine gun was insufficient, in addition, the bomber equipment of the aircraft was also not sufficient to fight against the increasingly powerful American ships. Therefore, at the beginning of 1945, a new aircraft designated D4Y4 was developed, which received armor for the cockpit and fuel tanks, the defensive machine gun was removed from the plane and it was possible to equip the plane with a bomb weighing 800 kg. Production began in February 1945, and in April 1945 a decision was made to remove the Type 97 7.7mm machine guns from the nose of the machine in the newly produced D4Y4 aircraft. At this point, the aircraft can be divided into early and late versions. It is not known exactly how many early version D4Y4 aircraft were built, but a total of 296 aircraft of this type were built. These planes were used until the end of the war for several purposes. Yes, they were used as kamikaze planes, but also as reconnaissance planes and ordinary dive bombers.
Is the Yokosuka D4Y4 (early) a kamikaze plane?
As brilliantly described by @CherryBlossom on the old forum, the Yokosuka D4Y4 was not only used for kamikaze attacks. It was a special attack machine, just like the M6A1 or Kikka planes, which is not the same as kamikaze missions.
First, while many sources claim that the D4Y4 was a single-seater, many photos contradict this claim. You can find photos where you can see that there is an additional crew member in the cockpit. An additional crew member was unnecessary for kamikaze missions, but useful for regular reconnaissance or bombing missions.
Secondly, why was it decided to remove the Type 97 rifles from the nose of the machine only in April 1945? which proves that this aircraft was to be used not only kamikaze, where machine guns were not needed, and were even an additional difficulty, because they increased the weight.
Thirdly, most often, as you can see in the photos/illustrations, the early D4Y4 has an 800 kg bomb protruding, which may indicate that it is equipped with a bomb ejector, which was removed in the late variant, where the bomb is almost hidden in the fuselage and is hardly visible.
Comparison of the early D4Y4 bomb with the late one
Fourthly, the armor of the plane. While the armor itself is useful in aircraft, when the aircraft is to be used in kamikaze missions, it is an unnecessary additional weight that makes the aircraft slower and increases fuel consumption. In addition, if you send an aircraft on kamikaze missions, it is assumed that the pilot will die anyway, and the production of bulletproof glass and armor plates costs money, which is contrary to the one-time use of the aircraft.
As you can see, the Yokosuka D4Y4 (early) aircraft was not only used for kamikaze attacks and should not be perceived as such. In addition, not only the Japanese carried out suicide attacks, the Germans in 1945 used Bf 109 aircraft to carry out suicide attacks on bridges over the Oder, the Russians used in some cases Il-2 aircraft to carry out suicide attacks on ships. Since both of these aircraft are not considered kamikaze aircraft, the early D4Y4 aircraft should not be considered as such either.
Construction description
The Yokosuka D4Y4 (early) was based on the Yokosuka D4Y3 ko aircraft, so I will present here the differences between these aircraft.
- Removed the Type 2 13.2mm defensive machine gun
- The bomb bay door was removed to fit an 800 kg bomb
- The aircraft was equipped with 75mm thick cockpit face bulletproof glass
- A 5mm thick bulletproof plate is mounted at the front of the cockpit and a 9mm thick one at the rear
- The fuel tanks were equipped with a seal and probably a fire extinguishing system
- Three RATO boosters can be mounted in a special recess behind the bomb bay
Cockpit Photos
Mounting RATO boosters
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 or 2
- Length: 10,237 m
- Wingspan: 11,5 m
- Height: 3,74
- Wing area: 23,60 m2
- Empty weight: 2,630 kg
- Gross weight: 3,960 kg
- Max takeoff weight: 4,646 kg
- Fuel capacity: 1 345 l
- Powerplant: 1 x Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 rated at 1,560 hp
Performance
- Maximum speed: 551 km/h
- Cruise speed: 333 km/h
- Range: 1650 km
- Ferry range: 2600 km
- Service ceiling: 8500 m
- Rate of climb: 9 min 22 seconds to 5,000 m
Armament
- Fixed armament
- 2 x 7.7mm fixed Type 97 machine gun in the nose (400 rounds per rifle)
- Bombs maximum load 800 kg
- 1 x 800 kg bombs
It is not known if the D4Y4 could carry bombs of a different weight
- Fuel dump tanks
- 2 x Dump tank with a capacity of 330 liters under the wings
- 2 x Dump tank with a capacity of 380 liters under the wings
Additional equipment
- 3 x Busters RATO FH Type 121 with a maximum thrust of 2000 kg under the fuselage
Armour
- 75mm thick bulletproof glass (windshield)
- 5 mm thick armor plate in front of the cockpit
- 9 mm thick armor plate behind the cockpit
- Self-sealing fuel tanks
- Probably the fire extinguishing system in the fuel tanks
Summary
The Yokosuka D4Y4 (early) would be a very interesting dive bomber for Japan in War Thunder. Thanks to its powerful bomb, it will be able to destroy enemy tanks with ease. Although the plane is devoid of machine guns for self-defense, thanks to the armor and boosters, the RATO will be able to get up to escape enemy fighters and reach the target faster. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this subject.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.
Internet sources
Yokosuka D4Y4 Model 43 ‘Suisei’ (彗星) - IJN Dive Bomber - Passed for Consideration - War Thunder - Official Forum
Comet – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia
Yokosuka D4Y - Wikipedia
Yokosuka D4Y1/2 'Suisei", Projects & Variants | Secret Projects Forum
Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Comet) (combinedfleet.com)
Уголок неба ¦ Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (airwar.ru)
Yokosuka D4Y Suisei / Judy - dive-bomber (aviastar.org)
Additional sources
- ‘Famous Airplanes of the World, Navy Carrier Dive Bomber “Suisei” No.69, 1998’
- ‘Francillon, R.J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War’. London: Putnam, 1970
- ‘Japanese Special Attack Aircraft & Flying Bombs’, 2009, Ryusuku Ishiguro & Tadeusz Januszewski
- ‘The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft’, 1997, David Donald
- ‘Japanese Aircraft of World War II’, 1979, pp. 135: Basil Collier
- ‘Suicide Squads’, 1981, Richard O’Neil
- ‘Specification and Performance of Service Airplanes of the I.J.N’, 10th September, 1945
- 'Maru Mechanic: ‘Mechanism of Military Aircraft No.11, “Suisei” / Type 99 Carrier Dive Bomber’, Kojinsha, 2000.
- ‘Suicide Warfare: Culture, the Military, and the Individual as a Weapon’, Rosemarie Skaine, 2013*