Kawanishi Baika
Encyclopedia
The Kawanishi
Baika (梅花, "Ume
Blossom") was a pulsejet-powered kamikaze
aircraft under development for the Imperial Japanese Navy
towards the end of World War II
. The war ended before any were built.
pulse jet engine
. However, it remains in debate on if that technical data included examples of the V1, let alone the Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg). It is noted that wartime U.S. intelligence reports stated that the Japanese knew of the V-1 by October 1943 and one report stated that Japan received one example in November 1944. The reports also suggested that the Japanese were very interested in the V-1 air launching techniques as used by the Germans. One U.S. Army Air Force document from 1946 shows the Baika as being a copy of the Reichenberg. Finally, the cargo manifest of the Japanese submarine I-29 lists a single V-1 fuselage as being included in a shipment of equipment. Nevertheless, some contemporary Japanese historians debate on what, if any, V-1 and Fi 103R data the Japanese actually received and that the Baika may simply have been an independent design.
The only tangible outcome of the Axis cooperation, however, was the construction of prototypes of the Maru Ka10 pulse jet engine which was to power the Baika.
The currently accepted illustrations of the Baika come from the 1953 published book Koku Gijutsu No Zenbo in which Technical Commander Iwaya (the man who brought the Me 163 and BMW 003 info to Japan) provided drawings of all three versions of the Baika with all versions shown with tricycle landing gear in place.
Kawanishi Aircraft Company
was a Japanese aircraft manufacturer during World War II. It was founded as Kawanishi Engineering Works in 1920 in Hyōgo Prefecture as an outgrowth of the Kawanishi conglomerate, which had been funding the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Kawanishi Kokuki KK was founded in 1928, and took over all assets...
Baika (梅花, "Ume
Ume
Prunus mume, with the common names including Chinese plum and Japanese apricot, is an Asian tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia, is usually translated as plum blossom. This distinct tree...
Blossom") was a pulsejet-powered kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft under development for the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
towards the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The war ended before any were built.
History
Nazi Germany supplied the Japanese with a great deal of technical data, to include the Argus As 014Argus As 014
|-See also:*List of aircraft engines*Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon*Ford PJ31*Chelomey D-3-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
pulse jet engine
Pulse jet engine
A pulse jet engine is a type of jet engine in which combustion occurs in pulses. Pulsejet engines can be made with few or no moving parts, and are capable of running statically....
. However, it remains in debate on if that technical data included examples of the V1, let alone the Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg). It is noted that wartime U.S. intelligence reports stated that the Japanese knew of the V-1 by October 1943 and one report stated that Japan received one example in November 1944. The reports also suggested that the Japanese were very interested in the V-1 air launching techniques as used by the Germans. One U.S. Army Air Force document from 1946 shows the Baika as being a copy of the Reichenberg. Finally, the cargo manifest of the Japanese submarine I-29 lists a single V-1 fuselage as being included in a shipment of equipment. Nevertheless, some contemporary Japanese historians debate on what, if any, V-1 and Fi 103R data the Japanese actually received and that the Baika may simply have been an independent design.
The only tangible outcome of the Axis cooperation, however, was the construction of prototypes of the Maru Ka10 pulse jet engine which was to power the Baika.
Variants
- Type I - Pulsejet intake located above and behind the cockpit, droppable landing gear. Intended for conventional take off on own power (possibly with the help of droppable rocket boosters).
- Type II - Similar to Type I, but with pulsejet moved forwards, no landing gear. Intended for submarine launch.
- Type III - Pulsejet mounted ventrally, no landing gear. Presumably, this version was intended to be air-launched by medium bombers such as the Mitsubishi G4MMitsubishi G4MThe Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
, Nakajima G8NNakajima G8N|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Collier, Basil. Japanese Aircraft of World War II. New York: Mayflower Books, 1979. ISBN 0-8317-5137-1....
or Yokosuka P1YYokosuka P1Y|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam 7 Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00033-1 ....
.
The currently accepted illustrations of the Baika come from the 1953 published book Koku Gijutsu No Zenbo in which Technical Commander Iwaya (the man who brought the Me 163 and BMW 003 info to Japan) provided drawings of all three versions of the Baika with all versions shown with tricycle landing gear in place.