Mitsubishi J2M
Encyclopedia
The Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
J2M Raiden (雷電, "Thunderbolt") was a single-engined land-based fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...
in 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 Allied reporting name
World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft
The World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft were reporting names, often described as codenames, given by Allied personnel to Imperial Japanese aircraft during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The names were used by Allied personnel to identify Japanese aircraft for reporting and...
was "Jack".
Design and development
The J2M was designed by Jiro HorikoshiJiro Horikoshi
was the chief engineer behind many Japanese fighters of WWII. Most notable of such was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.He was born near the city of Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, Japan....
, creator of the A6M Zero
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
to meet the 14-Shi (14th year of the Showa reign, or 1939) official specification. It was to be a strictly local-defense interceptor
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
, intended to counter the threat of high-altitude bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
raids, and thus relied on speed, climb performance, and armament at the expense of maneuverability. The J2M was a sleek, but stubby craft with its over-sized Mitsubishi Kasei engine buried behind a long cowling
Cowling
A cowling is the covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles and aircraft.A cowling may be used:* for drag reduction* for engine cooling by directing airflow* as an air intake for jet engines* for decorative purposes...
, cooled by an intake fan and connected to the propeller with an extension shaft. Pilot visibility was poor, but a domed canopy introduced later in production partially alleviated this concern.
Teething development problems stemming from the Kasei engine, unreliable propeller pitch change mechanism and the main undercarriage members led to a slowdown in production. A continual set of modifications resulted in new variants being introduced with the ultimate high-altitude variant, the J2M4 Model 34 flying for the first time in August 1944. It had a 1,420 hp Kasei 23c engine equipped with a turbo supercharger (mounted in the side of the fuselage just behind the engine) that allowed the rated power to be maintained up to 30,000 ft. Two upward-aimed, oblique-firing (aimed at 70 degrees) 20 mm cannons, mounted in the German Schräge Musik
Schräge Musik
Schräge Musik, derived from the German colloquialism for "Jazz Music" was the name given to installations of upward-firing autocannon mounted in night fighters by the Luftwaffe and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II, with the first victories for each occurring in May 1943...
style, were fitted behind the cockpit with the four wing cannons retained. Unresolved difficulties with the turbo supercharger caused the project to be terminated after only two experimental J2M4s were built.
Production
A total of 621 aircraft were built by Mitsubishi Jukogyo K.K in Nagoya and Suzuka plants. 128 J2M3 were built by Koza Kaigun Kokusho (Koza Naval Air Arsenal)(based upon USSBS Pacific WarStrategic bombing survey (Pacific War)
The "Strategic bombing survey " was a United States Army Air Forces report on the impact of strategic bombing in World War II in the Pacific Campaign.A separate report was made for the atomic attacks.- External links :* *...
, Reports Nos. 16 and 34)
- J2M1 - 8 aircraft.
- J2M2 - 131 aircraft. (approximately)
- J2M3 - 307 aircraft built by Mitsubishi and 128 aircraft built by Koza KK.
- J2M4 - 2 aircraft. (including one J2M3 converted to J2M4 standard)
- J2M5 - 43 aircraft.
- J2M6 - 2 aircraft.
Operational history
The first few produced J2M2 were delivered to the development units in December 1942 but severe problems were encountered with the engines. Trials and improvements took almost a year and the first batch of the serial built J2M2 Model 11 was delivered to 381st Kokutai in December 1943. Parallel with the J2M2, production of the J2M3 Raiden Model 21 started. The first J2M3 appeared in October 1943 but deliveries to combat units started at the beginning of February 1944.The Raiden made its combat debut in June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
. Several J2Ms operated from Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Saipan and a small number of aircraft were deployed to the Philippines. Later, some J2Ms were based in Chosen
Chosen Army of Japan
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army, forming a garrison force in Korea under Japanese rule.-History:Japanese forces occupied large portions of the Empire of Korea during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, and a substantial was established in Seoul to protect the Japanese embassy and...
airfields, Genzan (Wonsan), Ranan (Nanam), Funei (Nuren), Rashin (Najin) and Konan under Genzan Ku, for defending these areas and fighting against Soviet Naval Aviation units.
Primarily designed to defend against the B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, the lack of a supercharger handicapped the aircraft at high altitude. However, its four-cannon armament supplied effective firepower and the use of dive and zoom tactics allowed it to score occasionally. Insufficient numbers and the American switch to night bombing in March 1945 limited its effectiveness. Even in the most expert hands it was vulnerable to the P-51D Mustang, primarily at high altitude.
Captured J2M was U.S. Technical Air Intelligence Command (TAIC) tested in the 92 octane fuel plus methanol, and J2M2 (Jack11) achieved a speed of 655 km/h (407 mph) at 5,520 m (17,400 ft), and J2M3 (Jack21) achieved a speed of 671 km/h (417 mph) at 4,980 m (16,600 ft).
Variants
J2M1- PrototypePrototypeA prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
fitted with the 1,044 kW (1,400 hp) Mitsubishi MK4C Kasei 13 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engineRadial engineThe radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
, and armed with two 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 97 machine gunType 97 Light Machine GunThe was the standard machine gun used in tanks and armored vehicles of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, and also as a light machine gun by infantry forces.-Development:...
s in the upper fuselageFuselageThe fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
and two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannonType 99 cannonThe Type 99-1 cannon and Type 99-2 cannon were Japanese versions of the Oerlikon FF and Oerlikon FFL. They were adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1939 and served as their standard aircraft autocannon during World War II.-Adoption:...
.
J2M2 Model 11
- Fitted with the 1,357 kW (1,820 hp) Mitsubishi MK4R-A Kasei 23a 14-cylinder radial engine, same armament as the J2M1.
J2M3 Model 21
- Mitsubishi MK4R-A Kasei 23a engine, two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannon and two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model I cannon.
J2M3a Model 21A
- Mitsubishi MK4R-A Kasei 23a engine, four wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannon.
J2M4 Model 32
- Prototype fitted with the 1,357 kW (1,820 hp) Mitsubishi MK4R-C Kasei 23c engine. Many armament configurations have been reported, e.g., fuselage-mounted oblique-firing 20 mm Type 99 Model I cannon designed to fire upward as it passed underneath a bomber, two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannon, and two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model I cannon (some J2M3s were also modified in the field to this configuration). However, no solid evidence exists that the prototypes ever flew armed.
J2M5 Model 33
- High altitude version powered by 1,357 kW (1,820 hp) Mitsubishi MK4U-A Kasei 26a engine with mechanically driven superchargerSuperchargerA supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
, giving increased speed at height at the expense of shorter range (just over half that of the J2M2 and J2M3). Two 20 mm Type 99 cannon in fuselage, two 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannon in wings.
J2M5a Model 33A
- Four wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannon. Now, all four wing cannon were harmonized in trajectory and ballistics performance like the Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden fighters, but with more ammunition than they had (200 v. 70-125 rpg). The 20x101 mm cartridge gave the 128 g HE (6-8%) projectile an effective range of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and a muzzle velocity of 750 m/s. The rate of fire was only 500 rpm each however (down from 520 rpm for the Type 99 Model I which only had a muzzle velocity of 600 m/s and a range of 730 m/2,400 ft with its 20x72 mm cartridge).
J2M6 Model 31
- Chronologically earlier than J2M4 and J2M5 this version was based on J2M3. Had wider cockpitCockpitA cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
and improved bubble canopyBubble canopyA bubble canopy is a canopy made like a soap bubble, which attempts to provide 360° vision to the pilot.-History:Bubble canopies have been in use since World War II. The British had already developed the "Malcolm hood", which was a bulged canopy, but the British Miles M.20 was one of the first...
later used in J2M3 built since July 1943.
J2M6a Model 31A
- Chronologically earlier than J2M4 and J2M5 this version was based on J2M3a. Had wider cockpit and improved bubble canopy later used in J2M3a built since July 1943. One J2M6a was built.
J2M7 Model 23A
- J2M3 powered by Kasei 26a engine, none built.
J2M7a Model 23A
- J2M3a powered by Kasei 26a engine, none built.
Survivors
A surviving J2M is on display at the Planes of FamePlanes of Fame
Planes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum located in Chino, California, and Valle, Arizona. The museum has many flying and static aircraft, along with multiple rare examples under restoration.-History:...
museum in Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
.
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Navy Air ServiceImperial Japanese Navy Air ServiceThe Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...
- 256th Kokutai November 1944 - December 1945
- 301st Kokutai February 1944 - July 1945
- 302nd Kokutai March 1945 - August 1945
- 332nd Kokutai August 1944 - August 1945
- 352nd Kokutai August 1944 - August 1945
- 381st Kokutai End 1943 - April 1945
- Yokosuka Kokutai
- Yatabe Kokutai
- Genzan Kokutai
- Tainan Kokutai
- Konoike Kokutai
- Chushi Kokutai
Indonesia
- In 1945, the Indonesian People's Security Force (IPSF) (Indonesian pro-independence guerrillas) captured a small number of aircraft at numerous Japanese air bases, including Bugis Air Base in Malang (repatriated 18 September 1945). Most aircraft were destroyed in military conflicts between the Netherlands and the newly proclaimed-Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution of 1945-1949.
- The South Korean Air Force operated two captured examples after the war. Both aircraft were replaced in 1950 by P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s.
Specifications (J2M5)
See also
External links
- J2M article on www.combinedfleet.com
- "Song of Raiden fighter squadron", Nippon News, No. 254. in the official website of NHKNHKNHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
.