The alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War 2 (1939-1945) allowed for the transfer of technology to occur between the two parties. Plans (for both aircraft and rocket engine), components and a complete example of the German Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered interceptor were loaded onto a pair of German U-boat submarines which set sail for the Japanese islands. When only one of these boats arrived in Japan, engineers were left with a technological puzzle to solve in getting their Me 163 into the air. With some ingenuity, the Me 163 was finally completed and taken aloft - only to crash on its maiden flight, this sole example becoming a total loss.
Mitsubishi headed development, and was to manage license manufacturing, of the J8M "Sharp Sword" for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). It would also carry the designation of "Ki-200" for the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and both were based largely on the Me 163B production model. A first flight of the J8M was had on July 7th, 1945 and seven were completed before the end of the war which was to come that August. The product very closely mimicked the form and function of the original German design.
Dimensions included a length of 7.7 meters, a wingspan of 9.7 meters and a height of 2.75 meters. Empty weight was 3,570lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 11,055lb. Outwardly, the Ki-202 resembled the Me 163 in certain areas but drawings indicated a longer, sleeker appearance with slender fuselage lines. The wing mainplanes were appropriately swept back and a single vertical tail rudder was featured (no horizontal tailplanes were used). The pilot sat under a framed canopy at the nose of the aircraft, views to the rear restricted by the raised fuselage spine.
Like the German model, the Ki-202 would take off under its own (rocket) power and jettison its wheeled dolly upon clearing the ground. Landing would involve the pilot gliding his aircraft down and contacting the ground on a spring-loaded belly-mounted skid aided by a tailwheel. In this way, the aircraft could be reused once refueled, rearmed and placed back atop its wheeled dolly.
Proposed armament, intended to counter the advanced and well-defended B-29 bomber, was 2 x 30mm Ho-155-II series cannons. These guns were to be mounted in the wing roots and gave a good response to the large targets they would be charged with brining down.
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Specifications
Rikugun Kokugijitsu Kenkyujo - Imperial Japan Manufacturer(s)
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