×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
AIRCRAFT / AVIATION
MODERN AIR FORCES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
WORLD WAR 2
Aviation / Aerospace

Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Judy)


Carrier-Borne Dive Bomber Aircraft [ 1942 ]



Though hitting some speed bumps early on in its development evolution, the D4Y proved to be a capable carrier-based performer.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/07/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (translating to "Comet" and nicknamed "Judy" by the Allies) was a capable dive bomber serving the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. The system saw some reliability issues in early presentations and suffered heavy losses at the hands of Allied carrier groups but the system performed admirably well thanks to the performance capabilities inherent in the design - this of course at the expense of crew protection and structural armoring.

The D4Y was a single engine, two-crew dive bomber platform. The Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 radial piston engine found in the D4Y3 model offered up reliability with performance at 357 miles per hour with a ceiling of nearly 35,000 feet. The crew sat in a long greenhouse-type canopy in tandem. Defensive armament consisted of twin 7.7mm machine guns in a forward-fixed position and a single 13.1mm machine gun in a trainable rear cockpit mounting. External ordnance was limited to 1,235 pounds of stores. Overall, the design concept actually stemmed from the German Heinkel He 118, as Japan purchased manufacturing rights for the German type back in 1938.©MilitaryFactory.com
Advertisements
The D4Y first flew in late 1942 in its dive bomber form designated simply as the D4Y1. The system then appeared shortly thereafter in a reconnaissance form as the D4Y1-C. Before long, the D4Y series was fielded in quantity across several Japanese carrier groups and would see yet another improved version - known as the D4Y2 - appear. This one being fitted with a Atsuta 32 Aichi-brand 1,400hp engine. It was soon found, however, that the aircraft, though performing well in terms of capability, suffered from reliability problems with the new engine. To add insult to injury, the performance gains brought about by the new powerplant were negated to some extent by the fact that crew and fuel protection was not addressed, leading to heavy losses. The D4Y3 addressed the D4Y2's reliability problems with the introduction of the Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 radial piston engine. By the end of the war, as with most of the IJN's small airframes, the D4Y was made into a dedicated suicide model. This one, a single-seater, was designated as the D4Y4 and fielded in 1945.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1942

Origin
Imperial Japan national flag graphic
Imperial Japan

Crew
2

Production
2,033
UNITS


National flag of modern Japan Imperial Japan
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.


Length
33.5 ft
(10.22 m)
Width/Span
37.7 ft
(11.50 m)
Height
12.3 ft
(3.74 m)
Empty Wgt
5,514 lb
(2,501 kg)
MTOW
10,267 lb
(4,657 kg)
Wgt Diff
+4,753 lb
(+2,156 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Yokosuka D4Y3 Suisei (Judy) production variant)
Installed: 1 x Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 radial piston engine developing 1,560 horsepower.
Max Speed
357 mph
(575 kph | 310 kts)
Ceiling
34,449 ft
(10,500 m | 7 mi)
Range
944 mi
(1,520 km | 2,815 nm)
Rate-of-Climb
2,163 ft/min
(659 m/min)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Yokosuka D4Y3 Suisei (Judy) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
2 x 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns in fixed forward-firing nose mount.
1 x 13.1mm Type 2 machine gun in trainable mount in rear cockpit position.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,235 lb of conventional drop bombs.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun
Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition


(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 2


D4Y1 - Initial dive bomber model; fitted with Daimler-Benz DB 600G powerplant (imported from Germany).
D4Y1-C - Reconnaissance Variant
D4Y2 - 1 x 13.2mm machine gun in trainable rear cockpit mounting replacing original 1 x 7.92mm machine gun.
D4Y3 - Fitted with Kinsei 62 radial engine.
D4Y4 - Single-seat suicide dive-bomber


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery



1 / 2
Image of the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Judy)
2 / 2
Image of the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Judy)


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing all American military medals and ribbons.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)