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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 2260.PDF
476 FLIGHT NOVEMBER 2ND, 1944 Studies in Recognition Aircraft in Flying Attitudes4 "DUILT by Kawasaki, one of the firms in the Mitsubishi •*-' combine, "Tony" is the first Japanese single-seater fighter to be powered by a liquid-cooled, in-line engine ; its native designation is Mitsubishi S-03, and it has been allo cated to the Japanese Army Air Force. This is in itself a little surprising, because the Japanese Naval Air Service, an integral part of the Navy which, in Japan, has a decided pull with the big industrialists, usually manages to acquire the pick of available aircraft, and, up to the present, there has been no sign of using the same aircraft in both Services. Japan, of course, had the security business " buttoned up " long before the war. For years they had been warn ing their people against careless talk by means of posters announcing " Every Foreigner is a Spy," and thus accurate information was almost .unobtainable about anything they wanted to keep dark—and there was more of that than we suspected. They went to considerable lengths to de ceive the rest of the world about their war preparations, and when they held an aircraft exhibition, several years before the present war, they exhibited the oldest types they dared without exciting undue suspicion while most other nations sent along up-to-date designs, and thus-pre- Although the uniform taper and round tips of the Macchi wings are similar to those of "Tony," their aspect- ratio is lower and they are set farther back. Also the tailplane 's elliptical. Macchi C202 Fighter. Mitsubishi S-03, " Tony," Army Fighter. sented the wily "Nips" with quite a lot of useful informa tion gratis. In general, the only precise technical "gen" the Allies have been able to obtain about the latest types of jap air craft has come from samples occasionally captured intact, and in a war theatre where there is a lot more sea than land this does not happen too often. But a " Tony" was recently captured in one piece by the U.S. Forces at Cape Gloucester in New Britain and was carted away by the A.A.F. for examination. So far, however, only the most superficial description has been released for publication. The engine, for example, is a Japanese-built version of the Mercedes-Benz DB type of liquid-cooled, in-line, inverted-V, 12-cylinder engine, but which model aad what horse-power is not revealed. Its top speed is given as no more than 330 m.p.h., so it would appear to be one of the earlier types similar to that powering the Me 109E, perhaps. Armament includes two cannon. In general lines, the "Tony " resembles the Macchi C.202 " Tony's " rudder (left) extends be low the tailplane whereas that of the Macchi sits above the pointed tail of the fuselage. and the He 113. the former being illustrated here by way of comparison. "Tony" differs, however, in having wings of appreciably higher aspect-ratio though the uniform taper and round tips are similar. The difference in their respective tail- planes will be observed, and also in their fins and rudders, particularly in respect of the rudder's trailing edge. As regards their respective fuselages, each of which has a 'mid ships radiator, it will be seen that the Macchi's cockpit is further back, resulting in a sharper taper towards the tail. Dimensions of the "Tony" are: Span 39ft. 4m, length 30ft. J «s
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