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Hikōtai Transport Unit
The Japanese Army Air Force Hikōtai Unit was an Imperial Japanese Army Air Service Air transport section (a Hikōtai) whose mission was to transport personnel, weapons and equipment to occupied territories or the combat front in wartime. Such units supported Army airborne forces during their missions as well. Fleet These service operated various types of aircraft: *Kawasaki Ki-3 (Liaison and communications) *Nakajima Ki-4 (Liaison and communications) *Kokusai Ki-76 "Stella" (Liaison) *Kobeseiko Te-Gō (Liaison) *Mansyu Ki-97 (Communications) *Mitsubishi Ki-7 (Liaison) *Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" (Liaison, communication and courier) *Tachikawa (Ishikawajima) Light Ambulance (Air Ambulance/liaison) *Tachikawa Ki-9 "Spruce" (Communications) *Tachikawa Ki-17 "Cedar" (Communications) *Kayaba Ka-1 (communications helicopter) *Kawasaki Ki-56 "Thalia" (Merchant transport) *Kokusai Ki-59 "Theresa" (Light transport) *Mitsubishi Ki-1 (Heavy Bomber/Transport) *Mitsubishi Ki-7 (Light transport) ...
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Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ja, 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊, Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai, lit=Greater Japan Empire Army Air Corps) was the Military aviation, aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Just as the IJA in general was modeled mainly on the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, the IJAAS initially developed along similar lines to the Luftstreitkräfte, Imperial German Army Aviation; its primary mission was to provide tactical close air support for ground forces, as well as a limited air interdiction capability. The IJAAS also provided aerial reconnaissance to other branches of the IJA. While the IJAAS engaged in Strategic bombing during World War II, strategic bombing of cities such as Shanghai, Battle of Nanking#Aerial bombardment of Nanking, Nanking, Guangzhou, Canton, Bombing of Chongqing, Chongqing, Bombing of Rangoon in World War II, Rangoon, and Bombing of Mandalay (1942) ...
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Mitsubishi Ki-21
The ( Allied reporting name: "Sally" /"Gwen") was a Japanese heavy bomber during World War II. It began operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War participating in the Nomonhan Incident, and in the first stages of the Pacific War, including the Malayan, Burmese, Dutch East Indies and New Guinea Campaigns. It was also used to attack targets as far-flung as western China, India and northern Australia. Design and development In 1936, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service issued a requirement for a new heavy bomber to replace both the Ki-20 (Army Type 92 Heavy Bomber) and the Ki-1 (Army Type 93 Heavy Bomber). The design called for a crew of at least four, top speed of , endurance of at least five hours, and a bombload of . The design parameters were very ambitious, and few twin-engine bombers anywhere in the world could exceed such performance at that time. Both Mitsubishi and Nakajima were asked to build two prototypes each, a further proposal from Kawasaki being re ...
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Manchukuo Air Force
The Manchukuo Imperial Air Force (') ( was the air force of the Empire of Manchuria, a puppet state of Imperial Japan. The air force's predecessor was the Manchukuo Air Transport Company (later renamed the Manchukuo National Airways), a paramilitary airline formed in 1931, which undertook transport and reconnaissance missions for the Japanese military. History Since the creation of the state in 1932, an airline called the Manchukuo Paramilitary Airline operated as a fleet of transports, consisting mainly of passenger aircraft. The only military action it saw was providing support to the Inner Mongolian Army during the Suiyuan Campaign in 1936. An "independent volunteer battalion" which included thirteen planes assisted the Inner Mongolian troops in their attempt to drive the Nationalists out of the Suiyuan province. The official Manchukuo Air Force was not established until February 1937, when thirty volunteers from the Manchukuo Imperial Army were sent to Harbin for ...
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Manchukuo National Airways
Manchuria Aviation Company(traditional Chinese/Kyūjitai: 滿洲航空株式會社; simplified Chinese: 满州航空株式会社; Shinjitai: 満州航空株式会社; Japanese Hepburn: ''Manshū Kōkū Kabushiki-gaisha, "MKKK"'') was the national airline of Manchukuo. Manchuria Aviation Company was established on 26 September 1931 in Fengtian by order of the Japanese Kwantung Army, out of the Manchurian branch office of Japan Air Transport, the forerunner of Imperial Japanese Airways. It officially adopted the name Manchuria Aviation Company on the proclamation of the independence of Manchukuo. Major shareholders were the Manchukuo government, the South Manchurian Railway Company and the Sumitomo ''zaibatsu''. From the beginning, the Manchuria Aviation Company was a paramilitary airline, whose primary purpose was to provide transport and logistical support for the military, and for the transport of mail. Civilian passengers were carried and charter operations undertaken on a ...
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Manchukuo
Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and in 1934 it became a constitutional monarchy under the ''de facto'' control of Japan. It had limited international recognition. The area was the homeland of the Manchus, including the emperors of the Qing dynasty. In 1931, Japan seized the region following the Mukden Incident. A pro-Japanese government was installed one year later with Puyi, the last Qing emperor, as the nominal regent and later emperor. Manchukuo's government was dissolved in 1945 after the surrender of Imperial Japan at the end of World War II. The territories claimed by Manchukuo were first seized in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945, and then formally transferred to Chinese administration in the following year. Demographically, ...
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Kokusai Ku-8
The (Kokusai Army Type 4 Special Transport Glider) was a Japanese military glider used during the Second World War. Design and development Design of the Ku-8-II began in December 1941, the glider was essentially a Kokusai Ki-59, with the engines and fuel tanks removed and a modified undercarriage. It was given the Allied code name Goose and later Gander. The prototype was completed on May 20, 1943, and took to the air two days later, on May 22, 1943. A Ku-8-II version that was produced in 1944 used a tubular steel frame structure, and had a hinged nose that could be opened to the side to allow loading. Also, its capacity was increased slightly to carry twenty troops.* In total, approximately 700 were built. They were used operationally in the Philippines, primarily to carry supplies. Variants *Ku-8-I:Prototypes. *Ku-8-II:Military transport glider. Production version. Operators ; * Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of J ...
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Tachikawa Ki-54
The Tachikawa Ki-54 was a Japanese twin-engine advanced trainer used during World War II. The aircraft was named Hickory by the Allies. History The Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in summer 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A (Ki-54a). The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. The Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war. A few captured aircraft were flown after the war by various users. Operators ; * Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used them for training as per their design. ; * Manchukuo Air Force Three were provided by Japan as VIP transports. ; China-Nanjing * Nanjing air force ; * Republic of China Air Force Nationalist Chinese (captured). ; * People's Liberation Arm ...
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Tachikawa Type LO Transport Aircraft
The Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra was an American civil passenger and cargo aircraft built by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation during the late 1930s. An outgrowth of the earlier Model 10 Electra, the Model 14 was also developed into larger, more capable civil and military versions. Design and development The design, developed by a team led by Don Palmer, was a scaled-up version of the original Model 10 Electra, with passenger seating increased from 10 to 14. It was intended to compete commercially with the contemporary Douglas DC-2 and the Boeing 247. The first Model 14 flew on July 29, 1937, piloted by Marshall Headle. Early 14's used the Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet engine; later the Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 was offered as an option. Lockheed built a total of 114 Model 14s; another 119 were built under license in Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and ...
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Douglas DC-5
The Douglas DC-5 (Douglas Commercial Model 5) was a 16-to-22-seat, twin-engine propeller aircraft intended for shorter routes than the Douglas DC-3 or Douglas DC-4. By the time it entered commercial service in 1940, many airlines were canceling orders for aircraft. Consequently, only five civilian DC-5s were built. With the Douglas Aircraft Company already converting to World War II military production, the DC-5 was soon overtaken by world events, although a limited number of military variants were produced. Design and development The DC-5 was developed in 1938 as a 16-22 seat civilian airliner, designed to use either Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet or Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial engines. It was the first airliner to combine shoulder wings and tricycle landing gear, a configuration that is still common in turboprop airliners and military transport aircraft, although the modern versions are actually high wing, as the structure sits atop the fuselage shell rather than intersecting ...
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Douglas DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which became one of the most successful aircraft in history. Design and development In the early 1930s, fears about the safety of wooden aircraft structures drove the US aviation industry to develop all-metal airliners. United Airlines had exclusive right to the all metal twin-engine Boeing 247; rival TWA issued a specification for an all-metal trimotor. The Douglas response was more radical. When it flew on July 1, 1933, the prototype DC-1 had a robust tapered wing, retractable landing gear, and two 690 hp (515 kW) Wright radial engines driving variable-pitch propellers. It seated 12 passengers. Douglas test pilot Carl Cover flew the first test flight on May 11, 1934, of the DC-2 which was longer than the DC-1, had more powerful ...
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Nakajima Ki-49
The Nakajima Ki-49 ''Donryu'' (呑龍, "Storm Dragon")Francillon, 1970, p.223 was a twin-engine Japanese World War II heavy bomber. It was designed to carry out daylight bombing missions, without the protection of escort fighters. Consequently, while its official designation, Army Type 100 Heavy Bomber, was accurate in regard to its formidable defensive armament and armor, these features restricted the Ki-49 to payloads comparable to those of lighter medium bombers – the initial production variant could carry only of bombs. A mid-wing, cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction, the Ki-49 was one of the first Japanese aircraft fitted with a retractable tailwheel. During World War II, it was known to the Allies by the reporting name "Helen". Development The Ki-49 was designed to replace the Mitsubishi Ki-21 ("Sally"), which entered service with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in 1938. Learning from service trials of the Ki-21, the Army realized that however advanced ...
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Nakajima Ki-6
The was a licensed-produced version of the Fokker Super Universal transport built by Nakajima Aircraft Company in the 1930s. Initially used as an airliner, the militarized version was used by the Imperial Japanese Army in a variety of roles, ranging from medical evacuation to transport and training aircraft. It was used extensively in combat zones in Manchukuo and in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Design and development The Ki-6 originated as the Model 8 Super Universal, launched by Fokker in the United States in 1927 as a further development of its successful Fokker Universal. The Super Universal was slightly larger and could carry six passengers rather than four. In addition, the aircraft was equipped with a more powerful engine and a cantilever high-wing. In total, about 200 Super Universals are thought to have been built. Due to its rugged durability, long-range flight ability and large cargo capacity, the Fokker Super Universal was extensively used in b ...
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