The Kayaba Ku-2 (''萱場 2型無尾翼滑空機'') was a glider built in Japan in 1940 to investigate the possibilities of tailless aircraft. It was developed as part of an

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

contract that had been offered to designer Hidemasa Kimura following the successful flights of his HK-1 tailless glider over the previous years. Developed with the help of the

Kayaba Industry is a Japanese, Tokyo-based automotive company. Among KYB's main products company are shock absorbers, air suspensions, power steering systems, hydraulic pumps, motors, cylinders, and valves. It is one of the world's largest shock absorber ...

's chief designer Shigeki Naito, the Ku-2 had a swept wing with two vertical fins at the end of the wings. The Ku-2 flew 262 test flights between October 1940 and May 1941 before being damaged beyond repair in a crash.

Specifications

References

*
日本飞翼的短暂研究
{{Japanese Army Glider Designation System 1940s military gliders Tailless aircraft 1940s Japanese experimental aircraft Kayaba aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1940