Description

Description

The Type 1 Land Attack Aircraft was designed as a successor to the Type 96 Land Attack Aircraft, and the first prototype made its maiden flight on October 23, 1939.

The Navy's requirements at the time were demanding: a maximum range of 4,185 km in a reconnaissance overloaded state and a maximum range of 3,704 km in an attack overloaded state with 800 kg of bombs or torpedoes . To increase the range , they first adopted integral tanks, where part of the wing structure was made oil-tight and the structure itself served as a fuel tank, allowing a large amount of fuel to be carried inside the wings.

Its distinctive cigar-shaped, wide fuselage allowed for the placement of the bomb bay within the fuselage, significantly reducing drag from an aerodynamic standpoint. This original and outstanding design resulted in an aircraft with performance exceeding military requirements.

However, the integral tanks later became a weakness of the Type 1 land attack aircraft, as even minor hits to the wings could cause them to catch fire, resulting in heavy losses in aerial combat. The total number of units produced across all models combined was approximately 2,400.

About the G4M2E

This type had its bomb bay removed and was designed to carry one Ohka I-11 in the central section. However, because it had bulletproof steel plates installed in the cockpit and fuel tanks, the gross weight increased when carrying the Ohka, which reduced its flight performance. As a result, it was often shot down before the Ohka could take off, and it was not very effective as a mother ship for the Ohka. (The scene of the Ohka (I-13) taking off in the package illustration is fictional.)

Data Type 24 D G4M2E