Kawanishi H6K

Kawanishi H6K

Infobox Aircraft
name = H6K
type = Patrol flying boat
manufacturer = Kawanishi



caption =
designer =
first flight = 14 July 1936
introduced = January 1938
retired = 1945 (Japan)
1948 (Indonesia)
status =
primary user = IJN Air Service
more users =
produced =
number built = 215
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =
The Kawanishi H6K was an Imperial Japanese Navy flying boat used during World War II for maritime patrol duties. The Allied reporting name for the type was "Mavis"; the Navy designation was nihongo|"Type 97 Large Flying Boat"|九七式大型飛行艇.

Design and development

The aircraft was designed in response to a Navy requirement of 1933 and incorporated knowledge gleaned by a Kawanishi team that had visited the Short Brothers factory in the UK, at that time one of the world's leading producers of flying boats. The Type S, as Kawanishi called it, was a large, four-engined monoplane with twin tails, and a hull suspended beneath the parasol wing by a network of struts. Three prototypes were constructed, each one making gradual refinements to the machine's handling both in the water and in the air, and finally fitting more powerful engines. The first of these flew on 14 July 1936 and was originally designated Navy Type 97 Flying Boat, later H6K. Eventually, 217 would be built.

Operational history

H6Ks were deployed from 1938 onwards, first seeing service in the Sino-Japanese War and in widespread use by the time full-scale war erupted in the Pacific(66 examples in four Kokutais).at first stages poses some success during Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific campaigns,during bombing and long-range recon missions. It had excellent endurance, able to undertake 24-hour patrols, and was even used for long-range raids on Rabaul and the Dutch East Indies.

The aircraft became quickly vulnerable to the new generation of fighters then appearing, but continued in service throughout the war in areas where the risk of interception was low. In front-line service, it was replaced by the Kawanishi H8K.

Variants

;H6K1:Evaluation prototypes with four Nakajima Hikari 2 engines, 4 built.;H6K1 (Navy Flying Boat Type 97 Model 1):Prototypes with 1000 hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 43 Engines, 3 built.;H6K2 Model 11:First production model. Includes two H6K2-L officer transport modification, 10 built.;H6K2-L (Navy Transport Flying Boat Type 97):Unarmed transport version of H6K2 powered by Mitsubishi Kinsei 43 engines, 16 built.;H6K3 Model 21:Modified transport version of H6K2 for VIPs and high ranking officers, 2 built.;H6K4 Model 22:Major production version, modified H6K2 with revised weapons, some with 930 hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 46 engines. Fuel capacity increased from 1,708 Imp gallons to 2,950 gallons. Includes two H6K4-L transport versions, 10 (100+? 124 if other numbers are all correct) built.;H6K4-L:Transport version of H6K4, similar to H6K2-L, but with Mitsubishi Kinsei 46 engines, including two modifications of the H6K4, 20 built.;H6K5 Model 23:Fitted with 1300 hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 51 or 53 engines and new upper turret replacing the open position, 36 built.

Operators

;IDN
*Ex-Japanese Aircraft was operated by Indonesian guerilla forces.;JPN
*Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

pecifications (H6K4)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref= [Green 1972, p. 129.] [Francillon 1979, p. 307.]
crew=nine
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 25.63 m
length alt= 84 ft 3 in
span main= 40.00 m
span alt= 131 ft 2 in
height main= 6.27 m
height alt= 20 ft 6 in
area main= 170 m²
area alt= 1,830 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 11,707 kg
empty weight alt= 25,755 lb
loaded weight main= 17,000 kg
loaded weight alt= 37,400 lb
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 21,500 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 47,300 lb
more general=
engine (prop)= Mitsubishi Kinsei 43 or 46
type of prop=14-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engines
number of props=4
power main= 746 kW
power alt= 1,000 hp
power original=
max speed main= 331 km/h
max speed alt= 211 mph
cruise speed main= 138 mph
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 6,580 km
range alt=4,112 mi
ceiling main= 9,610 m
ceiling alt= 31,520 ft
climb rate main= 370 m/min
climb rate alt= 1,213 ft/min
loading main=100 kg/m²
loading alt= 20 lb/ft²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.17 kW/kg
power/mass alt=0.11 hp/lb
more performance=
armament=
* 1 × mm to in|7.7|sp=us|abbr=on|precision=2 Type 97 machine gun in nose
* 1 × Type 97 machine gun in spine
* 2 × Type 97 machine guns in waist blisters
* 1 × 20 mm Type 99 cannon in tail turret
* 2 × kg to lb|800|sp=us|abbr=on|precision=0 torpedoes or kg to lb|1000|sp=us|abbr=on|precision=0 of bombs
avionics=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Francillon, René J.. "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War". Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1995.
* Green, William. "Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five: Flying Boats". London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers)Ltd., 1962. ISBN 0-356-01449-5.
* Doubilet, David. "The Flying Boat". "Sport Diver Magazine". Volume 15, Number 8, September 2007.
* Richards, M.C. "Kawanishi 4-Motor Flying-Boats (H6K 'Mavis' and H8K 'Emily')". "Aircraft in Profile Volume 11". Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
* Van der Klaauw, Bart. "Water- en Transportvliegtuigen Wereldoorlog II" (in Dutch). Alkmaar, the Netherlands: Uitgeverij de Alk. ISBN 90-6013-6772.

External links

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
* Dornier Do 24
* PBY Catalina
lists=
List of military aircraft of Japan -
List of flying boats
see also=


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