Japanese Air Force Japanese Air Force. Aviation of Japan. Special purpose aircraft

The twentieth century was a period of intensive development of military aviation in many European countries. The reason for its appearance was the need of states for air and missile defense of economic and political centers. The development of combat aviation was observed not only in Europe. The twentieth century was a time of increasing the power of the Air Force, which also sought to protect itself and strategic and nationally important facilities.

How it all began? Japan in 1891-1910

In 1891, the first flying machines were launched in Japan. These were models using rubber motors. Over time, a larger one was created, the design of which had a drive and a pusher screw. But the Japanese Air Force was not interested in this product. The birth of aviation occurred in 1910, after the acquisition of Farman and Grande aircraft.

1914 First air battle

The first attempts to use Japanese combat aircraft were made in September 1914. At this time, the army of the Land of the Rising Sun, together with England and France, opposed the Germans stationed in China. A year before these events, the Japanese Air Force acquired two two-seat Nieuport NG aircraft and one three-seat Nieuport NM aircraft manufactured in 1910 for training purposes. Soon these air units began to be used for combat. In 1913, the Japanese Air Force had at its disposal four Farman aircraft, which were designed for reconnaissance. Over time, they began to be used to carry out air strikes against the enemy.

In 1914, German aircraft attacked the fleet at Tsingatao. Germany at that time used one of its best aircraft - the Taub. During this military campaign, Japanese Air Force aircraft flew 86 missions and dropped 44 bombs.

1916-1930. Activities of manufacturing companies

At this time, the Japanese companies Kawasaki, Nakajima and Mitsubishi were developing a unique flying boat, Yokoso. Since 1916, Japanese manufacturers have created designs for the best aircraft models in Germany, France and England. This state of affairs lasted for fifteen years. Since 1930, companies began producing aircraft for the Japanese Air Force. Today this state is one of the ten most powerful armies in the world.

Domestic developments

By 1936, the first aircraft were designed by the Japanese manufacturing companies Kawasaki, Nakajima and Mitsubishi. The Japanese Air Force already possessed domestically produced twin-engine G3M1 and Ki-21 bombers, Ki-15 reconnaissance aircraft and A5M1 fighters. In 1937, the conflict between Japan and China flared up again. This entailed the privatization of large industrial enterprises by Japan and the restoration of state control over them.

Japanese Air Force. Command organization

The head of the Japanese Air Force is the General Staff. The following commands are subordinate to him:

• combat support;
• aviation;
• communications;
• educational;
• security team;
• test;
• hospital;
• Japanese Air Force counterintelligence department.

The combat strength of the Air Force is represented by combat, training, transport and special aircraft and helicopters.

As of early 2012, the number of personnel in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force was approximately 43,700. The aircraft fleet includes about 700 aircraft and helicopters of the main types, of which the number of tactical and multi-role fighters is about 260 units, light trainers/attack aircraft - about 200, AWACS aircraft - 17, radio reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft - 7, strategic tankers - 4 , military transport aircraft - 44.

Tactical fighter F-15J (160 pcs.) Single-seat all-weather version of the F-15 fighter for the Japanese Air Force, produced since 1982 by Mitsubishi under license.

Structurally similar to the F-15 fighter, but has simplified electronic warfare equipment. F-15DJ(42) - further development of the F-15J

F-2A/B (39/32pcs.) - Multi-role fighter developed by Mitsubishi and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

F-2A fighter, photograph taken in December 2012. from the Russian reconnaissance Tu-214R

The F-2 was intended primarily to replace the third generation fighter-bomber Mitsubishi F-1 - according to experts, an unsuccessful variation on the SEPECAT "Jaguar" theme with an insufficient range of action and a small combat load. The appearance of the F-2 aircraft was significantly influenced by the American project General Dynamic "Agile Falcon" - a slightly enlarged and more maneuverable version of the F-16 "fighting Falcon" aircraft. Although outwardly the Japanese aircraft is very similar to its American counterpart, it should still be considered a new aircraft, different from prototype not only by differences in the airframe design, but also by the structural materials used, on-board systems, radio electronics and weapons. Compared to the American aircraft, the design of the Japanese fighter made much greater use of advanced composite materials, which ensured a reduction in the relative weight of the airframe. In general, the design of the Japanese aircraft is simpler, lighter and more technologically advanced than that of the F-16.

F-4EJ Kai (60 pcs.) - Multirole fighter.

Japanese version of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4E. "Phantom"II

Google Earth satellite image: aircraft and F-4J at Miho Air Base

T-4 (200 pcs.) - Light attack aircraft/trainer, developed by Kawasaki for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

The T-4 is flown by the Japanese aerobatic team Blue Impulse. The T-4 has 4 hardpoints for fuel tanks, machine gun containers and other weapons necessary to perform training missions. The design allows for rapid modification into a light attack aircraft. In this version, it is capable of carrying up to 2000 kg of combat load on five suspension units. The aircraft can be retrofitted to use the AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missile.

Grumman E-2CHawkeye (13 pcs.) - AWACS and control aircraft.

Boeing E-767 AWACS(4pcs.)

AWACS aircraft built for Japan, based on the passenger Boeing 767

C-1A (25 pcs.) Medium-range military transport aircraft developed by Kawasaki for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

C-1s form the backbone of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' fleet of military transport aircraft.
The aircraft is designed for air transportation of troops, military equipment and cargo, landing of personnel and equipment by landing and parachute methods, and evacuation of the wounded. The S-1 aircraft has a high swept wing, a fuselage with a round cross-section, a T-shaped tail and a tricycle landing gear that is retractable in flight. In the front part of the fuselage there is a crew cabin consisting of 5 people, behind it there is a cargo compartment 10.8 m long, 3.6 m wide and 2.25 m high.
Both the flight deck and cargo compartment are pressurized and connected to an air conditioning system. The cargo compartment can carry 60 soldiers with weapons or 45 paratroopers. In the case of transporting the wounded, 36 stretchers of the wounded and their accompanying personnel can be placed here. Through the cargo hatch located in the rear of the aircraft, the following can be loaded into the cabin: a 105-mm howitzer or a 2.5-ton truck, or three cars
jeep type. Equipment and cargo are dropped through this hatch, and paratroopers can also land through the side doors at the rear of the fuselage.

Google Earth satellite image: T-4 and S-1A aircraft Tsuiki airbase

EC-1 (1 piece) - Electronic reconnaissance aircraft based on the transport S-1.
YS-11 (7 pcs.) - Electronic warfare aircraft based on a medium-range passenger aircraft.
C-130H (16 pcs.) - Multi-purpose military transport aircraft.
Boeing KC-767J (4 pcs.) - Strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing 767.
UH-60JBlack Hawk (39 pcs.) - Multi-purpose helicopter.
CH-47JChinook (16 pcs.) - Multi-purpose military transport helicopter.

Air defense: 120 PU "Patriot" and "Advanced Hawk" missiles.

Google Earth satellite image: Patriot air defense system launcher of Japanese air defense in the Tokyo area

Google Earth satellite image: Advanced Hawk air defense system of Japan, suburb of Tokyo

The formation of the current Japanese Air Force began with the passage of the law on July 1, 1954, creating the National Defense Agency, as well as the ground, naval and air forces. The problem of aviation equipment and personnel was solved with American help. In April 1956, an agreement was signed to supply Japan with F-104 Starfighter jets.

At that time, this multi-role fighter was undergoing flight tests and showed high capabilities as an air defense fighter, which corresponded to the views of the country’s leadership on the use of the armed forces “only in the interests of defense.”
Subsequently, when creating and developing the armed forces, the Japanese leadership proceeded from the need to ensure “the country’s initial defense against aggression.” The subsequent response to a possible aggressor under the security treaty was to be given by the US armed forces. Tokyo considered the guarantor of such a response to be the placement of American military bases on the Japanese islands, while Japan assumed many of the costs of ensuring the functioning of Pentagon facilities.
Based on the above, the equipment of the Japanese Air Force began.
In the late 1950s, the Starfighter, despite its high accident rate, became one of the main air force fighters in many countries and was produced in various modifications, including in Japan. It was the F-104J all-weather interceptor. Since 1961, the Air Force of the Land of the Rising Sun has received 210 Starfighter aircraft, 178 of which were manufactured by the famous Japanese concern Mitsubishi under license.
It must be said that the construction of jet fighters in Japan began back in 1957, when the production (also under license) of American F-86F Saber aircraft began.

F-86F "Saber" of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force

But by the mid-1960s, the F-104J began to be regarded as an obsolete vehicle. Therefore, in January 1969, the Japanese Cabinet of Ministers decided to equip the country's air force with new interceptor fighters. The American multirole fighter of the third generation F-4E Phantom was chosen as the prototype. But the Japanese, when ordering the F-4EJ variant, stipulated that it be an interceptor aircraft. The Americans did not object, and all equipment for working against ground targets was removed from the F-4EJ, but the air-to-air weapons were strengthened. All in accordance with the Japanese concept of “defense only.” The leadership of Japan demonstrated, at least in conceptual documents, a desire to ensure that the country's armed forces remained national armed forces and ensure the security of its territory.

A “softening” of Tokyo’s approaches to offensive weapons, including in the Air Force, began to be observed in the second half of the 1970s under pressure from Washington, especially after the adoption in 1978 of the so-called “Guiding Principles of Japan-US Defense Cooperation.” Before this, there had been no joint actions, not even exercises, between the self-defense forces and American units on Japanese territory. Since then, much has changed, including in the performance characteristics of aircraft, in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces with the expectation of joint actions. For example, the still produced F-4EJs are equipped with equipment for in-flight refueling. The last Phantom for the Japanese Air Force arrived in 1981. But already in 1984, a program was adopted to extend their service life. At the same time, the Phantoms began to be equipped with bombing capabilities. These aircraft were named Kai.
But this does not mean that the main mission of the Japanese Air Force has changed. It remained the same - providing air defense for the country. That is why, since 1982, the Japanese Air Force began to receive license-produced F-15J all-weather interceptor fighters. It was a modification of the fourth-generation American all-weather tactical fighter F-15 Eagle, designed “to gain air superiority.” To this day, the F-15J is the main air defense fighter of the Japanese Air Force (a total of 223 such aircraft were delivered to them).
As you can see, almost always the emphasis in the choice of aircraft was on fighters aimed at air defense missions and gaining air superiority. This applies to the F-104J, F-4EJ, and F-15J.
It was only in the second half of the 1980s that Washington and Tokyo agreed to jointly develop a close support fighter.
The validity of these statements has so far been confirmed in the course of conflicts in connection with the need to re-equip the country's military aviation fighter fleet. The main task of the Japanese Air Force remains to ensure the country's air defense. Although the task of providing air support to the ground forces and navy has also been added. This is evident from the organizational structure of the Air Force. Its structure includes three aviation directions – Northern, Central and Western. Each of them has two fighter wings, including two squadrons. Moreover, out of 12 squadrons, nine are air defense and three are tactical fighter. In addition, there is the Southwestern Combined Aviation Wing, which includes another air defense fighter squadron. Air defense squadrons are armed with F-15J and F-4EJ Kai aircraft.
As you can see, the core of the “core forces” of the Japanese Air Force consists of interceptor fighters. There are only three direct support squadrons and they are armed with F-2 fighters jointly developed by Japan and America.
The current program of the Japanese government to re-equip the country's Air Force aircraft fleet is generally aimed at replacing outdated Phantoms. Two options were considered. According to the first version of the tender for the new F-X fighter, it was planned to purchase from 20 to 60 fifth-generation air defense fighters similar in performance characteristics to the American F-22 Raptor fighter (Predator, produced by Lockheed Martin/Boeing). It was accepted into service by the US Air Force in December 2005.
According to Japanese experts, the F-22 is most consistent with Japan's defense concepts. The American F-35 fighter was also considered as a backup option, but it is believed that more vehicles of this type will be needed. In addition, this is a multi-role aircraft and its main purpose is to strike targets on the ground, which does not correspond to the “defense only” concept. However, back in 1998, the US Congress banned the export of “the latest fighter, which uses all the best achievements” of the United States aviation industry. Given this, most other countries that purchase American fighters are satisfied with the earlier models of the F-15 and F-16 or are waiting for the start of sales of the F-35, which uses the same technologies as the F-22, but is cheaper, more versatile application and from the very beginning of development was intended for export.
Of the American aviation corporations, Boeing had the closest ties with the Japanese Air Force for many years. In March, he proposed a new, significantly upgraded F-15FX model. Two other fighter jets produced by Boeing are also proposed, but they have no chance of success, since many of these machines are outdated. What is attractive to the Japanese in Boeing's application is that the corporation officially guarantees assistance in the deployment of licensed production, and also promises to provide Japanese companies with technologies used in the manufacture of aircraft.
But most likely, according to Japanese experts, the winner of the tender will be the F-35. It has almost the same high performance characteristics as the F-22, is a fifth-generation fighter and has some capabilities that the Predator does not have. True, the F-35 is still under development. Its introduction into the Japanese Air Force, according to various estimates, may begin in 2015–2016. Until then, all F-4s will have served their service life. The delay in choosing a new flagship fighter for the country's air force is causing concern in Japanese business circles, since in 2011, after the release of the last of the ordered F-2s, for the first time in post-war Japan, it was necessary, albeit temporarily, to curtail its own fighter construction.
Today in Japan there are about 1,200 companies associated with the production of fighter aircraft. They have special equipment and properly trained personnel. The management of the Mitsubishi Jukogyo Corporation, which has the largest portfolio of orders from the Ministry of Defense, believes that “production technologies in the defense sector, if not supported, are lost and never revived.”

In general, the Japanese Air Force is well-equipped, with fairly modern military equipment, in high combat readiness, and is quite capable of solving the assigned tasks.

The naval aviation of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy) is equipped with 116 aircraft and 107 helicopters.
The patrol air squadrons are armed with the basic R-ZS Orion patrol aircraft.

Anti-submarine helicopter squadrons are equipped with SH-60J and SH-60K helicopters.

Anti-submarine SH-60J Japanese Navy

Search and rescue squadrons include three search and rescue squads (three UH-60J helicopters each). There is a squadron of rescue seaplanes (US-1A, US-2)

US-1A seaplanes of the Japanese Navy

And two electronic warfare squadrons, equipped with electronic warfare aircraft ER-3, UP-3D and U-36A, as well as reconnaissance OR-ZS.
Separate aviation squadrons, according to their purpose, solve the problems of conducting flight tests of Navy aircraft, participate in the operations of mine-sweeping forces, as well as in activities for airlifting personnel and cargo.

On the Japanese islands, within the framework of a bilateral Japanese-American treaty, the 5th Air Force of the US Air Force is permanently stationed (headquarters at Yokota Air Base), which includes 3 air wings equipped with the most modern combat aircraft, including 5th generation F-22 Raptor.

Google Earth satellite image: US Air Force F-22 aircraft at Kadena Air Base

In addition, the 7th Operational Fleet of the US Navy constantly operates in the Western Pacific. The headquarters of the commander of the 7th Fleet is located at the Yokosuka naval base (Japan). Fleet formations and ships are based at the Yokosuka and Sasebo naval bases, aviation at the Atsugi and Misawa air bases, and marine formations at Camp Butler (Okinawa) under the terms of a long-term lease of these bases from Japan. Fleet forces regularly participate in theater security operations and joint exercises with the Japanese Navy.

Google Earth satellite image: aircraft carrier George Washington at Yokosuka naval base

The US Navy Carrier Strike Group, including at least one aircraft carrier, is almost constantly located in the region.

A very powerful air force is concentrated in the area of ​​the Japanese islands, several times greater than our forces in this region.
For comparison, the combat aviation of our country in the Far East as part of the Air Force and Air Defense Command, the former 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army is an operational association of the air force of the Russian Federation, with headquarters in Khabarovsk. It has no more than 350 combat aircraft, a significant part of which are not combat-ready.
In terms of numbers, the naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet is inferior to the aviation of the Japanese Navy by about three times.

Based on materials:
http://war1960.narod.ru/vs/vvs_japan.html
http://nvo.ng.ru/armament/2009-09-18/6_japan.html
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/sea/us1kai.html
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/fsx.html
Directory by K.V. Chuprin “ARMED FORCES OF THE CIS AND BALTIC COUNTRIES”

The Japanese Air Force is the aviation component of the Japan Self-Defense Force and is responsible for airspace defense. The purpose of the Air Force is to combat the air forces of the aggressor, provide air and missile defense to the country's economic and political centers, force groups and important military installations, provide military support to the Navy and ground forces, conduct radar and aerial reconnaissance and provide airlift of troops and weapons.

History of the Japanese Air Force and Aviation

At the beginning of the twentieth century, almost all of Europe was interested in aviation. Exactly the same need arose in Japan. First of all, we were talking about military aviation. In 1913, the country acquired 2 aircraft - the Nieuport NG (double) and the Nieuport NM (triple), produced in 1910. Initially, it was planned to use them purely for exercises, but soon they also took part in combat missions.

Japan used combat aircraft for the first time in September 1414. Together with the British and French, the Japanese opposed the Germans located in China. In addition to the Nieuports, the Japanese Air Force had 4 Farman units. At first they were used as scouts, and then they carried out airstrikes against the enemy. And the first air battle took place during the attack of the German fleet in Tsingtao. Then the German Taub took to the skies. As a result of the air battle, there was no winner or loser, but one Japanese plane was forced to land in China. The plane was burned. During the entire campaign, 86 sorties were flown and 44 bombs were dropped.

The first attempts to launch flying machines in Japan happened back in 1891. Then several models with rubber motors took to the air. A little later, a larger model with a drive and a pusher propeller was designed. But the military was not interested in her. It was only in 1910, when the Farman and Grande aircraft were purchased, that aviation was born in Japan.

In 1916, the first unique development was built - the Yokoso flying boat. The companies Kawasaki, Nakajima and Mitsubishi immediately took up development. For the next fifteen years, this trio was engaged in the production of improved models of European aircraft, mainly German, English and French. Pilot training took place in the best schools in the USA. By the early 1930s, the government decided that it was time to begin its own aircraft production.

In 1936, Japan independently developed the Mitsubishi G3M1 and Ki-21 twin-engine bombers, the Mitsubishi Ki-15 reconnaissance aircraft, the Nakajima B5N1 carrier-based bombers, and the Mitsubishi A5M1 fighters. In 1937, the “second Japanese-Chinese conflict” began, which led to complete secrecy of the aviation industry. A year later, large industrial enterprises were privatized by the state and were completely controlled by it.

Until the end of World War II, Japanese aviation was subordinate to the Japanese Navy and the Imperial Army. It was not assigned to a separate type of troops. After the war, when new armed forces began to be formed, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were created. The first equipment they had under their control was produced in the USA. Starting from the 70-80s, only those aircraft that were modernized at Japanese enterprises began to be sent into service. A little later, aircraft of our own production entered service: Kawasaki C-1 - a military transport, Mitsubishi F-2 - a fighter-bomber. In 1992, Japanese aviation personnel amounted to 46,000 people, combat aircraft - 330 units. By 2004, the Japanese Air Force had 51,092 personnel.

In 2007, Japan expressed a desire to purchase the F-22, a fifth-generation fighter, from the United States. Having received a refusal, the government decided to build its own aircraft of the same type - the Mitsubishi ATD-X. By 2012, the number of employees in the Air Force had decreased to 43,123 people. The number of aircraft is 371 units.

Japan Air Force Organization (Japanese Air Force)

The Air Force is headed by the General Staff. Subordinate to him are the commands for combat support and aviation, the communications brigade, the training command, the security group, the test command, hospitals (3 pieces), the counterintelligence department and many others. The BAC is an operational formation that carries out combat missions for the Air Force.

Equipment and weapons include combat, training, transport, special aircraft and helicopters.

Combat aircraft:

1. The F-15 Eagle is a combat trainer fighter.
2. Mitsubishi F-2 is a combat training fighter-bomber.
3. The F-4 Phantom II is a reconnaissance fighter.
4. LockheedMartin F-35 Lightning II is a fighter-bomber.

Training aircraft:

1. Kawasaki T-4 – training.
2. Fuji T-7 – training.
3. Hawker 400 – training.
4. NAMC YS-11 – training.

Transport aircraft:

1. C-130 Hercules – transport aircraft.
2. Kawasaki C-1 – transport, electronic warfare training.
3. NAMC YS-11 – transport aircraft.
4. Kawasaki C-2 – transporter.

Special purpose aircraft:

1. Boeing KC-767 – refueling aircraft.
2. Gulfstream IV – VIP transport.
3. NAMC YS-11E – electronic warfare aircraft.
4. E-2 Hawkeye - AWACS aircraft.
5. Boeing E-767 is an AWACS aircraft.
6. U-125 Peace Krypton - rescue aircraft.

Helicopters:

1. CH-47 Chinook – transport aircraft.
2. Mitsubishi H-60 ​​– rescue.

The aircraft was produced by Kawasaki in 1935-1938. It was an all-metal biplane with a fixed landing gear and an open cockpit. A total of 588 vehicles were produced, incl. Ki-10-I – 300 vehicles and Ki-10-II – 280 vehicles. Performance characteristics of the vehicle: length – 7.2 m; height – 3 m; wingspan – 10 m; wing area - 23 m²; empty weight – 1.4 t, take-off weight – 1.7 t; engine - Kawasaki Ha-9 with 850 hp; rate of climb – 1,000 m/m; maximum speed – 400 km/h, practical range – 1,100 km; practical ceiling – 11,500 m; armament - two 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns; crew - 1 person.

The heavy night fighter was produced by Kawasaki in 1942-1945. A total of 1.7 thousand vehicles were produced in four production versions: Ki-45 KAIa, Ki-45 KAIb, Ki-45 KAIc and Ki-45 KAId. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 11 m; height – 3.7 m; wingspan – 15 m; wing area – 32 m²; empty weight – 4 t, take-off weight – 5.5 t; engines - two Mitsubishi Ha-102 with a power of 1,080 hp; volume of fuel tanks – 1 thousand liters; rate of climb – 11 m/s; maximum speed – 547 km/h; practical range – 2,000 km; practical ceiling – 9,200 m; armament - 37 mm No-203 cannon, two 20 mm Ho-5, 7.92 mm Type 98 machine gun; ammunition 1,050 rounds; bomb load - 500 kg; crew - 2 people.

The aircraft was produced by Kawasaki in 1942-1945. It had an all-metal semi-monocoque fuselage structure, pilot armor protection and protected tanks. A total of 3.2 thousand vehicles were produced in two serial modifications: Ki-61-I and Ki-61-II, which differed in equipment and armament. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 9.2 m; height – 3.7 m; wingspan – 12 m; wing area – 20 m²; empty weight – 2.8 t, take-off weight – 3.8 t; engine - Kawasaki Ha-140 with a power of 1,175 - 1,500 hp; volume of fuel tanks – 550 l; rate of climb – 13.9 – 15.2 m/s; maximum speed - 580 - 610 km/h, cruising speed - 450 km/h; practical range – 1,100 – 1,600 km; practical ceiling – 11,000 m; armament - two 20-mm No-5 cannons, two 12.7-mm Type No-103 machine guns, 1,050 rounds of ammunition; bomb load - 500 kg; crew - 1 person.

The aircraft was produced by Kawasaki based on the Ki-61 Hien in 1945 by replacing the liquid-cooled engine with an air-cooled engine. A total of 395 vehicles were produced in two modifications: Ki-100-Іа and Ki-100-Ib. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 8.8 m; height – 3.8 m; wingspan – 12 m; wing area – 20 m²; empty weight – 2.5 t, take-off weight – 3.5 t; engine – Mitsubishi Ha 112-II with a power of 1,500 hp, rate of climb – 16.8 m/s; maximum speed – 580 km/h, cruising speed – 400 km/h; practical range – 2,200 km; practical ceiling – 11,000 m; armament - two 20-mm No-5 cannons and two 12.7-mm machine guns Type No-103; crew - 1 person.

A twin-engine, two-seat, long-range fighter-interceptor was produced by Kawasaki based on the Ki-96 in 1944-1945. A total of 238 vehicles were built. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 11.5 m; height – 3.7 m; wingspan - 15.6 m; wing area – 34 m²; empty weight – 5 t, take-off weight – 7.3 t; engines - two Mitsubishi Ha-112 with a power of 1,500 hp; rate of climb – 12 m/s; maximum speed – 580 km/h; practical range – 1,200 km; practical ceiling – 10,000 m; armament - 57-mm No-401 cannon, two 20-mm No-5 cannons and a 12.7-mm Type No-103 machine gun; bomb load - 500 kg; crew - 2 people.

The N1K-J Shiden, a single-seat all-metal fighter, was produced by Kawanishi in 1943-1945. in two serial modifications: N1K1-J and N1K2-J. A total of 1.4 thousand cars were produced. Performance characteristics of the vehicle: length – 8.9 – 9.4 m; height – 4 m; wingspan – 12 m; wing area – 23.5 m²; empty weight – 2.7 – 2.9 t, take-off weight – 4.3 – 4.9 t; engine – Nakajima NK9H with a power of 1,990 hp; rate of climb – 20.3 m/s; maximum speed – 590 km/h, cruising speed – 365 km/h; practical range - 1,400 - 1,700 km; practical ceiling – 10,700 m; armament - two 20 mm Type 99 cannons and two 7.7 mm machine guns or four 20 mm Type 99 cannons; bomb load - 500 kg; crew - 1 person.

A single-seat all-metal interceptor fighter was produced by Mitsubishi in 1942-1945. A total of 621 vehicles of the following modifications were produced: J-2M1 - (8 vehicles), J-2M2 - (131), J-2M3 (435), J-2M4 - (2), J-2M5 - (43) and J- 2M6 (2). Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 10 m; height – 4 m; wingspan - 10.8 m; wing area - 20 m²; empty weight – 2.5 t, take-off weight – 3.4 t; engine - Mitsubishi MK4R-A with a power of 1,820 hp; rate of climb – 16 m/s; maximum speed – 612 km/h, cruising speed – 350 km/h; practical range – 1,900 km; practical ceiling – 11,700 m; armament - four 20-mm Type 99 cannons; bomb load - 120 kg; crew - 1 person.

An all-metal night twin-engine fighter was produced by Mitsubishi based on the Ki-46 reconnaissance aircraft in 1944-1945. It was a low-wing monoplane with a retractable tail wheel. A total of 613 thousand cars were produced. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 11 m; height – 3.9 m; wingspan - 14.7 m; wing area – 32 m²; empty weight – 3.8 t, take-off weight – 6.2 t; engines - two Mitsubishi Ha-112 with a power of 1,500 hp; volume of fuel tanks – 1.7 thousand liters; rate of climb – 7.4 m/s; maximum speed – 630 km/h, cruising speed – 425 km/h; practical range – 2,500 km; practical ceiling – 10,700 m; armament - 37 mm cannon and two 20 mm cannons; crew - 2 people.

An all-metal loitering interceptor fighter was produced by Mitsubishi in 1944 on the basis of the Ki-67 bomber. A total of 22 cars were produced. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 18 m; height – 5.8 m; wingspan - 22.5 m; wing area – 65.9 m²; empty weight – 7.4 t, take-off weight – 10.8 t; engines - two Mitsubishi Ha-104 with a power of 1900 hp; rate of climb – 8.6 m/s; maximum speed – 550 km/h, cruising speed – 410 km/h; practical range – 2,200 km; practical ceiling – 12,000 m; armament - 75 mm Type 88 cannon, 12.7 mm Type 1 machine gun; crew - 4 people.

The twin-engine night fighter was produced by Nakajima Aircraft in 1942-1944. A total of 479 vehicles were built in four modifications: J-1n1-C KAI, J-1N1-R (J1N1-F), J-1N1-S and J-1N1-Sa. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 12.2 – 12.8 m; height – 4.6 m; wingspan – 17 m; wing area - 40 m²; empty weight - 4.5-5 tons, take-off weight - 7.5 - 8.2 tons; engines - two Nakajima NK1F Sakae 21/22 with a power of 980 - 1,130 hp; rate of climb – 8.7 m/s; fuel tank capacity - 1.7 - 2.3 thousand liters; maximum speed – 507 km/h, cruising speed – 330 km/h; practical range – 2,500 – 3,800 km; practical ceiling – 9,300 – 10,300 m; armament - two to four 20 mm Type 99 cannons or a 20 mm cannon and four 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns; crew - 2 people.

The fighter was produced by Nakajima in 1938-1942. in two main modifications: Ki-27a and Ki-27b. It was a single-seat all-metal low-wing aircraft with a closed cockpit and a fixed landing gear. A total of 3.4 thousand cars were produced. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 7.5 m; height – 3.3 m; wingspan - 11.4 m; wing area – 18.6 m²; empty weight – 1.2 t, take-off weight – 1.8 t; engine - Nakajima Ha-1 with a power of 650 hp; rate of climb – 15.3 m/s; maximum speed – 470 km/h, cruising speed – 350 km/h; practical range – 1,700 km; practical ceiling – 10,000 m; armament - 12.7 mm Type 1 machine gun and 7.7 mm Type 89 machine gun or two 7.7 mm machine guns; bomb load - 100 kg; crew - 1 person.

Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter

The aircraft was produced by Nakajima in 1942-1945. It was an all-metal, single-engine, single-seat, cantilever low-wing aircraft. The rear part of the fuselage was a single unit with the tail unit. At the base of the wing there were retractable all-metal flaps, increasing not only the curvature of its profile, but also its area. A total of 5.9 thousand vehicles were produced in three serial modifications - Ki-43-I/II/III. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 8.9 m; height – 3.3 m; wingspan - 10.8 m; wing area – 21.4 m²; empty weight – 1.9 t, take-off weight – 2.9 t; engine - Nakajima Ha-115 with a power of 1,130 hp; rate of climb – 19.8 m/s; fuel tank volume – 563 l; maximum speed – 530 km/h, cruising speed – 440 km/h; practical range – 3,200 km; practical ceiling – 11,200 m; armament - two 12.7 mm No-103 machine guns or two 20 mm Ho-5 cannons; bomb load - 500 kg; crew - 1 person.

A single-seat fighter-interceptor of all-metal construction was produced by Nakajima in 1942-1944. It had a semi-monocoque fuselage, a low wing with all-metal flaps equipped with a hydraulic drive. The pilot's cabin was covered with a teardrop-shaped canopy for all-round visibility. The landing gear is tricycle with two main struts and a tail wheel. During flight, all landing gear wheels were retracted by a hydraulic system and covered with shields. A total of 1.3 thousand aircraft were produced. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 8.9 m; height – 3 m; wingspan – 9.5 m; wing area – 15 m²; empty weight – 2.1 t, take-off weight – 3 t; engine - Nakajima Ha-109 with a power of 1,520 hp; fuel tank volume – 455 l; rate of climb – 19.5 m/s; maximum speed – 605 km/h, cruising speed – 400 km/h; practical range – 1,700 km; practical ceiling – 11,200 m; armament - four 12.7-mm No-103 machine guns or two 40-mm Ho-301 cannons, 760 rounds of ammunition; bomb load - 100 kg; crew - 1 person.

The single-seat fighter was produced by Nakajima in 1943-1945. In total, 3.5 thousand vehicles were produced in the following modifications: Ki-84, Ki-84-Iа/b/с and Ki-84-II. It was a cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction. It had pilot armor, protected fuel tanks and retractable landing gear. Vehicle performance characteristics: length – 9.9 m; height – 3.4 m; wingspan – 11.2 m; wing area – 21 m²; empty weight – 2.7 t, take-off weight – 4.1 t; engine - Nakajima Na-45 with a power of 1,825 - 2,028 hp; fuel tank volume – 737 l; rate of climb – 19.3 m/s; maximum speed - 630 - 690 km/h, cruising speed - 450 km/h; practical range – 1,700 km; practical ceiling – 11,500 m; armament - two 20-mm No-5 cannon, two 12.7-mm Type No-103 machine guns or four 20-mm No-5; bomb load - 500 kg; crew - 1 person.

Organized generally according to the European model, it nevertheless had unique features. So the army and navy of Japan had their own aviation; the air force as a separate branch of the armed forces, like the German Luftwaffe or the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, did not exist in Japan.

This was manifested both in the differences in the material part (the army and navy aviation consisted of different types of aircraft), as well as in the principles of organization and combat use. In general, as recognized by both foreign observers and the Japanese themselves, naval aviation units were distinguished by a higher level of pilot training and organization than their land-based companions.

The Imperial Army's aviation consisted of five Air Armies (Kokugun). Each army controlled a specific region of Asia. For example, in the spring of 1944, the 2nd Air Force, headquartered at Hsinking, defended Manchuria, while the 4th Air Force, headquartered at Manila, defended the Philippines, Indonesia, and western New Guinea. The task of the Air Armies was to provide support to ground forces and deliver cargo, weapons and soldiers where required, coordinating their actions with ground headquarters.

Air divisions (Hikoshidan) - the largest tactical units - reported directly to the headquarters of the Air Armies. In turn, the headquarters of the air divisions exercised command and control of smaller units.

Air brigades (Hikodan) were lower level tactical formations. Usually one division included two or three brigades. The Hikodan were mobile combat units with a small headquarters, operating at the tactical level. Each brigade usually consisted of three or four Hikosentai (fighter regiment or air group).

Hikosentai, or simply Sentai, was the main combat unit of the Japanese army aviation. Each sentai consisted of three or more chutai (squadrons). Depending on the composition, the sentai had from 27 to 49 aircraft. The chutai had approximately 16 aircraft each and a corresponding number of pilots and technicians. Thus, the Sentai personnel numbered about 400 soldiers and officers.

A flight (Shotai) usually consisted of three aircraft and was the smallest unit in Japanese aviation. At the end of the war, as an experiment, the number of Shotai was increased to four aircraft. But the experiment failed - the fourth pilot invariably turned out to be superfluous, fell out of action and became easy prey for the enemy.

Aviation of the Imperial Japanese Navy

The main organizational unit of Japanese naval aviation was the air group - kokutai (in army aviation - sentai). Naval aviation included about 90 air groups, each with 36-64 aircraft.

Air groups had numbers or their own names. The names were given, as a rule, according to the home airfield or air command (air groups Yokosuka, Sasebo, etc.). With rare exceptions (Tainan Air Group), when an air group was transferred to overseas territories, the name was replaced by a number (Kanoya Air Group, for example, became the 253rd Air Group). Numbers between 200 and 399 were reserved for fighter air groups, and between 600 and 699 for combined air groups. The hydroaviation air groups had numbers between 400 and 499. Deck air groups bore the names of aircraft carriers (Akagi air group, Akagi fighter squadron).

Each air group had three or four squadrons (hikotai), each with 12-16 aircraft. The squadron could be commanded by a lieutenant or even an experienced senior non-commissioned officer.

Most pilots were sergeants, while in the Allied air forces almost all pilots were officers. In communication with each other, the sergeants-pilots made subordination oblivious, but between the sergeants and officers there was an abyss.

The lowest unit of Japanese aviation was a flight of three or four aircraft. For a long time, the Japanese flew in threes. The first to copy Western tactics of fighting in pairs in 1943 was Lieutenant Zeinjiro Miyano. As a rule, experienced veterans were appointed as the leading pairs in a flight of four aircraft, while the wingmen were novices. This distribution of places in the flight allowed young pilots to gradually gain combat experience and reduce losses. By 1944, Japanese fighters had practically stopped flying in threes. A flight of three aircraft quickly fell apart in an air battle (it was difficult for the pilots to maintain formation), after which the enemy could shoot down the fighters one by one.

Camouflage and identification markings of Japanese aircraft

With the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, most combat aircraft of the army aviation were either not painted at all (they had the color of natural duralumin) or were painted with light gray, almost white, paint. However, already during the war in China, some types of aircraft, for example, the Mitsubishi Ki 21 and Kawasaki Ki 32 bombers received the first samples of camouflage painting: on top the aircraft was painted with uneven stripes of olive green and brown with a narrow white or blue dividing line between them, and on the bottom light gray paint.

With Japan's entry into World War II, the urgency of using camouflage was such that it was first taken up by aviation service personnel. Most often, the aircraft was covered with spots or stripes of olive-green paint; at a distance they merged, providing satisfactory secrecy of the aircraft against the background of the underlying surface. Then the camouflage coloring began to be applied in a factory manner. The most common color scheme has become the following: olive green on the upper surfaces and light gray or natural metal color on the lower surfaces. Often the olive green color was applied in the form of separate spots, similar to the “field” color. In this case, black or dark blue anti-reflective paint was usually applied on top of the nose.

Experimental and training vehicles were painted orange on all surfaces; they were supposed to be clearly visible in the air and on the ground.

The so-called "combat stripes" around the rear of the fuselage in front of the tail were used as identification marks. Sometimes they were applied to the wings. In the last two years of the war, this also included yellow painting of the leading edges of the wings approximately to the middle of the console. But in general, the camouflage schemes for Japanese army aviation aircraft often differed from the generally accepted ones and were quite diverse.

Red circles "hinomaru" were used as signs of nationality. They were applied on both sides of the rear fuselage, on the upper and lower planes of the wings. On biplanes, "hinomaru" were applied on the upper planes of the upper wing and the lower planes of the lower pair of wings. On camouflage aircraft, the Hinomaru usually had a white trim, and sometimes also a thin red one. On Japanese air defense aircraft, "hinomaru" were painted on white stripes on the fuselage and on the wings.

As the Sino-Japanese War progressed, Japanese aircraft began to use markings for individual parts, usually quite colorful. It was either an artistic depiction of a sentai number or a hieroglyph of the syllabary first in the name of the home airfield, or a symbol like an arrow. Images of animals or birds were rarely used. Typically, these marks were first applied to the rear of the fuselage and to the tail, and then only to the fin and rudder. At the same time, the color of the unit sign indicated belonging to a particular unit. Thus, the headquarters unit had a cobalt blue color, and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th chutai were white, red, yellow and green, respectively. In this case, the sign often had a white border.

At the beginning of the war in China, the aircraft of the fleet also had a light gray color or the color of natural duralumin. Later they received a sky gray or camouflage pattern of dark green and tan on the upper surfaces and light gray on the lower surfaces. True, by the beginning of the war in the Pacific, Japanese naval aircraft were mostly not painted at all and had the color of duralumin.

With Japan's entry into World War II, it was decided to introduce camouflage patterns for torpedo bombers, flying boats, and seaplanes. On them, the upper surfaces were painted dark green, and the lower surfaces were painted light gray, light blue, or had the color of natural metal. Since carrier-based aircraft retained their sky-gray coloring, when they were relocated to coastal airfields, maintenance personnel applied dark green spots on top of them. Moreover, the intensity of this coloring was quite different: from a barely noticeable “greening”, for example, of the keel, to an almost complete dark green color.

However, in July 1943, a single solid dark green upper surface paint scheme was introduced for all naval combat aircraft.

Experimental and training aircraft were painted orange on all surfaces, but as the war approached the shores of Japan, the upper surfaces began to be painted dark green, while the lower surfaces remained orange. At the very end of the war, all these aircraft received full “combat” camouflage paint.

In addition, it was common practice for aircraft with an air-cooled engine to paint the hood black, although on some types (Mitsubishi G4M and J2M it was practically not used).

With the beginning of the war, the “combat” stripes on the tails of fleet vehicles were painted over, but the yellow coloring of the leading edges of the wings, modeled on army aircraft, remained.

The Hinomaru nationality insignia was modeled on the army ones, but on naval air defense aircraft, unlike army ones, white stripes were not applied under them. True, sometimes “hinomaru” was applied in white or yellow squares.

Part designations were applied to the fin and stabilizer of the aircraft. At the beginning of the war, one or two hieroglyphs of the syllabary "Kana" were applied to the keel, usually indicating the name of the base in the metropolis to which the aircraft was assigned. If the aircraft was in one theater or another, it received a Latin letter or even a Latin numeral for carrier-based aircraft. The unit designation, separated by a hyphen, was usually followed by the three-digit number of the aircraft itself.

In the middle of the war, the alphanumeric designation system was replaced by a purely digital one (two to four digits). The first digit usually indicated the nature of the unit, the other two its number, followed by a hyphen and usually followed by the two-digit number of the aircraft itself. And finally, towards the end of the war, since many units were concentrated in Japan, they again returned to the alphanumeric designation system.

Japanese aircraft designation system

During World War II, the Japanese Air Force used multiple aircraft designation systems, which completely confused Allied intelligence. So, for example, a Japanese Army Aviation aircraft usually had a “China” (design) number, for example Ki 61, a type number “Army Type 3 Fighter” and its own name Hien. To simplify identification, the Allies introduced their own code designation for aircraft. So, Ki 61 became "Tony".

Initially, during the approximately 15 years of its existence, the Japanese Army Aviation used several aircraft designation systems, mostly adopting factory designations. But by the beginning of the Second World War, none of the aircraft with these designation systems had survived.

In 1927, a system of type numbers was introduced, which was used until the defeat of Japan. In parallel, since 1932, the “China” number system (design number NN) began to be used. In addition, some aircraft received their own names. Special designation systems were used to designate experimental aircraft, gyroplanes and gliders.

Since 1932, all Japanese army aircraft received continuous numbering "China", including the types already adopted for service. Continuous numbering “China” was maintained until 1944, when, in order to mislead Allied intelligence, it became arbitrary. In addition to the "China" number, the aircraft received Roman numerals to designate different models. Airplanes of the same model, in addition, differed depending on modifications and an additional letter of one of the Japanese alphabets: the first modification was called “Ko”, the second “Otsu”, the third “Hei” and so on (these characters did not mean any specific digital or alphabetic order of calculation, rather they corresponded to the notation system “north” “east” “south” “west”). Recently, not only in the West, but also in Japanese aviation literature, it is usually customary to put a Latin letter after Roman numerals instead of the corresponding Japanese hieroglyph. Sometimes, in addition to the digital and alphabetic designation system for modifications and models, the abbreviation KAI (from “Kaizo” modified) was also used. The design number is usually denoted abroad by the letters “Ki”, but in Japanese documents the English Ki was never used, but the corresponding hieroglyph was used, so in the future we will use the Russian abbreviation Ki.

As a result, for example, for the Hien Ki 61 fighter line, such a designation system looked like this:

Ki 61 - designation of the project and prototype aircraft
Ki 61-Ia - the first production model of the Hiena
Ki 61-Ib - a modified version of the Hiena production model
Ki 61-I KAIS - the third version of the first production model
Ki 61-I KAId - the fourth version of the first production model
Ki 61-II - experimental aircraft of the second production model
Ki 61-II KAI - modified experimental aircraft of the second production model
Ki 61-II KAIa - the first version of the second production model
Ki 61-II KAIb - the second version of the second production model
Ki 61-III - project of the third production model

For gliders the designation "Ku" (from "Kuraida" glider) was used. For some types of aircraft, proprietary designations were also used (for example, for the Kayabe Ka 1 gyroplane). There was a separate designation system for missiles, but the Kawanishi Igo-1-B model was also called Ki 148 in order to disorient Allied intelligence.

In addition to the “China” numbers, army aviation also used numbering based on the year the model was adopted into service, which included a brief designation of the aircraft’s purpose. Numbering was carried out according to the Japanese chronology system, with the last two digits taken. Thus, an aircraft adopted for service in 1939 (or in 2599 according to Japanese chronology) became the “type 99”, and one adopted for service in 1940 (that is, in 2600) became the “type 100”.

Thus, the aircraft that entered service in 1937 received the following long designation: Nakajima Ki 27 “Army Type 97 Fighter”; Mitsubishi Ki 30 "military type 97 light bomber"; Mitsubishi Ki 21 "army type 97 heavy bomber"; Mitsubishi Ki 15 "strategic reconnaissance army type 97". The designation of the aircraft's purpose helped to avoid confusion, for example, for two "types 97" of the single-engine Mitsubishi Ki 30 bomber and the twin-engine bomber of the same company Ki 21. True, sometimes two types of aircraft for the same purpose were put into service in the same year. For example, in 1942, the twin-engine fighter Ki 45 KAI and the single-engine Ki 44 were adopted. In this case, the Ki 45 became a “two-seat army fighter type 2”, and the Ki 44 “a single-seat army fighter type 2”.

For various modifications of aircraft in the long designation system, the model number was additionally assigned with an Arabic numeral, the serial version number, and a Latin letter, the modification number of the given production model. As a result, in relation to the “China” numbering, the long designation looked like this:

Ki 61 - no type number was assigned before the aircraft was put into service
Ki 61-Ia - army fighter type 3 model 1A (type 3 according to the year 2603)
Ki 61-Ib - army fighter type 3 model 1B
Ki 61-I KAIS - army fighter type 3 model 1C
Ki 61-I KAId - army fighter type 3 model 1D
Ki 61-II - again, the experimental aircraft does not have a type number
Ki 61-II KAI - no
Ki 61-II KAIA - army fighter type 3 model 2A
Ki 61-II KAIb - army fighter type 3 model 2B
Ki 61-III - experimental aircraft, no type number

For foreign aircraft, the abbreviation of the name of the country of manufacture and the home company was used as a type designation. For example, the Fiat BR.20 was designated "heavy bomber type 1" and the Lockheed transport aircraft "type LO".

In addition to these two designation systems, since Japan's entry into World War II, aircraft have also received short nicknames. The reason for this was, on the one hand, the clear readability for Allied intelligence of a long name to determine the type of aircraft and its purpose, on the other hand, the difficulty of using a long designation in a combat situation, for example, when talking on the radio. In addition, the catchy names of the aircraft were to be used to promote the operation of their own aviation among the Japanese population. Moreover, if the navy followed a certain system when assigning such names, the army assigned them completely arbitrarily.

In addition, in combat situations, abbreviations for the long names of aircraft were used, which became widely known, but nevertheless rarely used in the future. Thus, the “strategic reconnaissance army type 100” was also called “Sin-Sitey” and the “attack aircraft type 99” was called “Guntey”.

In turn, by the beginning of the war in the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese fleet had three aircraft designation systems: “C” numbers, “type” numbers and “short” designations. Later during the war, the Navy began to use two more ways to designate aircraft - now using proper names and a special designation system developed by the Fleet Aviation Bureau.

The prototype designation system "C" was used for all prototype aircraft commissioned by the Navy beginning in 1932, the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Hirohito. Therefore, the aircraft developed under this year's aviation construction program were called 7-Ci, and those developed in 1940 were called 15-Ci. In order to distinguish different aircraft created under the same program, a description of the aircraft's purpose (car-based fighter, reconnaissance seaplane, etc.) was used. As a result, for example, the full designation of the 1932 seaplane developed by Kawanishi was: “7-C experimental reconnaissance seaplane.” This designation system, similar to the British one, was used until the end of the war.

In addition, at the end of the 30s, the fleet adopted a short aircraft designation system, similar to the alphanumeric combination used by US naval aviation until 1962. The first letter indicated the purpose of the aircraft:

A - carrier-based fighter
B - torpedo bomber
S - carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft
D - carrier-based dive bomber
E - reconnaissance seaplane
F - patrol seaplane
G - coastal bomber
N - flying boat
J - coastal fighter
K - training aircraft
L - transport aircraft
M - "special" aircraft
MX - aircraft for special missions
N - float fighter
R - bomber
Q - patrol aircraft
R - coastal reconnaissance
S - night fighter

This was followed by a number indicating the order in which this type was adopted for service; it was assigned when the aircraft development program was launched. Then came the letter combination indicating the company that developed the aircraft. At the end was the model number of the aircraft. Minor modifications made to the car were indicated by a Latin letter.

In addition, if an aircraft changed its designation during its life cycle, then the letter of the corresponding aircraft type would then go through the hyphen. Thus, the training version of the aircraft received, for example, the designation B5N2-K.

Foreign-developed aircraft received the abbreviated name of their company in place of the manufacturer's letter (for Heinkel, for example, A7Нel), and if the aircraft was purchased for experimental purposes, then instead of the number there was the letter X, that is, AXНel).

The following abbreviations for the names of development companies were used in the fleet:

A - Aichi and North American
B - Boeing
S - Consolidated
D - Douglas
G - Hitachi
N - Hiro and Hawker
Not - Heinkel
J - Nipon Kagata and Junkers
K - Kawanishi and Kinnear
M - Mitsubishi
N - Nakajima
R - Nihon
S - Sasebo
Si - Owl
V - Vought-Sikorsky
W - Watanabe, later Kyushu
Y - Yokosuka
Z - Mizuno

Since 1921, for most aircraft produced in Japan, the Navy has used a long aircraft designation, which includes a brief description of its purpose and type number. From 1921 to 1928, numbers were used to indicate the year of the era of the next emperor, that is, from 1921 to 1926, numbers from 10 to 15, and in 1927-28, 2 and 3. However, after 1929, the last two digits of the current year according to Japanese chronology were used. For the year 2600 (that is, 1940), the designation “type 0” was obtained (in the army, if you remember, “type 100”).

To designate different modifications of the same type of aircraft, the model number was used in the long designation: initially one digit (for example, “model 1”) or also a revision number separated by a hyphen (“model 1-1”). Since the late 30s, changes were made to the model numbering; it became two-digit. The first digit now meant the sequential number of the modification, and the second the installation of a new motor. Thus, “model 11” meant the first serial modification, “model 21” the second serial modification with the same engine, and “model 22” the second modification with a new type of engine. Additional improvements within one modification were indicated by the hieroglyph of the Japanese alphabet: “Ko” first, “Otsu” second, “Hei” third. Usually they were replaced by the letter of the Latin alphabet corresponding in order, that is, Mitsubishi A6M5s or “deck-based naval bomber type 0 model 52-Hey” was also written “model 52C”.

A similar long designation was used for foreign-developed aircraft with the type number replaced by the abbreviated name of the company, that is, the Heinkel A7Nel had the long designation naval air defense fighter type Xe.

At the end of 1942, the long designation system was changed in order to maintain the secrecy of the aircraft's purpose: it now included the aircraft's code designation. Before that, relatively few proper names for aircraft that had become generally accepted had taken root in naval aviation. Thus, the Mitsubishi G4M1 bomber received the nickname “Hamaki” (Cigar). However, in July 1943, the fleet revised the aircraft designation system and began to add the aircraft’s own name to the long name. In this case, the name of the aircraft was chosen according to the following principle:

fighters were designated by the names of weather phenomena - deck and hydrofighters were baptized by the names of winds (the names ended in fu)
air defense fighters - variations on the theme of lightning (ending in den)
night fighter names ended in ko (light)
attack aircraft were designated by the names of mountains
scouts were called various clouds
bombers - named after stars (s) or constellations (zan)
patrol planes named after oceans
educational machines - names of various plants and flowers
auxiliary aircraft were called terrain elements

In 1939, the Fleet Aviation Bureau launched a program to improve the aviation service, under which design teams received certain requirements and conditions for developing projects to represent the fleet aviation before receiving an order for full-scale design. Aircraft projects that took into account these requirements received a special design designation, consisting of an abbreviation of the company name, like a short designation, and a two-character number (10, 20, 30, etc.). True, the specific project numbers that these or those aircraft carried were buried along with the documentation destroyed before the surrender of Japan.

The Allies, who had little understanding of the designation system of Japanese aircraft and often did not know what this or that aircraft was actually called, began somewhere in the second half of 1942 to give Japanese aircraft various nicknames. At first, all planes that were fighters were called "Zeros", and all those that dropped bombs were called "Mitsubishi". To put an end to various misunderstandings, the Allied Aviation Technical Intelligence Service was asked to restore order in this matter.

The official Japanese aircraft designations, if they became known to the allies, were of little help. We tried to use them too for lack of anything better. They also tried to use the names of manufacturing companies to designate aircraft, but this led to confusion if the aircraft was produced by several companies at once.

In June 1942, American intelligence captain Frank McCoy, sent as an intelligence officer to Australia, organized an enemy materiel section there as part of the Allied Air Force Intelligence Directorate in Melbourne. McCoy had only two men at his disposal: Sergeant Francis Williams and Corporal Joseph Grattan. It was they who were tasked with identifying Japanese aircraft. McCoy himself described his work this way:

“To identify Japanese aircraft, an urgent task immediately arose to introduce some kind of classification for them, and we decided to start by adopting our own system of codification of enemy aircraft. Since I myself am from Tennessee, to begin with we used various village nicknames Zeke, Nate, Roof, Jack , Rit are simple, short and easy to remember. Sergeant Williams and I originated these nicknames in numerous disputes, and began using our aircraft codes from July 1942. This work received the full support of the head of the intelligence service, Commodore British Royal Air Force Hewitt, and his deputy, Major American "Ben Kane's Air Force, and they suggested that we finish this work urgently. I told them that I was already working like crazy because everyone around me thought we were crazy. In the first month alone we assigned 75 codes."

This is how most of the designations for Japanese aircraft used by the Allied air forces came into being. Already by September 1942, intelligence in the southwestern sector of the Pacific Ocean began to prepare information using this notation system. Soon sheets with silhouettes and code names of Japanese aircraft began to arrive in the South Pacific and in Burma. McCoy, meanwhile, began to lobby Washington and the Air Ministry in London to standardize this or a similar codification system. His requests were initially met with misunderstanding, once even McCoy was called in for explanations to General MacArthur: it turned out that one of the code designations “Hap” was the nickname of the chief of staff of the American army, General Henry Arnold, and “Jane” (the code designation of the most common Japanese bomber, Ki 21) turned out to be the name of MacArthur's own wife. At the end of 1942, the code system for designating Japanese aircraft was adopted by the American Air Force and the Navy and Marine Corps, and a few months later by the British Air Ministry.

After this, McCoy's section was officially given the task of codifying all new Japanese aircraft. Code designations were assigned haphazardly, but in the summer of 1944, the joint air center in Anacostia took over this task and introduced the following principle for assigning codes: Japanese fighters of all types received male names; bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and transport aircraft are female (transport with the letter T), training vehicles are the names of trees, and gliders are the names of birds. True, there were exceptions to the rules. Thus, Nakajima's Ki 44 fighter, which had already received the nickname "Tojo" in China after the then Prime Minister of Japan, with general consent retained this code designation.