During his life, our late friend Nico Braas has saved from trash large amount of archive materials, such as archive photos, documents, technical drawings. Thanks to him, future generation will have them available for use. Here is present just some of them, small extract of bulk material he managed to save.

[See image gallery at www.letletlet-warplanes.com] All photos presented here was Nico Braas collection.

Srećko Bradić

The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant is a British quadjet high-altitude bomber, and was part of the Royal Air Force’s V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s. The Valiant was the first of the V bombers to become operational, and was followed by the Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan, which were more advanced. The Valiant has the distinction of being the only V bomber to have dropped live nuclear weapons. Valiant was least successful of the 3 V-bombers. It had some structural airframe problems and was phased out years before the Vulcan and the Victor.

[See image gallery at www.letletlet-warplanes.com] Valiant was also used by the RAF for other purposes, as a number were converted to perform support roles such as aerial refuelling tankers and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. Valiants were used for conventional bombing missions over Egypt for Operation Musketeer during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Valiant was retired in 1965.

Srećko Bradić

In the 2013 our great author and researcher Nico Braas did amazing article of the Short Sunderland, without doubt very famous and effective flying boat of the WW2. As well there is a family of airplanes developed, in that article were mentioned other types such as the Empire, Solent and Sandringham.

[See image gallery at www.letletlet-warplanes.com] Since the publication of the story of the Short Sunderland flying boat, we have found much more and rare illustrative material. The Sunderland story also includes its predesessors and its successors which are amply represented in this photographic selection. All photographs LetLetLet Warplanes archives!

Srecko Bradic

Reference:

Short Sunderland- The flying porcupine

Over the years, the aircraft has seen numerous design developments, most notably in its electronics packages. Numerous navies and air forces around the world continue to use the P-3 Orion, primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare. A total of 757 P-3s have been built.

[See image gallery at www.letletlet-warplanes.com] Photos is from our personal collection and text intro from Wiki

Srecko Bradic

The year 1951 was the last year of the Grand Palais being used for this exhibition. From 1953 on until now everything takes place at the Le Bourget airport. I have recently acquired a number of large-format black-and-white negatives and I was so lucky to find a dozen shots taken in this last year of the Paris Air Show at the Grand Palais building.

Photo 1
Aermacchi MB.308 F-OAHN with the ‘Vendu’ (sold) sign clearly visible.

Photo 2
Bréguet Br.960 Vulture model. The Vulture was a mixed-powered naval attack plane that never went into production. However, it stood as a model for the later Bréguet Alizé anti-submarine plane.

Photo 3
The Couzinet RC.261 Normandie was shown as a model. It was a projected four-engine flying boat that was never built.

Photo 4
The Fiat G.59B I-VOLO was intended as an advanced fighter trainer with performances nearing those of the latest generation of World-War II fighters. It was built both as a single seat and dual seat version. It served with the Italian air force and a small number was also exported.

Photo 5
The Fokker S.14 Machtrainer prototype was as a newcomer attracting much attention at this show.

Photo 6.
For transport into the building the Fokker S.14 was mounted on a specially designed scaffold with the outer wing panels removed. As we can see it was a very close fit though the entrance door!
(photo late Willem Vredeling)

Photo 7
Also the Piaggio P.148 I-DIDA two-seat sports plane was new on the 1951 show!

Photo 8
The S.N.C.A.S.E. SE.4030 was a project for a light naval amphibian powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah piston engines. This model was shown in Aeronavale colors. Since the well known Grumman Widgeon amphibian was built under a license in France, the SE.4030 remained a project.

Photo 9
As a model the  S.N.C.A.S.O SO.30P Bretagne transport plane was shown at the Grand Palais.

Photo 10
The  SIPA S.200 Minijet. It was a light jet trainer built only as a prototype.

Photo 11
The Sports Aériens SA.14 Emouchet Escopette was a glider experimentally fitted with additional pulse jet engines under the wings.

Photo 12
The Fouga Lutin was further developed from Fouga’s jet powered gliders. It remained a project but stood as a model for the later Fouga Magister.

Nico Braas

The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division. American aerospace engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson was responsible for many of the design’s innovative concepts. During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats. If a surface-to-air missile launch were detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile. The SR-71 was designed with a reduced radar cross-section. The SR-71 served with the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1998. A total of 32 aircraft were built.

Photos here present this famous historic machine.

Srecko Bradic

Introduction:

As early as 1944 Hawker’s design bureau, headed by Sidney Camm, started with a jet-powered successor of the Bristol Centaurus powered Fury fighter. This was at a point when the first details of the new Rolls Royce B.41 jet engine became available, later to be known as the Nene. Initially Camm’s team adapted the Fury design for the new jet engine with the engine placed in the centre section and the exhaust pipe in the aft fuselage. Two side air intakes provided the breathing of the jet engine. Known as the Hawker P.1035, it had much in common with the Gloster E.1/44 and with the Vickers-Supermarine E.10/44 prototype that became later known as the Attacker shipboard fighter. However, Hawker developed in collaboration with Rolls Royce a split tailpipe schema that offered many advantages. The original jet-plane design was adapted for the installation of this bifurcated jet pipe exhaust system and became known as the Hawker P.1040. It was the beginning of one of the best handling early jet fighters of the U.K.: the Sea Hawk.

Early design and development:

The Hawker P.1040 project resulted in October 1945 in a contract for the manufacturing of a prototype. Originally it was meant both for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, but the R.A.F. soon withdrew their support since they saw no advantages of the new Hawker jet fighter over the Gloster Meteor IV, which had just set a world speed record of 975 km/h.

However, the Royal Navy remained interested in the P.1040 as a shipboard fighter. It perfectly filled Specification N.7/46 for such a fighter.

Flight testing/Rocket experiments:

The P.1040 prototype made its first flight on 2 September 1947 at Boscombe Down. Test pilot on this occasion was Bill Humble. During the early flight testing severe buffeting was experienced. To cure this an acorn fairing was placed at the intersection of tailplane and fin. Also other teething problems were all ironed out without great problems and in general the P.1040, carrying the serial VP401, was found to have excellent handling properties with a great manoeuvrability. VP401 was as a future naval fighter not yet fitted with folding wings, an arrester hook and armament; it purely served as a research vehicle! 

VP401 was flown in the National Air Races and on 1 August 1949 Sqn. Ldr. Wade won the SBAC Challenge Cup at Elmdon at a speed of 821 km/h. By September 1949 the plane  had completed its development program and was then return to the Hawker works at Kingston-upon-Thames for modifications to include a rocket engine in the tail.

When Armstrong Siddeley produced by end 1947 a 2000 lbs (907.4 kg) thrust rocket engine that was found to be quite reliable, Hawker proposed to modify the P.1040 prototype VP401 for this engine. Earlier, in 1945, Hawker had already proposed designs for rocket-propelled fighters as the P.1046 and P.1047 but with no suitable rocket engine available at that time they were cancelled. The P.1040 was in fact well-suited for fitting a rocket engine in the tail with the jet exhaust well forward. At the Kingston-upon-Thames works the P.1040 was extensively modified for the new rocket engine, known as the ‘Snarler’. Two rocket fuel tanks were built in; one spherical for liquid oxygen with a capacity of 341 litres and another for a methanol-water mixture with a capacity of 545 litres. Also room had to be made for the fuel system inside the fuselage with as result that the internal fuel capacity for the jet engine was reduced to 795.5 litres only. VP401 fitted with the rocket engine received a new type designation number: the P.1072. The Snarler engine was supplied by Armstrong Siddeley in June 1950 and on 16 November 1951 VP401 made its first flight as P.1072 from Dunsfold to Bitteswel, although on jet power only. The Snarler was ignited four days later, on 20 November 1950, for the first time. During this flight all rocket fuel was expended in 160 seconds. Five more rocket-powered fights were made before an explosion caused  minor damage to the Snarler. It was repaired, but by that time the Air Ministry was no longer interested in additional rocket power for their fighters and the P.1072 program was terminated. Official interest had switched to reheated turbojets!

The P.1072 flew in general very well with the Snarler with a phenomenal rate of climb. Since the Snarler could not be stopped once fired the P.1072 had to be flown nose-up because of critical Mach number limitations. Maximum speed obtained during trials in a climb was Mach 0.86 at 9150 m which was equivalent to approx. 872 km/h.  The final fate of VP401 remains unclear, but at some point it was scrapped.

Production and operational use:

VP401 was soon followed by the first fully navalized prototypes VP413 and VP422. The new Hawker fighter was dubbed as the ‘Sea Hawk’. They were fitted with folding wings, arrester hook and four nose-mounted 20 mm cannon.VP413 made its first flight on 3 September 1948; VP422 flew first on 17 October 1949. Meanwhile VP413 had successfully made its first deck landing trials on HMS Illustrious. In November 1949 Hawker received a contract to produce 151 aircraft as Sea Hawk F.Mk.1 .

In fact only 95 were built of this first order. Hawker supplied the first batch of 35, but increasing demands on the new Hawker Hunter fighter resulted in the production being relocated to Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft at Baginton where all remaining Seahawks were built until production was terminated in the late fifties. Armstrong Whitworth also did all development work on the progressing versions of different marks. This included the installation of newer Nene types with more thrust, underwing extra fuel tank installation and strengthened points under the wings for bombs or rockets. Even when the production line at Baginton was already closed, Armstrong Whitworth had to reopen it over 1959-1960 for an additional production batch of 12 Seahawks F.G.A. 6 for the Indian Navy.

The following Sea Hawks were produced:

-VP401: P.1040 prototype (1)
-VP413 and VP422: Spec. N.7/46 prototypes (2)
-WF143-WF161; WF167 and WF177; WM901-WM905: Seahawk F Mk.1 (35 Built by Hawker)
-WF162-WF166; WF178-WF192; WF196-WF235: Sea Hawk F Mk.1 (60 built by Armstrong Whitworth)
-WF240-WF279: Sea Hawk F Mk.2 (40 built by Armstrong Whitworth)
-WF280-WF289; WF293-WF303; WM906-WM945; WM960-WM999; WN105-WN119: Sea Hawk F Mk. 3 (116 built by Armstrong Whitworth)
-WV792-WV807; WV824-WV871; WV902-WV922; XE327-XE338: Sea Hawk F.G.A. 4 (97 built by Armstrong Whitworth)
-XE339-XE344; XE362-XE411; XE435-XE463; XE490: Sea Hawk F.G.A. 6 (86 built by Armstrong Whitworth)

-Registration nos. 6-50 to 6-71: Sea Hawk Mk. 50 for Dutch Marineluchtvaartdienst (22 built by Armstrong Whitworth; although Francis Mason claims incorrectly in his book ‘Hawker aircraft since 1920’ that 32 were built)

-32 Sea Hawk Mk.100 day fighters for German Bundesmarine; 12 built by Armstrong Whitworth + 20 by Focke-Wulf at Bremen, Germany
-32 Sea Hawk Mk.101 all-weather fighters for Bundesmarine built by Focke-Wulf at Bremen.
-12 Sea Hawk F.G.A. Mk. 6 for Indian Navy built by Armstrong Whitworth.

Total production:

38 by Hawker including the prototypes
445 by Armstrong Whitworth
52 by Focke-Wulf

Total number manufactured including the prototypes: 535.

The different production variants of the Sea Hawk were:

Sea Hawk F Mk. 1:
Production fighters powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene Mk 101 engine,
Sea Hawk F Mk. 2:
Production fighter with powered ailerons.
Sea Hawk FB Mk. 3:
Fighter-bomber variant with stronger wing for external stores.
Sea Hawk FGA  Mk. 4:
Fighter/Ground attack variant.
Sea Hawk FB Mk. 5:
FB Mk. 3 fitted with the Nene Mk 103; 50 converted from production line.
Sea Hawk FGA Mk. 6:
FGA 4 with the Nene Mk 103; total of 101 (86 new-build, the remainder converted from FB3 and FGA 4 existing stock).
Sea Hawk Mk 50: Export variant based on the FGA 6 for the Dutch Marineluchtvaartdienst fitted with a Philips UHF radio system.
Sea Hawk Mk 100:
Export variant for the West German Navy, similar to FGA 6 but fitted with taller fin and rudder.
Sea Hawk Mk 101: All-weather export variant for the West German Navy, as Mk 100 but fitted with a search radar in an underwing pod.

The first production Sea Hawk F Mk.1 WF143 flew on 14 November 1951, fitted with a more powerful Nene 4 jet engine offering 2268 kg (5000 lbs) of thrust. The earlier Nene 1 only gave 1814 kg (4000 lbs).Also windscreen and cockpit canopy were restyled. Over the next years, all batches of Sea Hawks produced found their way to the Fleet Air Arm as standard fighter-bomber on board of aircraft carriers until they were replaced by the Vickers-Supermarine Scimitar. Sea Hawks were used operationally in the autumn of 1956 at the outbreak of the Suez-canal crisis. The Egyptian president Nasser had confiscated the Suez canal area in order to generate more money for his country. A combined military operation of British, French and Israeli forces under the name Operation Musketeer was the result. During this operation Sea Hawks loaded with bombs and rockets operated from the aircraft carriers HMS Eagle, Albion and Bulwark.  The attacks on the Egyptian targets were operationally a great success, inflicting heavy damage to Egyptian war material. Strategically, however, Operation Musketeer was a disaster since the attacking forces had to accept a cease-fire under international pressure that finally resulted in a withdrawal of all U.K. forces!

At the Fleet Air Arm the Sea Hawks were maintained in front line duty until 1960 before being phased out.

Foreign users:

The Dutch MLD (Marineluchtvaartdienst) placed in 1956 an order for 22 Seahawk FGA Mk.50’s. These were broadly similar to the F.G.A. Mk.6, but on request of the MLD they were fitted with Philips UHF radio equipment. They served on the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman A small number was also used ashore in the Dutch West Indies, stationed at Hato, Curacao and on the Dutch Naval Air Station Valkenburg. In 1959 they were fitted with two Philco Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The underwing pylons were designed and built by Fokker and the installation was funded by NATO. The Dutch Sea Hawks were phased out in 1964 and most of them were scrapped. They were not replaced by a new fighter type. Only two remain today in Dutch aviation museums.

Around the same time of the Dutch Sea Hawk order, also the German Kriegsmarine ordered the Seahawk. The first batch of 32 were Mk.100’s, also roughly similar to the F.G.A. 6 but adapted on a number of  points to German requirements. The first 12 Mk.100’s were built by Armstrong Whitworth, but the remaining machines were all built by the Focke-Wulf works at Bremen. They were primarily intended as daylight interceptors

Another batch of 32 of a slightly different version, the Mk.101,  was completely built by Focke-Wulf. They were intended as all-weather fighters. For this purpose they carried under one wing in a special pod an Ekco 34 search radar. Although the Kriegsmarine did not have an aircraft carrier in its fleet, the German Seahawks retained all their naval equipment  like folding wings and arrester hook. When phased out in the sixties, they were replaced by a number of Lockheed F-104G Starfighters.

The last customer for the Sea Hawk was the Indian Navy. They ordered at Armstrong Whitworth in September 1959 a batch of 24 F.G.A 6 variants for their aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Twelve were refurbished from Ex-F.A.A. machines, but the remaining other twelve were newly built and in fact Armstrong Whitworth had to reopen their production line for this order. Eventually, the Indian Navy ordered an additional 50 refurbished ex-F.A.A. Sea Hawks. The Indian Sea Hawks were used until the early eighties when they were replaced by another Hawker product, the Harrier. The Indian Sea Hawks were used in the armed conflict with Pakistan. They attacked Pakistani naval vessels without sustaining any losses.

Another lesser known customer of the Sea Hawk was the Australian Navy who used a small number of ex-F.A.A. machines.

Technical details (F.G.A. Mk. 6):

Power plant:                            1 × Rolls-Royce Nene 103 turbojet, 5,200 lb (2359 kg) thrust

Dimensions:

-Length:                                  39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)
-Wingspan:                              39 ft 0 in (11.89 m)
-Height:                                   8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)
-Wing area:                              278 ft² (25.83 m²)

Weights:

-Empty weight:                       9,278 lb (4,208 kg)
-Loaded weight:                     13,220 lb (5,996 kg)
-Max take-off weight:            16,150 lb (7,325 kg)

Performances:

-Maximum speed:                   600 mph (965 km/h)
-Range:                                   480 miles (770 km)
-Service ceiling:                      44,500 ft (13,564 m)
-Rate of climb:                        5,700 ft/min (29.0 m/s)
Armament:                             

-Guns:                                                 4 × 20 mm (.79 inch) Hispano Mk V cannons (200 rpg)
-Hardpoints:                            6 underwing and provisions to carry combinations                                                                of rockets  20 × “60 lb” (27 kg) unguided rockets or 16 × 5 inch                                          (127 mm) unguided rockets
-Others:                                   4 × 500 lb (227 kg) bombs or 2 × 90 Imp gal (410 l) drop tanks

Crew:                                      One

Survivors:

36 complete Sea Hawks (plus eight cockpit sections) are known to survive as of 2011, mainly in a variety of locations in the United Kingdom, though others are located abroad, including in Germany, Malta, the Netherlands and India. One Sea Hawk, WV908, remains airworthy as part of the Fleet Air Arm’s historic flight in the UK, although refurbishing the aircraft including fitting a new Nene 103 took place in 2009.

–WF219 (Sea Hawk F 1) is stored at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England.
–WF225 (Sea Hawk F 1) is displayed as ‘gate guardian’ at RNAS Culdrose, England.
–WF259 (Sea Hawk F 2) is displayed at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, Scotland.
–WM913 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed at the Newark Air Museum, Newark, England.
–WM961 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed at Caernarfon Air World, Caernarfon, Wales.
–WM969 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed in Hangar 3 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England.
–WN108 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is stored by the Ulster Aviation Society at Long Kesh, Northern Ireland.
–WV797 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.
–WV798 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) (displayed until late 2009 at Lasham, England), is stored with Parkhouse Aviation at Booker, England.
–WV826 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Malta Aviation Museum, Ta’qali, Malta.
–WV856 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England.
–WV865 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Luftwaffe Museum, Gatow, Germany.
–WV908 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is airworthy with the Royal Navy Historic Flight, Yeovilton, England.
–XE327 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at Hermeskeil, Germany.
–XE340 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) (displayed until recently at the Montrose Air Station Museum, Scotland) returned to the FAA Museum, Yeovilton.
–XE489 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Gatwick Air Museum, Charlwood, England.
–‘118’ (Sea Hawk Mk 50) is displayed at the Traditiekamer Museum at De Kooy, Netherlands.
–‘130’ (Sea Hawk Mk 50) is displayed at Kamp Zeist, Militaire Luchtvaart Museum(MLM) Netherlands. Earlier it was displayed in the Aviodome museum at Schiphol airport.
–MS+001 (Sea Hawk Mk 100) is displayed at Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.
–IN-174 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Museum Road, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
–IN-240 Sea Hawk is displayed at the Victory at Sea Memorial, Beach Road, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
(From Wikipedia)

References:

-Derek N. James, Hawker -an aircraft album, Ian Allan U.K.1972
-Francis K. Mason, Hawker aircraft since 1920, Putnam U.K. 3rd edition 1991

Remarks:

-If the Hawker P.1040 would have been purchased by the R.A.F. it would have been known as the Hawker ‘Hawk’. The R.A.F. finally got many years later its (other) Hawk; a design from Hawker Siddeley as the company was mentioned by that time. When taken into production, Hawker Siddeley had meanwhile merged into the British Aircraft Corporation, later renamed into British Aerospace.

-Two Sea Hawks from the production line were extensively modified for swept wings research as the P.1052 and P.1081. They were given serial nos. VX272 and VX279 .
-The Sea Hawk could be started electrically. However, it also had a special Plessy starter on board fitted with Cordite explosive cartridges.

When a cartridge was used to start up the Nene engine, it produced a large and very characteristic wreath of smoke from an opening on one side of the mid fuselage.

Nico Braas

All photographs: Letletlet collection unless stated otherwise.

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which later became widely used as an attack aircraft. It was originally developed by Lockheed for the United States Air Force (USAF), but became widely used by US allies around the world, and produced by several other NATO nations. One of the Century Series of fighter aircraft, it was operated by the air forces of more than a dozen nations from 1958 to 2004.

Selected is just some of photos is from our personal collection.

Srecko Bradic

The Dornier Do 27 was a German single-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) and 50 more were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA as the CASA-127. Configuration was a classic high-wing, “tail-dragger” aircraft with fixed landing gear. The Do 27 was notable for being the first mass-produced aircraft in Germany after World War II. It was appreciated for its relatively wide, comfortable cabin and excellent short-field performance. The German Air Force and German Army ordered a total of 428 of the Do 27A and Do 27B (with dual controls). This type was used in service in many countries.

Selected archive photos is from personal collection.

Srecko Bradic

Introduction:

The first Japanese jet plane was a design from the Nakajima design bureau headed by Kenichi Matsumura and Kazuo Ohno.  The plane was designed to be fitted with two Nakajima Ne-20 jet engines. This Ne-20 was based on documentation the Japanese had purchased from Germany on the BMW-003 jet engine. It was the successor of the earlier cancelled Ne-12 of Japanese design that produced far less thrust than calculated.

Project realisation:

The design was started  in 1944 under the naval type designation J9Y-1. The name selected for the new jet fighter was ‘Kikka’, meaning ‘Mandarin Cherry Blossom’. It was a twin-engine aircraft with roughly the same configuration as the German Messerschmitt Me-262. This was, however where the similarity ended since the Japanese type was much smaller and lighter. In fact there were plans to build a copy of the German design, also by Nakajima under the type designation Ki.201 but this was never materialized. So, the Kikka never was a ‘copy’ of the Messerschmitt Me-262!

The Kikka was intended as a ‘Kooku-Nigo-Heik II’, or “Homeland Type II weapon’. The twin-engine jet was built as a bomber with as primary task attacks on American invasion ships, both with and without the possibility to return after a mission. For typical attack missions it would carry a single 500 or 800 kg high-explosive bomb under the fuselage. For Kamikaze suicide attacks additional explosives would have been stored inside the fuselage. The wings of the Kikka could be folded to make  operational possible use from small rock caves or tunnels.

Flight testing:

Nakajima constructed two prototypes, first of which was ready to fly from Kisazura naval airbase in the Tokyo bay on 25 June 19456. On that day test pilot Susuma Takaoka made the first flight with prototype no. 1. The flight lasted only ten minutes; the plane reached an altitude of some 600 m with a speed of 314 km/h. Takaoka flew the Kikka with limited engine power and in general the flight was satisfactory.

After this successful and problem-free first flight the aircraft was  prepared for a second test flight.  For the start of this flight external rockets were fitted to assist in take off. This second flight took place on 11 August 1945, but ended in disaster. After the rockets had spent their fuel, Takaoka thought  the both jet engines supplied insufficient power for a final take off and he aborted the flight halfway. Unfortunately he could not stop the plane before the end of the runway and this resulted in a collapsed undercarriage.

The aftermath:

There was no time to resume the test flights after repair of the Kikka since Japan surrendered four days after this accident. By that time the second Kikka prototype was almost completed. A third prototype that as already under construction was planned as a two-seater. Plans for the construction of 200 Kikka’s before the end of 1945 were not realized because of the end of the war. Surprisingly the Kikka was not fitted with any guns, but a later fighter version was planned with two 30 mm cannons in the nose.

The damaged first prototype was scrapped in Japan, but the second incomplete machine was captured by U.S. forces and transported by ship to the U.S.A. It was stored for years in the open at the premises of the Smitsonian Institution location at Silver Hill and was in a very poor state. Finally it was more or less restored into static conditions. Although being incomplete and parts were provisionally fitted it is now on exhibit in the National Air and Space Museum at Washington DC.

Technical details:

Power plant:                two Nakajima Ne-20 jet engines of 475 kg thrust each

Dimensions:

-wing span                   10.00 m (5.00 m with wings folded)
-length                           8.12 m
-height                           2.95 m
-wing area                   13.20 m2
-wing loading              269 kg/m2 at take off

Weights:

-empty                         2300 kg
-loaded all-up              3350 kg (max. 4312 kg)

Performances:

-max. speed                 697 km/h at 10,000m
                                    676 km/h at 6000 m

                                    623 km/h at sea level
-Service ceiling            12,000 m
-Range                         890 km at 555 km/h at 6000 m
Armament                   one 500 or 800 kg bomb under the fuselage + additional explosives in the fuselage for suicide missions.
Accommodation         pilot only

References:

-Rene Francillon, Japanese aircraft of the Pacific war, 2nd ed, Putnam U.K. 1979

Nico Braas