Kawanishi N1K George : 無料・フリー素材/写真
Kawanishi N1K George / Eric Friedebach
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示 2.1 |
|---|---|
| 説明 | The Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū (強風 "Strong Wind", Allied reporting name "Rex") is an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (紫電 "Violet Lightning") was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service land-based version of the N1K. Assigned the reporting name "George", the N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II.The Shiden Kai possessed heavy armament, as well as surprisingly good maneuverability, due to a mercury switch that automatically extended the flaps during turns. These "combat" flaps created more lift, thereby allowing tighter turns. Unlike the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the Shiden Kai could compete against the best late-war Allied fighters, such as the F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, and P-51 Mustang.The N1K1-J Shiden entered service in early 1944. The N1K1-J, and the N1K2 Shiden-Kai released later that year were among the rare Japanese aircraft that offered pilots an even chance against late-war American designs, such as the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair, and could be a formidable weapon in the hands of an ace. In February 1945 Lieutenant Kaneyoshi Muto, flying a N1K2-J as part of a formation of at least 10 expert Japanese pilots, faced seven US Navy Hellcat pilots, from squadron VF-82, in the sky over Japan; the formation shot down four Hellcats with no loss to themselves. After the action, Japanese propagandists fabricated a story in which Muto was the sole airman facing 12 enemy aircraft. (The leading Japanese ace, Saburō Sakai, later mentioned in his autobiography that Muto had actually done this feat at an earlier stage of the war – albeit at the controls of a Zero fighter.)The N1K1-J aircraft were used very effectively over Formosa (Taiwan), the Philippines, and, later, Okinawa. Before production was switched to the improved N1K2-J, 1,007 aircraft were produced, including prototypes. Because of production difficulties and damage done by B-29 raids on factories, only 415 of the superior N1K2-J fighters were produced.The N1K2-J Shiden-Kai proved to be one of the best dogfighting aircraft produced by either side. Along with high speed, the Shiden-Kai offered pilots an agile aircraft with a roll rate of 82°/sec at 386 km/h (240 mph), backing four powerful 20 mm cannons in the wings. As a bomber interceptor, the N1K2-J fared less well, hampered by a poor rate of climb and a reduced engine performance at high altitude.From Wikipedia:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawanishi_N1KPhoto by Eric Friedebach |
| 撮影日 | 2015-06-05 13:43:14 |
| 撮影者 | Eric Friedebach |
| タグ | |
| 撮影地 | Pablo Granpera Grant, Florida, United States 地図 |