Fatboy Coxy
Airman 1st Class
- 129
- Aug 24, 2019
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Capacity of the drop tank for IJN aircraft like A6Ms was 330L (later 320L for wooden tank)Hi Shinpachi, thank you for this, but as you mention the drop tanks, I have a question. The C5M1/2 originated from the Army Ki-15, did the Naval version use the same drop tank as the Army version, and were they the same tanks as those used by the Ki-27 Fighter. The reason why I ask is I am working through the Japanese Monograph 55, South East Area Air Operations Phase I, Nov-1941 - Feb-1942. The 3rd Air Brigade was tasked with attacking the airfields in Kelantan, Malaya, including Kota Bharu. The 59th Sentai equipped with Ki-27 fighters, was operating out of Konpong Trach, a distance of about 340 miles. I think they may have been using drop tanks, but there were concerns among the 3rd Air Division, as the numbers of drop tanks were low.
Hi Shinpachi, I think I have misled us all, what I posted in bold is incorrect, I think the 59th Sentai was equipped with Ki-43 Hayabusa, and flying from Phu Quoc Island, and had to provide fighter cover over Kota Bharu. I also think the 64th Sentai, also out of Phu Quoc, but a different airfield, provided cover over Singora. The 1st and 11th Sentai, equipped with Ki-27, were either also at Phu Quoc, or staged out of there to land at Singora as soon as it was captured. I'm not sure about where the 77th Sentai operated, I need to research more on that.Hi Shinpachi, thank you for this, but as you mention the drop tanks, I have a question. The C5M1/2 originated from the Army Ki-15, did the Naval version use the same drop tank as the Army version, and were they the same tanks as those used by the Ki-27 Fighter. The reason why I ask is I am working through the Japanese Monograph 55, South East Area Air Operations Phase I, Nov-1941 - Feb-1942. The 3rd Air Brigade was tasked with attacking the airfields in Kelantan, Malaya, including Kota Bharu. The 59th Sentai equipped with Ki-27 fighters, was operating out of Konpong Trach, a distance of about 340 miles. I think they may have been using drop tanks, but there were concerns among the 3rd Air Division, as the numbers of drop tanks were low.
Fatboy Coxy,
Hi, a friend highlighted your post for me this week and I thought I would post a response.
Data for the C5M2 is very convoluted and miss-understood.
The furthest documented "straight line" flight of a C5M2 is in excess of 2,606km (1,620miles) and this does not take into consideration typical operation parameters such as detours for weather, danger zones, loiter time over the target or possible alternate landing options, etc. The actual range of the C5M2 was far in excess of of this document figure, with a maximum range most likely greater than 3,250km with a drop tank.
Also, the statement that the C5M1 was a version of the Army Ki-15-I, and C5M2 was a version of the Ki-15-II is wholly inaccurate. While the C5M1 was a navailised version of the Ki-15-II airframe, the C5M2 was a wholly new variant of the airframe, far beyond that of the Ki-15-II.
In fact while the Army officially sanctioned Mitsubishi's development of the Ki-15-I into the Ki-15-II in December 1937, but the Army showed little interest in moving forward with the project as the performance of the Ki-15-I was so far ahead of all of its opponents at that time. This was a shortsighted decision and the Navy would in fact be the first service to adopt the improved aircraft into service as the C5M1 in April 1939, some 5 months before the Army accepted the Ki-15-II in to service.
I cover the whole development of the Babs family of aircraft in my 2 books ("Mitsubishi Babs Vol.I - the worlds first high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft" and "Mitsubishi Babs Vol.2 - the worlds first high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft", published in 2023 and 2024 respectively. These two volumes (over 438 pages) include 80 pages on the operational history and technical development of the C5M1 and C5M2 airframes, including details of the range and performance and a list of 19 units and higher organisations that operated the C5M.
Reviews of the books can be found at:
Mitsubishi Babs: The World's First High-Speed Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft, Volume 1
Stratus and MMP Books are two closely cooperating publishing houses offering history and modeling books. In their range you will find publications in English (some of them with a Polish insert) and in Polish.reviews.ipmsusa.org Mitsubishi Babs: The World’s First High Speed Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft, Volume 2
IntroductionThis book is the second volume on the history and development of the Mitsubishi Ki-15/C5M high speed reconnaissance aircraft, which was used by the Japanese Army and Navy in numerous roles before and during the course of World War II.Volume 1, which has already appeared in review on...reviews.ipmsusa.org Regards,Aviation of Japan æ¥æ¬ã®èªç©ºå²
A site dedicated to information and discussion about the history of aviation and aeroplanes in Japan and the Far East. æ¥æ¬ã¨æ±æ´ã®èªç©ºå²ã¨èªç©ºæ©ã«é¢ããå°éãµã¤ããçæ§ããã®æå ±ãã³ã¡ã³ãããå¾ã¡ãã¦ã¾ããï¼æ¥æ¬èªã§ãå¯ï¼www.aviationofjapan.com
Joe
Thanks for the kind words and I will be producing 2 volumes on the Dinah at some point, as I was the advisor to the RAF Museum Ki-46-III restoration many moons ago.Hi JoeP, thank you for your reply. Articles on the web covering the Bab's variants don't do enough justice to the naval versions, especially the C5M2. I also think the arrival of the superb Mitsubishi Ki-46 then overshadowed it as a reconnaissance aircraft. I've read through your reviews and in all honestly, the depth of information you have provided on this aircraft looks like a work of love, and I wish you well with the books success.