Ohka Variants Operational History Specifications (Type 11)

It was a small flying bomb that was carried underneath a Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber to within range of its target; on release, the pilot would first glide towards the target and when close enough he would fire the Ohka's engine(s) and dive against the ship to destroy. That final approach was almost unstoppable (especially for Type 11) because the aircraft gained tremendous speed.

1 Variants

The first operational Ohkas (Type 11 and Type 21) were powered by solid fuel rocket motors, which provided great speed but only very limited range. This was problematic as it required the carrier aircraft to approach close to the target, making them very vulnerable to fighter defences.

The Ohka Type 22 was designed to overcome this problem by using a thermojet style jet engine, the Tsu-11The Tsu-11 was a primitive, thermojet-style jet engine produced in small numbers in Japan in the closing stages of World War II. It was principally designed to propel the Japanese Ohka flying bomb, a kamikaze weapon. The Tsu-11 used a four-cylinder invert. This engine was successfully tested, and Ohkas were built to accept this engine, but none appear to have been used operationally.

The final stage in Ohka development was the Type 43, which was intended to be powered by an Ishikawajima Ne-20The Ishikawajima Ne-20 ( Japanese: -20) was Japan's first turbojet engine. It was developed during World War Two in parallel with the nation's first military jet, the Nakajima Kikka. The decision to manufacture this engine came about because of the unsuit turbojet. Two trainer versions were also under development for this version, the K-1 and the K-1 Kai, the former being a glider, and the latter fitted with a single rocket motor.

2 Operational history

March 21 1945 - fifteen Ohka-carrying Betty bombers escorted by about thirty Zeros fly to attack Taskgroup 58.1 ( USS Hornet, USS Bennington, USS Wasp, USS Belleau Wood). Attack force intercepted and destroyed some 70 miles from the target. None of the Bettys return.
April 1 1945 - Six Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. At least one makes a successful attack, with its Ohka hitting one of the 16" turrets on the USS West Virginia, causing extensive damage. USS Alpine , USS Achernar, and USS Tyrrell are also hit by kamikaze aircraft, but it is unclear whether any of these were Ohkas from the other Bettys. None of the Bettys return.
April 12 1945 - nine Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. USS Mannert L Abele is hit, breaks in two, and sinks. USS Jeffers destroys an Ohka with AA fire fifty yards from the ship, but the resulting explosion is still powerful enough to cause extensive damage, forcing the Jeffers to withdraw. USS Stanly is targeted by two Ohkas. One strikes just above the waterline, with the charge punching through the other side of the hull before detonating, causing little damage to the ship, and the other Ohka narrowly missed (collecting the Stanly's ensign!) and crashed into the sea. One Betty returns.
April 14 1945 - seven Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. None return. None of the Ohkas appear to have been launched.
April 16 1945 - six Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. Two return, but no Ohkas hit their targets.
April 28 1945 - four Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa at night. One returns. No hits.
May 4 1945 - seven Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. One Ohka hits the bridge of the USS Shea , causing extensive damage and casualties. Vessel judged beyond repair. The USS Gayety is also damaged by a near-miss by an Ohka. One Betty returns.
May 11 1945 - Four Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. USS Hugh W Hadley is hit, suffers extensive damage and flooding. Vessel judged beyond repair.
May 25 1945 - eleven Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. Bad weather forces most of the aircraft to turn back, and none of the others score hits.
June 22 1945 - six Bettys attack the US Fleet off Okinawa. Two return, but no hits were scored.

3 Specifications (Type 11)

3.1 General Characteristics

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 5.10 m (16 ft 8 in)
Height: 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 6 m² (65 ft²)
Empty: kg ( lb)
Loaded: 2,140 kg (4,708 lb)
Maximum takeoff: kg ( lb)
Powerplant: 3x rocket motors, 7.8 kN (1,760 lb) total thrust

3.2 Performance

Maximum speed: 630 km/h (394 mph)
Range: 36 km (23 miles)
Service ceiling: m ( ft)
Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
Wing loading: 356 kg/m² (72 lb/ft²)
Thrust-to-weight: 1:2.6

3.3 Armament

1,200 kg (2,640) tri-nitroaminol warhead

4 Related content

Related development:

Comparable aircraft:

Fieseler Fi 103

Designation sequence:

MXY-4 - MXY-5 - MXY-6 -

MXY-7 -

MXY-8 - MXY-9

Japanese attack aircraft 1940-1949 Yokosuka aircraft World War II Japanese suicide weapons

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