Maeda Ku 6

Maeda Ku-6
ク6 前田
     
Název:
Name:
Maeda Ku-6 Kuro-Sha Maeda Ku-6 Kuro-Sha
Originální název:
Original Name:
前田 Ku-6
Kategorie:
Category:
experimentální letoun experimental aeroplane
Výrobce:
Producer:
DD.MM.1945-DD.MM.1945 Maeda Iron Works, Sakai /
Období výroby:
Production Period:
DD.MM.1939-DD.MM.1945
Vyrobeno kusů:
Number of Produced:
1 nedokončen
První vzlet:
Maiden Flight:
DD.MM.RRRR
Osádka:
Crew:
3
Základní charakteristika:
Basic Characteristics:
 
Vzlet a přistání:
Take-off and Landing:
jiné other
Uspořádání křídla:
Arrangement of Wing:
jednoplošník monoplane
Uspořádání letounu:
Aircraft Concept:
jiné other
Podvozek:
Undercarriage:
jiný other
Přistávací zařízení:
Landing Gear:
jiné other
Technické údaje:
Technical Data:
 
Hmotnost prázdného letounu:
Empty Weight:
700 kg 1543 lb
Vzletová hmotnost:
Take-off Weight:
3500 kg 7716 lb
Maximální vzletová hmotnost:
Maximum Take-off Weight:
? kg ? lb
Rozpětí:
Wingspan:
21,940 m 71ft 11,77in
Délka:
Length:
? m ?
Výška:
Height:
? m ?
Plocha křídla:
Wing Area:
60,32 m2 649.28 ft2
Plošné zatížení:
Wing Loading:
58,02 kg/m2 11.88 lb/ft2
Pohon:
Propulsion:
 
Kategorie:
Category:
žádný none
Počet motorů:
Number of Engines:
-
Typ:
Type:
- -
Objem palivových nádrží:
Fuel Tank Capacity:
- -
Výkony:
Performance:
 
Maximální rychlost:
Maximum Speed:
140 km/h v ? m 87 mph in ? ft
Cestovní rychlost:
Cruise Speed:
120 km/h v ? m 74.6 mph in ? ft
Rychlost stoupání:
Climb Rate:
? m/s ? ft/min
Čas výstupu na výšku:
Time to Climb to:
? min do ? m ? min to ? ft
Operační dostup:
Service Ceiling:
? m ? ft
Dolet:
Range:
? km ? mi
Maximální dolet:
Maximum Range:
? km ? mi
Výzbroj:
Armament:
žádná none
Uživatelské státy:
User States:
- -
Poznámka:
Note:
Experimentální jednoplošný nákladní kluzák pro přepravu tanku Micubiši Ku-Ro Army Experimental vehicle Troop Command Glider
Zdroje:
Sources:
Edwin M. Dyer, Japanese Secret Projects: Experimental Aircraft of the IJA and IJN 1939-1945, Midland Pub Ltd., ISBN-13: 978-1857803174
Skrzypacz, Marcin (2005). "Maeda Ku-6 "Sora-Sha"". ENCYKLOPEDIA UZBROJENIA. http://www.dws.xip.pl/bron/japonia/j57.html. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
archiv autora
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Maeda-Ku-6-t41347#160442 Version : 0

Winged Tank Project Kuro - Sha



Interest in airborne forces can be traced at least since 1917. Paratroopers' units, parachuted, could be deployed in areas difficult to reach ordinary ground troops and also bypass fortifications, conduct reconnaissance or repel an attack from early-detected access roads. In addition, the potential possibility of landing paratroopers anywhere on the battlefield forces the enemy to allocate forces to defend against a possible airdrop and thus weaken the troops. However, for such benefits, he is forced to pay with a firepower that is much smaller than the ground forces, and a significant dependence on supplies from the outside and, as a result, the inability to support his own combat capability for a long time.

During the years of World War II, the airborne army was applied to all its main participants and in an effort to provide these units with great firepower, they created special equipment and armaments. For example, artillery systems used for parachute dropping were used as artillery: in the US it was a 75mm towed howitzer M1A1, and in Germany a 75mm reliable 7.5cm LG 40 cannon.

Paratroopers, however, used modified or specially developed models of firearms. Thus, the Americans in service were 7.62 mm carbine M1A1, and the Japanese airborne folding military rifle type 2. Despite the equipment of hand and artillery armament, the airborne troops felt a serious shortage in armored equipment. technique. Therefore, tank projects for paratroopers appeared in each of these countries. The main problem was the joint transport of tanks and troops to the battlefield. We can therefore see an almost parallel development with very similar results - Antonov A-40 (KT, Wings of the Tank) (USSR), Raul Hefner Rotabuggy and Rotatank (UK), Baynes Bat (UK), John Walter Christi M1932 (USA)

Requirements to develop a tank for airborne troops also appeared in the Japanese. In the years of World War II, airborne units in Japan were present both in the imperial army - tejsin sjudan ((挺進 集 団)) and in the imperial fleet - kajgun kutej (海軍 空 挺). Army and naval divisions were first deployed in 1942 during the fighting in the Dutch East Indies. However, unlike the Germans, English and Americans, the Japanese did not equip their airborne units with a significant amount of specialized heavy armament. It is possible that this was also caused by the fact that Japanese paratroopers were rarely deployed according to their purpose. Instead, they were mostly used in the role of light infantry, such as German "parachute hunters". However, in the imperial army and in the imperial fleet, ways were considered to increase the combat power of airborne units, and one of these intentions was the design of a tank that could transport itself to the battlefield on the wings.

In 1943, Maeda's aeronautical research department was given the task of producing wings that would form a glider part of the weapon. The future glider was assigned the designation Ku-6 by the Imperial Army Air Force. The tank was designed and manufactured by Mitsubishi and was given the designation So-Ra (or also Sora-Sha [空 戦 車] - Heavenly Tank). Due to the risk of possible chaos in the designation, the staff of the Imperial Army Air Force used a combination of Kuro-Sha, where "Ku" referred to the glider Ku-6, "ro" - 6 and "Sha" - tank.

Mitsubishi's So-Ra tank was basically a tank whose weight, even with a crew of two people (mechanic-driver/pilot and commander/shooter) was 2812 kg. The tower was located behind the mechanic-driver/pilot, whose cabin was equipped with three large openings with hinged doors, providing some visibility during landing. Information on armor is not available, estimates are based on an analogy with similar Japanese light tanks. The armor probably did not exceed 6-12 mm thick armor of a light tank type 95 Ha-Go, which was later used by the Japanese airborne troops.

Three variants of armament were designed for the So-Ra tank:
• - 37mm cannon (for example, 37mm cannon type 94 used on the Ha-Go tank),
• - machine gun armament (either a light 7.7 mm machine gun, or a heavier one),
• - flamethrower.
The propulsion unit was to consist of an air-cooled engine with an output of 50 pieces, which, according to calculations, should allow the So-Ra tank to develop a maximum speed of 42 km/h on the road.

The glider part - Maeda Ku-6 - is interpreted in at least two ways, as the original project is not yet known - the project documentation has either not survived the war or has not yet been found.

The first (probably older) version presents the idea of a beam of tail surfaces, mounted to the rear of the tank and wings, attached to the fuselage So - Ra on both sides of the tower. For this version, the GTC were installed on top of the SOP. The mechanic-driver/pilot controlled the control surfaces using ropes pulled from the tank. In the front part of the hull of the tank was placed an eye securing the tow rope.
The second version of the So-Ra was equipped with webs, located on both sides of the fuselage. A wing was attached to the upper parts of the webs, to which two beams were connected at the same time. The rear parts of the beams were equipped with vertical tail surfaces and interconnected by low horizontal tail surfaces. Basically, in this variant, the So-Ra had to be placed under the wing.

When landing, the tank had to drop its wings and proceed with the paratroopers.

In 1945, the Ku-6 was completed, and Mitsubishi produced the So-Ra scale model at a scale of 1: 1. thus imitating the weight of a real So-Ra tank. A Mitsubishi Ki-21 bomber was used as a towing machine. Tests soon showed problems with the concept. The Kuro-Sha had serious in-flight handling problems, the mechanic-driver/pilot had poor visibility and the landing was extremely difficult.

Another problem was that So-Ra could not resist heavier and stronger tanks. Any potential benefit of the Ku-6 has dropped to a minimum with the advent of the glider [url=/topic/view/30533] Kokusai Ku-7 Manazuru
(真 鶴 - Crane, Allied codename "Buzzard"), whose construction began in 1942, and whose first takeoff took place in August 1944. The carrying capacity of the Ku-7 glider reached 7257 kg and the dimensions of the fuselage allowed to place a light tank inside Ha-Go, the weight of which was 6713 kg. In connection with the obvious problems of Kuro-Sha, the decision of the Imperial Army approved the decision to stop work on this proposal and focus on the Ku-7.

Sources:
alternathistory.org.ua

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maeda_Ku-6

books.google.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maeda_Ku-6
www.resboiu.ro
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Maeda-Ku-6-t41347#529127 Version : 0
Expected appearance of the first version of the machine
Maeda Ku 6 - Kluzák Maeda Ku - 6 s tankem SO - Ra Pramen http://alternathistory.org.ua/proekt-kuro-sha-legkii-tank-so-ra-i-planer-maeda-ku-6-yaponiya

Kluzák Maeda Ku - 6 s tankem SO - Ra Pramen alternathistory.org.ua
Maeda Ku 6 - Pramen
http://alternathistory.org.ua/proekt-kuro-sha-legkii-tank-so-ra-i-planer-maeda-ku-6-yaponiya

Pramen
alternathistory.org.ua

Maeda Ku 6 - Pramen
http://alternathistory.org.ua/proekt-kuro-sha-legkii-tank-so-ra-i-planer-maeda-ku-6-yaponiya

Pramen
alternathistory.org.ua

Maeda Ku 6 - Druhá verze stroje

Pramen
http://alternathistory.org.ua/proekt-kuro-sha-legkii-tank-so-ra-i-planer-maeda-ku-6-yaponiya

Druhá verze stroje

Pramen
alternathistory.org.ua

URL : https://www.valka.cz/Maeda-Ku-6-t41347#160443 Version : 0

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Stručný popis:
Japonská armáda se v době, kdy se připravovala na další expanzi v Číně a později také v Tichomoří, zcela vážně zabývala ideou létajícího tanku nebo kluzáku, schopného přepravit takový tank.
Podobnou úlohu řešili např. konstruktéři v SSSR, kteří pracovali na obdobném projektu AT-40 KT.


Továrna Mitsubishi navrhla a záhy vyrobila pro tento účel lehký tančík Ku-Ro, tančík byl aerodynamicky tvarovaný a měl závěsy, do kterých se dala upevnit křídla a ocasní plochy. Výzkum probíhal od roku 1939 a trval přes celou válku, až byl nakonec celý projekt ukončen, protože Císařská armáda podobný stroj již nepotřebovala. Zřejmě byl postaven pouze jeden prototyp, ale nedokázal jsem zjistit zda byl proveden nějaký vzlet.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Maeda-Ku-6-t41347#369345 Version : 0
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