Existing comment:
MXY7-K1 Trainer.
Late in World War II, the Dai-ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho (1st Naval Air Technical Arsenal) at Yokosuka, Japan, designed the MXY7-K1 to teach less experienced pilots to fly the Model 11 "Ohka" (Cherry Blossom) kamikaze suicide rocket bomb. The Ohka was carried to the target under a G4M "Betty" bomber. When the Betty/Ohka combination reaching Allied shipping, the Ohka pilot would detach, ignite the rocket motor, and dive into a ship.
This trainer version was carried aloft and then released for practice flights. Unlike the Ohka, the MXY7-K1 had a landing skid and flaps. In place of the warhead and rocket motors of the Ohka, the MXY7-K1 used water ballast that was expelled before landing. Even so, it challenged novice pilots with its high, 130 mph landing speed.
A total of 45 MXY7-K1 trainers were completed by the end of WWII. |