GREAT SECRECY

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21600, 10 December 1941, Page 5

GREAT SECRECY

STRENGTH OF JAPAN AIR FORCE EXPANSION COPY FOREIGN TYPES (United Press Assn.—Eltc. Tel. Copyright) LONDON. Dec. 8 Although very great secrecy has made it difficult to follow with any degree of certainty the detailed development of Japanese naval and military aircraft, experts state that some trends in policy and design have become apparent and can be roughly outlined. The Japanese have not so far brought out any really original designs of their own, having preferred to copy and develop foreign types. In certain cases this development has been carried to a point where the Japanese product can no longer be classed in the same category as the foreign prototype. The Japanese generally seem to favour low wing-loading. After being influenced in the very early years by European builders the Japanese now show very strongly marked American influence. About three years ago first line strength was about 1900 machines, of which about 1000 were naval types. Of these some 40 per cent were shipborne and the rest shore based. Japan has eight aircraft-carriers and claims that the strength of her seaborne aircraft is surpassed only by Britain and the United States, but to what extent expansion has been carried out is not stated. High Morale The Japanese personnel is regarded as good, discipline strict and morale high. Experts, however, consider the air arms are handicapped by slow thinking and textbook routine. Training was carried out mainly at the flying schools at Kusumigaurand for navy and Tokorozawa and Kumagaya for the army. New schools have recently been established. Modern Japanese fighters, navy, shorebased and army, are singleengined low-wing monoplanes with maximum speeds varying from 270 to 300 miles an hour at 15,000 ft. The majority are equipped with four guns —in some cases two cannons and two machine-guns—but there is a probability that a number of older type fighters are still in use with speeds of from 250 to 300 miles an hour and carrying only two machine-guns. Included among these older types are a few biplanes with a speed about the 200-mile an hour mark.

Best known of the heavy bomber type are the naval Mitsubishi T 96 and the army Mitsubishi T 97. These are twin-engined machines, the former a midwing monoplane showing definite Junkers influence in design. They carry an average load of 2000 lb. with a range of about 1100 miles. Maximum Bomb Loads Light bombers and reconnaissance aircraft are chiefly single-engined low-wing planes with maximum speeds of 250 to 260 miles an hour and maximum bomb loads varying from 800 to 1000 lb. The two main reconnaissance floatplanes are the T 95, a single-engined biplane with a single central float and two wingtip floats, and the T 97, a midwing monoplane with twin floats. This aircraft is very often used as a fighter carrying no bombs. The most commonly used flying-boats are the three-engined T 96 Mitsubishi and the T 97.