Ki-30 "Ann", Japanese Light Bomber

U.S. Navy. Via Francillon (1979)

Mitsubishi Ki-30 "Ann"

Specifications:

"Ann" was developed for the China Incident in the mid-1930s, a period of rapid modernization of the Japanese Army Air Force. Mitsubishi and Kawasaki were instructed in May 1936 to design prototype light bombers by December to meet a challenging set of requirements. The Mitsubishi team under Komamura designed an aircraft incorporating many then-novel features, including a double-row radial engine, variable-pitch propeller, internal bomb bay and split flaps. However, an attempt to include retractable landing gear was abandoned when wind tunnel tests suggested the reduction in drag would not make up for increased weight and complexity. The prototype flew on 28 February 1937, its only significant deficiency being that it was slightly over the specified weight. Mass production began in March 1938.

The design proved highly reliable in China, where escort by Ki-27 "Nates" helped ensure a low loss rate. However, "Ann" was obsolete by the time war broke out in the Pacific. Though she played an important role in the Philippines in 1942, again under conditions of Japanese air supremacy, she suffered heavy losses wherever Allied fighters were operating and was soon withdrawn from front-line service. The few survivors were expended as kamikazes late in the war.

Nine of these aircraft were given to the Thais and were used against the French in Indochina during the border incident of January 1941.

References

Francillon (1979)

Wilson (1998)

The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009 by Kent G. Budge. Index

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