Project Z (bomber project)

Project Z
General information
Project forLong-range strategic bomber
ServiceImperial Japanese Army
PrototypesNakajima G10N
Kawasaki Ki-91
Nakajima G5N

Project Z (also called the "Z Bombers Project") was a military project of the Empire of Japan, similar to the Nazi German Amerikabomber project, to design an intercontinental bomber capable of reaching North America.

The planned aircraft

The Project Z aircraft was to have six 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) engines; the Nakajima Aircraft Company quickly began developing engines, proposing twinned Nakajima Ha-44 engines (the most powerful aircraft engine available in Japan at the time).[1]

Designs were presented to the Imperial Japanese Army, including the Nakajima G10N, Kawasaki Ki-91, and Nakajima G5N. None, save for the G5N, developed beyond prototypes or wind tunnel models. Late in the war, Project Z and other heavy bomber projects were cancelled.

See also

References

  1. ^ Horn, Steve (2005). The Second Attack on Pearl Harbor: Operation K and Other Japanese Attempts to Bomb America in World War II. Naval Institute Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-59114-388-8.