Yokosuka P1Y Ginga

Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal · Japan · first flew 1943 · bomber

The Yokosuka P1Y Ginga ('Milky Way') was Japan's most capable land-based twin-engine bomber of the Second World War, fast enough to trouble Allied fighters.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	15 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

twin-engine land-based torpedo bomber
clean mid-wing design
glazed nose with bombsight position

A slim, clean mid-wing twin with a slender fuselage and glazed nose, resembling a scaled-up fighter more than a conventional bomber. The closely cowled Homare radials and short engine nacelles help distinguish it from the bulkier G4M.

Specifications

The Yokosuka P1Y Ginga has a length of 15 m (49 ft).
It has a wingspan of 20 m (66 ft).
Its maximum speed is 547 km/h (340 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed from 1940 onward to replace the G4M, the Ginga entered service in late 1944 after protracted engine and manufacturing problems. Its clean aerodynamics and powerful Homare radials gave it genuine performance, but unreliable engines and fuel system faults plagued operational units.

Variants

The P1Y1 was the standard bomber variant; the P1Y2 used Mitsubishi Kasei engines; the P1Y1-S and P1Y2-S were night-fighter conversions with upward-firing cannon installed.

Where you'll see it

Served with Imperial Japanese Navy land-based groups from Formosa to the Philippines; some were expended in kamikaze attacks in 1945.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.