Japanese Airborne Radars

[zavety]

Photos I found in the NARA archive of the Japanese H-6 radar

Thanks. It is Interesting that the A-scope was covered with a light-shielding hood. It was the Betty G6M2A that belonged to 702nd Attack Unit / 763rd Naval Air Group used in the Philippines in the fall of 1944. The Betty 762-12 is famous in Japan and is modeled.
fontessa

I only know three old photos A-scope.

[zavety]

Japanese army heavy bomber Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu with army radar Ta-ki 1 mod.1 (タキ1号１型), Japan, 1945.

[fontessa]

Japanese army heavy bomber Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu with army radar Ta-ki 1 mod.1 (タキ1号１型), Japan, 1945.

Interesting diagram of radar sensitivity. Were the IJNAFs side sensitivities to help find targets in the wider ocean? It is also interesting that the old type K-49 was equipped with the Taki-1.

fontessa

[ROLAND1369]

Not surprising the KI 49 could have been used as a trials aircraft for development work in mainland japan or for anti submarine patrols in home waters. In both applications its obsolescence would be unimportant. Note that the US used the even more obsolete B 18 for the same purpose.

[ShindenKai]

Photo seems to show the remnants of a radar system on the rear fuselage of this P1Y Ginga.

[ShindenKai]

Unusual small, flat round radar (radome?) device? On mast in front of observation blister. Very modern looking.

Radar mast mounted in faired over, deleted 20mm nose gun position.

[fontessa]

Unusual small, flat round radar (radome?) device? On mast in front of observation blister. Very modern looking.

Radar mast mounted in faired over, deleted 20mm nose gun position.

I can't believe IJN had such a high-level device. Was it part of the building behind the flying boat? The other boats were not equipped, and this boat also appears not to be equipped when viewed from the front at the start of the movie.

fontessa

[ShindenKai]

Unusual small, flat round radar (radome?) device? On mast in front of observation blister. Very modern looking.

Radar mast mounted in faired over, deleted 20mm nose gun position.

I can't believe IJN had such a high-level device. Was it part of the building behind the flying boat? The other boats were not equipped, and this boat also appears not to be equipped when viewed from the front at the start of the movie.

fontessa

The building has tall flat sides, there isn't a lower portion that could extend close enough for that radome to be attached. Where you placed an arrow there is clearly a white shape above the observation blister. Notice the position of the mast for the radome, the more "head-on" the pic is, the closer the mast is to the radome, which means it's absolutely on the canopy in front of the observation blister.

I don't specifically know if it's actually a radome or not, but sure looks like one. It's a strange H8K in other ways, it doesn't have waist blisters, but does have openings in the waist area but these openings are also smaller AND lower than where the waist blisters would be. Notice the flaps are down and the waist openings are LOWER, H8K's with waist blisters are lined up directly behind trailing edge of the wing, with flaps UP/retracted.

[ShindenKai]

It would seem that hatches mentioned in previous post are actually escape hatches and are on both sides and both (upper/lower) cargo/personnel decks.

I must say that the upper personnel deck looks fairly comfy, especially if it wasn't being used at max capacity (easy to stretch out and take a nap). This view appears to be just under the wings looking aft.

[fontessa]

Unusual small, flat round radar (radome?) device? On mast in front of observation blister. Very modern looking.

Radar mast mounted in faired over, deleted 20mm nose gun position.

I can't believe IJN had such a high-level device. Was it part of the building behind the flying boat? The other boats were not equipped, and this boat also appears not to be equipped when viewed from the front at the start of the movie.

fontessa

The building has tall flat sides, there isn't a lower portion that could extend close enough for that radome to be attached. Where you placed an arrow there is clearly a white shape above the observation blister. Notice the position of the mast for the radome, the more "head-on" the pic is, the closer the mast is to the radome, which means it's absolutely on the canopy in front of the observation blister.

I don't specifically know if it's actually a radome or not, but sure looks like one. It's a strange H8K in other ways, it doesn't have waist blisters, but does have openings in the waist area but these openings are also smaller AND lower than where the waist blisters would be. Notice the flaps are down and the waist openings are LOWER, H8K's with waist blisters are lined up directly behind trailing edge of the wing, with flaps UP/retracted.

We can't reach to a conclusion, easy. . my last claim. H8K's cockpit was narrow. The picture below shows it. Because the front of ③ astronomical dome was blocked by ⑦ various levers. So, I think it was difficult to add new equipment there.

After writing this, I found another photo of the T-31. The pillar in question was there. However, it was almost above the pilot's head, and just above the lever housing. The T-31 is the H8K2 early production type, but this is not visible on the drawing. It is also omitted in the restored T-31 displayed in Kanoya. That is, not so important thing. It can be seen in front of the astronomical dome in the middle photo below. The caption for this photo says, "This pole was an antenna with landing lights (which were very little) on the tip," but the antenna was at the back. To be honest, I don't know what this thing was.


Click to enlarge.

fontessa

[ShindenKai]

Looks to me like the landing lights are atop the tall mast behind the observation blister, look at its relation to the inboard engine visible behind it. If the mast were in front of the blister we'd see more of the front of the engine, not the side.

[ShindenKai]

Landing light & antenna mast behind blister, radome mast in front.

[fontessa]

Looks to me like the landing lights are atop the tall mast behind the observation blister, look at its relation to the inboard engine visible behind it. If the mast were in front of the blister we'd see more of the front of the engine, not the side.

The tall mast behind the observation blister was the antenna mast as I said. And the landing lights were atop it as I said. So I said, "To be honest, I don't know what this thing was." Was my English so bad?

fontessa

[ShindenKai]

Looks to me like the landing lights are atop the tall mast behind the observation blister, look at its relation to the inboard engine visible behind it. If the mast were in front of the blister we'd see more of the front of the engine, not the side.

The tall mast behind the observation blister was the antenna mast as I said. And the landing lights were atop it as I said. So I said, "To be honest, I don't know what this thing was." Was my English so bad?

fontessa

My bad, I was just merely trying to confirm. Your English is great. No offense intended.

I somehow skimmed "The tall mast behind the observation blister was the antenna mast"
again, my bad.

[fontessa]

Looks to me like the landing lights are atop the tall mast behind the observation blister, look at its relation to the inboard engine visible behind it. If the mast were in front of the blister we'd see more of the front of the engine, not the side.

Looks to me like the landing lights are atop the tall mast behind the observation blister, look at its relation to the inboard engine visible behind it. If the mast were in front of the blister we'd see more of the front of the engine, not the side.

It seems that there were four H8Ks ① ~ ④ including T-31 in Negishi. ①, which was closest to the building on land by process of elimination, seems to be the T-31. There was no obscure pole in front of the T-31 astrodome in ② and ③.

observation blister
It was more precisely 天測ドーム. According to Google Translate, its English translation is “astronomical dome”. I used this translation once, but I know it was called astrodome recently. It was here that sextants were used to observe the stars for astronomical navigation at night when drift measurements were not possible. So large bombers in WWII had it.

fontessa