Mitsubishi G4M (Betty)

Mitsubishi G4M (Betty) History

Like most aircraft of the Japanese Empire in the early days of World War II, the Mitsubishi G4M (Allied codename "Betty") excelled in service as a medium-range twin-engine land-based naval bomber. The aircraft was a well thought out design with excellent range for its time and would see combat action throughout the war.

Although the G4M appeared in relatively limited numbers (only over 2,400 were built), it was - at least temporarily - a medium bomber of considerable value to Imperial Japan as it attempted to maintain its inventory across the vast Pacific Ocean.

Despite early wartime success, the series is primarily remembered as one of two Bettys shot down by two American P-38 Lightning fighter jets on April 18, 1943. One of the bombers in particular was notable, and its passenger was Japanese Admiral Gosoku Yamamoto the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 which dealt a disastrous blow to Imperial Japan's operations in the Pacific.

The P-38 pilot credited with the attack was the first lieutenant. Rex T. Barber and Captain Thomas G. Lamphier intercept from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.

Mitsubishi engineers developed their G4M to meet the 1937 requirement for a state-of-the-art long-range bomb platform. The prototype made its maiden flight on October 23, 1939, and it didn't disappoint - proving that the design could combine excellent speed and range.

Defensive armament consists of a combination of cannon and machine gun: 1 x 7.7mm Type 92 machine gun in the nose and one in the back of the turret. Use the cannon at each spray position (flanking). A 1 x 20mm Type 99 automatic cannon was placed in the gunner's position at the tail to protect the key "six" of the aircraft. The crew is committed to 7 people (2 pilots, nose gunner - Bombardier - navigator, rear gunner, 2 hip gunners, rear gunner) and can carry an internal bomb load of up to 2,205 lbs.

Since the bomber was developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy and its mission was to attack targets of interest to the Navy, the G4M was also allowed to carry the 1,858-pound Type 91 torpedo instead of the traditional conventional bomb loadout.

The G4M immediately proved its worth in early engagements, including the sinking of the British warships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales, both of which occurred in the aircraft's first year of service. In addition to its successful operations against the Allies, the G4M has also been used in anger against neighboring China in the long war.

The main weakness of the G4M, common to many Japanese WWII aircraft, was the armor protection of the crew compartment and fuel depot. Without these qualities, aircraft are vulnerable to small guns.

With the proliferation of newer and better Allied fighters, any advantage the G4M had shown early in the conflict was quickly reversed. The G4M's days as a frontline attack system were numbered, although the series continued into the final weeks of the war (August 1945

Variants include G4M1 (including prototype and first production model), G4M2 (various sub-brands produced for naval service), G4M3 (adds self-sealing fuel tanks and armor protection) and G6M1 (upgrades defensive weapons). , 30).

The G4M1 (Type 11) features two Mitsubishi MK4A-11 "Kasei" 14-cylinder radial engines, each producing 1,530 hp, a top speed of 425 km/h (315 km/h) and a range of up to 1,770 miles and a service cap of up to 28,000 feet. The climb rate is 1,800 feet per minute.

USS Betty stored about 37 Japanese bomber groups during the war. The post-war operators became China and Indonesia. Both the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted extensive testing of the aircraft.

Production totaled 2,435 units. These include 1,172 of the final G4M1 brand, 429 examples of the G4M2, 713 additional aircraft in the G4M2a livery and 91 examples of the G4M3. G6M1 counted thirty aircraft.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

Armor

Changes