Nakajima G10N Fugaku (Mount Fuji)

History

Just as the Germans designed their WWII (1939-1945) "American Bomber" program to attack cities and industries on the East Coast of the United States, so did Imperial Japan to thwart production and terrorize the West Coast of the United States beyond. The long-range Nakajima G10N "Fogaku" ("Mt.

Fuji") heavy bomber was developed for this purpose precisely in the middle of the war. The program began in 1943, and even a production facility was scheduled for construction, but the complexity of the engine envisaged, combined with the ambitious nature of the entire program, forced its cancellation in 1944 to meet more pressing needs.

The large bomber had a wingspan of 207 feet, a length of 131 feet, and a height of 28.8 feet. Its configuration is largely conventional, relying on a wide-area monoplane located in the forward midship, a forward-mounted flight deck and a conventional monoplane empennage.

The landing gear should be disposable to reduce the operational load on long trips.

Power initially came from six Nakajima Ha-44 36-cylinder radial engines with 5,000 hp each, although these were still in development and proved unreliable - doomed to delay the Fugaku project. Its complexity led to the selection of an 18-cylinder, 2,500 hp Nakajima NK11A air-cooled radial piston enginethree nacelles were installed on each main-wing aircraftand reverse-driven a pair of four-bladed constant-speed propeller units . Rotation action.

Combat crews consist of seven to eight personnel, and suggested defensive armament includes 4 x 20mm Series 99 guns with an internal bomb load of 44,000 lb conventionally delivered.

The G10N1 grew out of the Japanese Army's "Project Z" initiative in 1942 and evolved into a Japanese Navy effort, in which Nakajima was also involved. The original design concept was to have a bomber platform with enough endurance to transport it from the northern Kuril Islands close to mainland Japan to the United States to reach targets on the West Coast, Midwest and even the East Coast. Since Japan maintained an alliance with Germany during the war, the bombers were tasked with leaving U.S. airspace and heading for German-held European territory, where it could safely refuel and rearm. The bombers will fly high and fast enough to avoid enemy ground fire and interceptors.

The project also includes a heavy transport model, as well as a 40-door fixed-wing "gunship" equipped with down-firing weapons - but none of this has moved beyond the "paper" stage.

The estimated performance specifications of the proposed IJN "Fugaku" bomber - which is essentially an evolved version of the IJA "Project Z" product - include a top speed of 485 mph, a range of 12,055 miles and a service ceiling of 49,215 feet. The latter characteristic will be Pressurized crew sections are required to survive high altitudes.

Never tried a model or prototype of the G10N as the project almost ended after Iwo Jima fell to the Americans in 1944. At this time, Japan's territorial and material losses (especially aircraft carriers) in the Pacific and Asia were increasing, and its domestic warring resources were under increasing pressure to stem the tide of defeat. This led to a design and production focus on defensive fighter jets, and as a result, the large heavy bomber program became the least of Japan's concerns in 1945, when homeland defense was a priority.

Many German and American bomber programs suffered this fate.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes