Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Comet)

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Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Comet)

Allied Code Name: "Judy"

Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Comet)

(Scanned from René J. Francillion "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War" - Putnam - 1979)

UNITS ALLOCATED

Carriers: Chitose, Chiyoda, Hiyo, Junyo, Shinyo, Shokaku, Soryu, Taiyo, Unryu, Unyo and Zuikaku.

121st, 131st, 503rd, 601st, 634th, 653rd, 721st, Southwest Islands and Yokosuka Kokutais.

D4Y Lateral View

(Scanned from Barrie Pitt "The Illustrated History of World War II" - Temple Press Aerospace - 1986)

D4Y Lateral View

(Scanned from "Aviões da Segunda Guerra Mundial" - Abril Cultural S.A. - 1975)

TECHNICAL DATA

Description: Single-engined carrier-based dive-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, and land-based night fighter (D4Y2-S). All-metal construction with fabric-covered control surfaces.

Accommodation: Crew of two in tandem enclosed cockpit (all versions except D4Y4) or pilot in enclosed cockpit (D4Y4).

Powerplant:

One 960 hp Daimler-Benz DB 600G twelve-cylinder inverted vee liquid-cooled engine, driving a three-blade constant-speed metal propeller (13-Shi prototype).
One Aichi AE1A Atsuta 12 twelve-cylinder inverted vee liquid-cooled engine, rated at 1,200 hp for take-off, 1,010 hp at 1,500 m and 965 hp at 4,450 m, driving a three-blade constant-speed metal propeller (D4Y1, D4Y1 KAI, and D4Y1-C).
One Aichi AE1P Atsuta 32 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled vee engine, rated at 1,400 hp for take-off, 1,340 hp at 1,700 m and 1,280 hp at 5,000 m, driving a three-blade constant-speed metal propeller (D4Y2, D4Y2a, D4Y2 KAI, D4Y2-S, D4Y2-C, and D4Y2-Ca).
One Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engine rated at 1,560 hp for take-off, 1,340 hp at 2,100 m and 1,190 hp at 5,800 m, driving a three-blade constant-speed metal propeller (D4Y3, D4Y3a and D4Y4).
One Nakajima NK9C Homare 12 eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engine rated at 1,825 hp for take-off, 1,670 hp at 2,400 m and 1,560 hp at 6,550 m, driving a four-blade constant-speed metal propeller (D4Y5).

Armament:

Two fuselage-mounted 7.7 mm Type 97 machine-guns and one rear-firing flexible 7.92 mm Type 1 machine-gun (13-Shi prototype, D4Y1, D4Y1 KAI, D4Y1-C, D4Y2, D4Y2 KAI, D4Y2-C and D4Y3).
Two fuselage-mounted 7.7 mm Type 97 machine-guns and one rear-firing flexible 13 mm Type 2 machine-gun (D4Y2a, D4Y2a KAI, D4Y2-Ca, D4Y3a and D4Y5).
Two fuselage-mounted 7.7 mm Type 97 machine-guns (D4Y4 and D4Y5).
Two fuselage-mounted 7.7 mm Type 97 machine-guns and one fuselage-mounted oblique-firing 20 mm Type 99 cannon (D4Y2-S).
Bomb-load:

normal, 310 kg	D4Y1, D4Y1 KAI, D4Y2, D4Y2a, D4Y2 KAI, D4Y2a KAI, D4Y3 and D4Y3a
maximum, 560 kg	D4Y1, D4Y1 KAI, D4Y2, D4Y2a, D4Y2 KAI, D4Y2a KAI, D4Y3 and D4Y3a
suicide, 800 kg	D4Y4 and D4Y5

External tanks: two 330 litre drop tanks.

	D4Y1 Model 11	D4Y2 Model 12	D4Y3 Model 33	D4Y4 Model 43
Dimensions:
Span	11.50 m	11.50 m	11.50 m	11.50 m
Length	10.22 m	10.22 m	10.22 m	10.22 m
Height	3.68 m	3.74 m	3.74 m	3.74 m
Wing area	23.6 m²	23.6 m²	23.6 m²	23.6 m²
Weights:
Empty	2,440 kg	2,635 kg	2,501 kg	2,635 kg
Loaded	3,650 kg	3,835 kg	3,754 kg	4,542 kg
Maximum	4,250 kg	4,623 kg	4,657 kg	4,746 kg
Wing loading	154.7 kg/m²	162.5 kg/m²	159.1 kg/m²	192.5 kg/m²
Power loading	3.0 kg/hp	2.7 kg/hp	2.4 kg/hp	2.9 kg/hp
Performance:
Maximum speed	298 kt at 4,750 m	313 kt at 5,250 m	310 kt at 6,050 m	304 kt at 5,900 m
Cruising speed	230 kt at 3,000 m	230 kt at 2,000 m	180 kt at 3,000 m	200 kt at 3,000 m
Climb to	3,000 m	3,000 m	3,000 m	5,000 m
in	5 min 14 sec	4 min 36 sec	4 min 35 sec	9 min 22 sec
Service ceiling	9,900 m	10,700 m	10,500 m	8,450 m
Normal range	850 naut miles	790 naut miles	820 naut miles	890 naut miles
Maximum range	2,100 naut miles	1,945 naut miles	1,560 naut miles	1,400 naut miles

Production: A total of 2,038 D4Ys were built as follows:

Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsuho at Yokosuka:

5 13-Shi prototypes (1940-41)

Aichi Kokuki K.K., at the Eitoku Plant, Nagoya:

660 D4Y1 production aircraft (spring 1942-Apr 1944)
326 D4Y2 production aircraft (Apr 1944-Aug 1944)
536 D4Y3 production aircraft (May 1944-Feb 1944)
296 D4Y4 production aircraft (Feb 1945-Aug 1945)

Dai-Juichi Kaigun Kokusho at Hiro:

215 D4Y1, D4Y2 and D4Y3 production aircraft (Apr 1944-July 1945)

D4Y3 three-view drawing

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