Yokosuka R2Y Keiun

Click HERE to see color drawings of the Keiun

The Yokosuka R2Y Keiun ("Beautiful Cloud") was designed to be long-range high-speed land-based reconnaissance aircraft whose superior speed would hopefully prevent its interception by enemy fighters. A project with the designation R1Y1 Seiun (“Blue Cloud”) was started and resulted in a design similar to the P1Y1 Ginga bomber, but as calculated performance fell short of meeting requirements, the project had to be abandoned. A new design was started in 1943, and was designated the R2Y1. The R2Y borrowed from the German pre-war Heinkel He 119 in its use of coupled engines driving a single propeller. It also featured a tricycle undercarriage giving it an appearance similar to the Messerschmitt Me 509. Completed in April 1945, the prototype made a short flight on 8 May, but was destroyed in a US air raid only a few days later, thus ending development. A proposal was also made to develop the R2Y into a turbojet-powered light bomber by replacing its piston engines with two Ishikawajima Ne-330s. Designated the R2Y2 Keiun-Kai, the design was also begun to work on second prototype but it was never completed.

Yokosuka R2Y1 Keiun

Type:           long-range reconnaissance aircraft
Service: 	Japanese Navy Air Force (JNAF)
Crew:           2 (pilot and radio operator/navigator)
Armament:       none 
Reference: 	Francillon: 472  

Specifications:
        Length:         42' 9.75" (13.05 m)
        Height:         13' 11" (4.24 m)
        Wingspan:       45' 11" (14 m)
        Wing area:      365.972 sq. ft (3 sq. m)
        Empty Weight:   13261 lbs (6015 kg)
        Loaded Weight:  17857 lbs (8100 kg)
        Max Weight:     20723 lbs (9400 kg)

Propulsion:
        No. of Engines: 1
        Powerplant:     Aichi Ha-70 10 (twin-coupled Aichi Atsuta 30s)
                        twenty-four cylinder liquid-cooled engine
        Horsepower:     3100 hp at 9845 ft (3000 m)

Performance:
        Range:          1950 naut miles (2244 st miles)
        Cruise Speed:   288 mph at 13125 ft (250 kt at 4000 m)
        Max Speed:      447 mph  at 32810 ft (388 kt at 10000 m)
        Climb to/in:    32810 ft (10000 m) in 10 min 
        Ceiling:        38385 ft (11700 m)

Production:		one R2Y1 was completed in 1945.
			one R2Y2 was almost completed.

Additional information on this aircraft can be found at Wikipedia HERE.

For a very nice scale color drawing of this aircraft, see here.

(go to Yokosuka page)