Kyūshū K11W Shiragiku
The Kyūshū K11W Shiragiku, made by the Kyūshū Aircraft Company, was a land-based bombing trainer aircraft, which served in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in the later years of World War II. As indicated by its Japanese designation, "training aircraft for on-board work, it was designed to train crews in operating equipment for bombing, navigation, and communication, as well as navigation techniques. A total of 798 K11Ws were manufactured, including a small number of K11W2 ASW and transport aircraft alongside the K11W1 trainer variant. These aircraft were also used in kamikaze missions during the last stages of the Pacific War.
Design and development
The Kyūshū K11W had a rather simple, mid-wing layout. The crew consisted of a pilot and gunner/radio operator sitting in line under the canopy, while the trainee bombardier, trainee navigator, and instructor were located in the lower fuselage beneath the wing.The K11W served as the basis for the Q3W1 Nankai anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which did not progress beyond the development phase. It was enlarged but, unlike the K11W, had retracting landing gear.