The was a Japanese two-seat
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
experimental reconnaissance aircraft developed by
Kobe Steel
Kobe Steel, Ltd. (株式会社神戸製鋼所, ''Kabushiki gaisha Kōbe Seikō-sho''), is a major Japanese steel manufacturer headquartered in Chūō-ku, Kobe. KOBELCO is the unified brand name of the Kobe Steel Group.
Kobe Steel has the lowe ...
in 1942 for service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In accordance with the Army's request, Professor T. Miki, Osaka Imperial University designed and Kobe Seikojo built the Te-Gō. No "Ki" code number was assigned there to since the project was outside the jurisdiction of the Army Aviation Headquarters.
This aircraft was one of two competitors for an Imperial Japanese Army STOL liaison and observation aircraft. Inspired by the
Fieseler Storch
The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fiel ...
Prof. Tetsuo Miki of Osaka University designed this aircraft. Although the aircraft was similar to the Storch, it was not by any means a copy.
Using construction methods common at that time, the wing were made of a wood spar and ribs, covered with fabric/plywood. Automatic slots along the length of the leading edges, large Fowler-type flaps were installed along the trailing edges, and the ailerons were also used as flaps for very short take off. The fuselage had a steel tube frame that was fabric-covered from the cockpit back and the nose was covered with sheet metal. The tail components had the same structure as the wings. A 7.7 mm flexible machine gun was planned for installation at the rear seat to obtain a clear upper rear field of fire.
The aircraft crashed, with extensive damage to the wing and landing gear. Because of this accident, the second submission, the Kayaba Ka-go autogyro, was selected and entered service as the
Kayaba Ka-1
The Kayaba Ka-1 and Ka-2 were Japanese autogyros, seeing service during World War II for artillery spotting.
Design and development
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) developed the Ka-1 autogyro for reconnaissance, artillery-spotting, and anti-s ...
.
Specifications (Te-Gō)
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobeseiko Te-Go
1940s Japanese military reconnaissance aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
STOL aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1942