The (Kokusai Army Type 4 Special Transport Glider) was a Japanese

military glider Military gliders (an offshoot of common gliders) have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops (glider infantry) and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were ...

used during the

Second World War 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 ...

Design and development

Design of the Ku-8-II began in December 1941, the glider was essentially a

Kokusai Ki-59 The was an early 1940s light transport monoplane built by Nippon Kokusai Koku Kogyo K.K for the Imperial Japanese Army as a development of the Teradako-ken TK-3 which had first flown in 1938. Development The Teradako-ken TK-3 was a prototype ...

, with the engines and fuel tanks removed and a modified undercarriage. It was given the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

code name Goose and later Gander. The prototype was completed on May 20, 1943, and took to the air two days later, on May 22, 1943. A Ku-8-II version that was produced in 1944 used a tubular steel frame structure, and had a hinged nose that could be opened to the side to allow loading. Also, its capacity was increased slightly to carry twenty troops.* In total, approximately 700 were built. They were used operationally in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, primarily to carry supplies.

Variants

*Ku-8-I:Prototypes. *Ku-8-II:Military transport glider. Production version.

Operators

; *

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

Specifications

References

External links