The Yokosuka Ro-go Ko-gata (YokoSho-shiki Ro-go Ko-gata) was a Japanese reconnaissance

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

developed during the First World War by the Japanese Navy Arsenal at Yokosuka, and one of the first indigenous Japanese aircraft to enter production. There were 218 of these aircraft built for the Imperial Japanese Navy, which remained in use until 1928.

Development and design

The Japanese Navy Arsenal at Yokosuka became involved in aircraft production in 1913, when an aeroplane factory was set up, with its first work being to build several Maurice Farman and

Curtiss Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decade ...

Seaplanes.Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 262–263. It continued to build aircraft under license, including more Farman aircraft and several Short 184 seaplanes, as well as prototypes of several of its own designs.Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 264–268. In 1917,

Chikuhei Nakajima , was a Japanese naval officer, engineer, and politician, who is most notable for having founded Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the Empire of Japan. He also served as a cabinet minister. Biography Nakajim ...

, chief designer of the Yokosuka Arsenal aircraft factory designed a new reconnaissance

. A prototype of this new design, powered by a 140 hp (104 kW) Salmson water-cooled radial engine, made its maiden flight early in 1918. Test results were good, and the type was ordered into production as the Ro-go Ko-gata.Mikesh and Abe 1990, p.269. The Ro-go Ko-gata was a three-bay

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

of wood and fabric construction, with twin main floats and wings that folded backwards for storage. Its crew of two sat in separate, closely spaced cockpits. Initial production aircraft were powered by 200 hp (149 kW) Salmson engines, but the majority of production aircraft were fitted with 200–220 hp (149–164 kW)

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

-built

Hispano-Suiza 8 The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...

V-8 engines. A total of 218 aircraft were built in total,Donald 1997, p.922 32 by the Yokosuka arsenal, 80 by Aichi and 106 by the Nakajima Aircraft Company, with production continuing until 1924.Mikesh and Abe 1990, p.270. It was the first locally-designed aircraft to be built in large numbers for the Japanese Navy.

Operational history

Three of the early aircraft were modified in 1919 for making long-range flights, with one of the cockpits replaced by additional fuel storage. This allowed a record flight of 1,300 km (808 mi) to be flown in 11 hours, 35 min on 20 April 1919. The Ro-go Ko-gata, along with licensed built Hansa-Brandenburg W.29s, replaced the obsolete pusher Farmans in Japanese Navy service, remaining in large scale service until 1926, being re-designated Yokosho-Type Reconnaissance Seaplane in 1923. Several were sold for civilian use, and were used to carry airmail until 1928.Civil Aircraft Register - Japan
". ''Golden Years of Aviation''. Retrieved 19 December 2009.

Units using this aircraft

; * Imperial Japanese Navy

Specifications (Production type)

Notes

* Under the designation system introduced by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1918, this designation corresponded to Model A reconnaissance aircraft.Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 1–2. * Yokosho was an acronym standing for ''Yokosuka Kaigun Ko-Sho'' ( Yokosuka Naval Arsenal).Mikesh and Abe 1990, p.262.

References

Bibliography

* Donald, David (ed.) ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Leicester, UK: Blitz Editions, 1997. . *Mikesh, Robert and Abe, Shorzoe. ''Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941''. London:Putnam, 1990. . {{Yokosuka aircraft 1910s Japanese military reconnaissance aircraft Floatplanes

Ro-go Ko-gata The Yokosuka Ro-go Ko-gata (YokoSho-shiki Ro-go Ko-gata) was a Japanese Surveillance aircraft, reconnaissance floatplane developed during the First World War by the Japanese Navy Arsenal at Yokosuka, and one of the first indigenous Japanese aircr ...

Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1918