Namtong Type 36 attack plane
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| Namtong Type 36 attack plane | |
|---|---|
| File:Namtong Type 36 attack plane.png Three common Type 36 service variants in wartime coloration | |
| General information | |
| Type | light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Namtong Aviation Group |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1937-1942 |
| Introduction date | 1938 |
The Namtong Type 36 attack plane (Menghean: 남통 36식 공격기 / 南通三六式攻擊機, Namtong sam-ryuk-sik gonggyŏkgi) is a type of military aircraft developed in the Greater Menghean Empire during the mid-1930s. It was designed to take on a variety of roles, including dive bombing, reconnaissance, and air-to-air combat, though it specialized in level bombing at low altitude. When it entered service in 1938, it was on par with contemporary attack aircraft in the other major powers, but as the Pan-Septentrion War dragged on it became increasingly vulnerable to the new generation of fighters and anti-aircraft weapons.
Development
The Imperial Menghean Army first expressed interest in a new ground-attack aircraft in 1934, a year after the beginning of the "Prairie War" against Themiclesia. During that conflict, the Imperial Menghean Army Air Force relied mainly on the Type 26 light bomber for reconnaissance and close air support. Of conventional biplane configuration, the Type 26 was superior to its Themiclesian counterparts, but it nevertheless suffered from a wide range of shortcomings. Low speed, a short operational range, and very poor maneuverability left it vulnerable to Themiclesian fighter aircraft, which though slow and outdated were able to intercept and engage it effectively. Its 250-kilogram payload and lack of forward-firing armament also hindered its effectiveness in the ground-attack role.
The Donghae Heavy Industries Group and the Namtong Aviation Group both responded by developing all-metal monoplane light bombers; the Chikai Aviation factory developed a biplane prototype, which failed to meet Army range and speed requirements but was approved for service with the Imperial Menghean Navy as the Chikai Type 35 Carrier Dive Bomber. The Army procurement office decided in 1936 that the Namtong prototype displayed better potential, but refrained from accepting it outright due to concerns over the engine's reliability.
The Namtong Aviation Group continued work on the prototype through late 1936 and 1937. To reduce drag, they replaced the fixed, shrouded forward landing gear legs with the simple folding ones seen on the current design, and added a folding canopy extension for the machine-gunner's position. After extensive problems with the Gi-8 engine, the designers switched to the newer Gi-20, which had been developed by the Donghae Heavy Industries Group. Impressed with the improvements and eager to get the new plane into service, the Army approved the updated prototype as the Namtong Type 36 attack plane, retaining the -36 designator for the Menghean modern calendar year of the first prototype's maiden flight.
Design
The Type 36 followed a highly conventional light bomber configuration for its time, with a single rotary engine in front and all-metal construction. Its crew consisted of a pilot and a single defensive gunner, who on early versions operated a pintle-mounted 7.5mm machine gun. The pilot had a simple bombsight with manually adjustable speed and altitude dials, and a forward-facing telescope sight for using the fixed guns.
The service variant used forward landing gear which pivoted backwards into recesses within the thick wings, though the bottoms of the wheels remained exposed in flight and the semi-open fairings around them remained a source of drag. The tail wheel was non-retracting. There was no pneumatic retraction control; to extend or lower the landing gear, the crew had to rotate an internal metal handle 44 times. The pilot and defensive gunner had duplicate versions of this hand crank; normally the gunner was tasked with raising and lowering the landing gear so that the pilot could focus on his approach, but the pilot could extend the landing gear himself if the gunner was dead or wounded. In the event of an emergency belly landing, the semi-retracted main wheels somewhat eased the force of impact, though at a minimum this would still severely damage the propeller.
In contrast to the Type 26 which it replaced, the Type 36 was designed to take on a wide range of roles. In addition to level bombing and reconnaissance, it could also perform dive-bombing attacks and strafe ground targets, making it the first Menghean aircraft to carry the Army designation "attack plane" (공격기 / 攻擊機, gonggyŏkgi). Pilots reported that the four 7.5mm forward-firing machine guns and deep ammunition pool were extremely effective against unarmored targets in the open, and standard combat manuals encouraged pilots to make repeated strafing passes after their bombs were dropped. In theory, the Type 36 also had the ability to use its guns and speed against aerial targets, either as a means of self-defense or as a response to chance encounters with enemy reconnaissance aircraft. By the time it entered service, however, it was well outclassed by newer Allied fighter aircraft. Only a few Type 36 pilots scored air-to-air kills, mostly in Themiclesia and Maverica prior to 1940.
Bomb armament was carried on three hardpoints underneath the fuselage: a 500 kg centerline hardpoint, and two 250 kg hardpoints under each wing between the landing gear and the fuselage. Total payload was 500 kilograms, so only one set or the other could be used. Alternatively, it could be armed with ten 50-kilogram bombs, carried on five-bomb racks under each wing hardpoint. Early variants were not designed with air-to-ground rocket capability in mind, but in 1942 some Type 36-I airframes were refitted for this purpose, with eight rockets under each wing.
Operational history
The first operational deliveries of Type 36 attack planes took place in early 1938. They served in all of Menghe's major theatres of operation, including Khalistan, Maverica, and Themiclesia, and remained in use until Menghe's surrender in 1945. During its early years, the Type 38 gained a favorable reputation among its crews, who regarded it as an effective ground-attack platform. It was on par with most of its contemporary foreign counterparts, including the A-17 Nomad and the Fairey Battle.
As the war progressed, however, the Type 36 was soon outclassed not only by new ground-attack aircraft with better capabilities, but also by more effective fighter aircraft. The Imperial Menghean Army Air Force introduced a number of variants intended to extend its service life, but it remained marginal, and in 1941 it would be replaced in front-line units by the Donghae Type 41 dive-bomber.
Variants
- Namtong WH-43
- First prototype, built and flown in 1936.
- Namtong WH-47
- Second prototype, with changes to landing gear and canopy configuration.
- Namtong WH-48
- Final prototype with Gi-8 engine
- Type 36-I
- Initial production model.
- Type 36 susang
- Navy version with twin pontoon floats. Used in coastal operations.
- Type 36-II
- Improved variant introduced in 1940. Armed with a 12.5mm heavy machine gun in a rotating turret. Also incorporated an improved engine and radiator to compensate for the turret's added weight.
- Type 36-I gigwanpo
- Anti-tank variant of the Type 36-I armed with two 25mm autocannons in place of the forward-firing machine-guns. By the time it entered service in 1939, it was inadequate against most enemy armor. A total of 164 were produced.
- Type 36 hwajŏn
- Type 36 with wing-mounted rails for eight forward-firing ground-attack rockets. Mostly applied to the Type 36-I base model, but sometimes to the Type 36-II. First sighted by Allied forces in 1942, and probably converted from existing planes rather than new production.
- Type 36 Yŏnsŭbgi
- Type 36-I converted to a training plane. It could be used as a twin-seat trainer or as a target tug.
- Namtong WH-96
- Prototype with DB-601 inline engine, tested in 1939. Not accepted for production, but influential in developing the Donghae Type 40 dive-bomber.
- Type 36 Yusŏng
- Special designation for late-war suicide aircraft packed with explosives in what was formerly the gunner's position.
Specifications (Type 36-I)
General Characteristics
- Crew: 2 (pilot and gunner)
- Length: 10.64 m (34 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 14.58 m (47 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.57 m (11 ft 9 in) to antenna, parked
- Wing area: 32.14 m² (346 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,840 kg (6,260 lb)
- Loaded weight: 4,430 kg (9,770 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Donghae Gi-8 radial 9-cylinder engine (1,200 hp)
Performance
- Never Exceed speed: 425 km/h (624 mph)
- Cruise speed: 240 km/h (211 mph)
- Range: 1,800 km (1,120 miles)
- Service ceiling: 8,200 m (26,900 ft)
- Rate of climb: 7.7 m/s (1515 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 137.8 kg/m² (28.8 lb/sq ft)
Armament
- 4× forward-firing 7.5mm machine-gun
- 1× pintle-mounted 7.5mm machine-gun
- up to 500 kg of bombs on external hardpoints