Kawanishi H8K

what is it?

The Kawanishi H8K was a large four-engined flying boat designed and produced by the Japanese aviation manufacturer Kawanishi. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) designation was "Type 2 Flying Boat" (二式飛行艇, Nishiki Hikōtei); it was also referred to as "Type 2 Large-sized Flying Boat" (二式大型飛行艇, Nishiki-ō-gata hikō-tei), or "H2K flying boat" (二式大艇, Nishiki Taitei). The Allied reporting name for the type was "Emily".

🔎How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · 38 m wingspan

base stats

• size 32.5 tmax take-off weight
• built 167made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 85 years ago, in 1941.
• 🚗Wingspan of 38 m: about 8 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 5 African elephants (~6 t each).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1941-01

introduced

1942

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

167

role

maritime patrol flying boat

origin

🇯🇵 Japan

makers

Kawanishi Aircraft Company

engines

4× Mitsubishi MK4Q Kasei 22

crew

10

length

28.1 m

wingspan

38 m

height

9.2 m

max take-off weight

32.5 t

top speed

—

range

—

ceiling

8,760 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.