Mitsubishi G4M

what is it?

The Mitsubishi G4M was a twin-engine, land-based medium bomber manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Air Service (IJNAS) of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. Its official designation was Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bomber (一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻, Ichishiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikukō) and was commonly referred to by Japanese Navy pilots as "Hamaki" (葉巻; "cigar", lit. "leaf roll") due to the cylindrical shape of its fuselage and its tendency to ignite after a hit.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 24.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 428 km/htop speed
• range 2,852 kmwithout refuelling
• size 12.9 tmax take-off weight
• built 2,446made 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 86 years ago, in 1940.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 24.9 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,852 km: 16× Amsterdam to Brussels.

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

spec sheet

first flight

1940

introduced

1941

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

2,446

role

medium bomber/torpedo bomber

origin

🇯🇵 Japan

makers

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

engines

2× Mitsubishi MK4A Kasei 11 / Mitsubishi Kasei

crew

7

length

20 m

wingspan

24.9 m

height

4.9 m

max take-off weight

12.9 t

top speed

428 km/h

cruise speed

315 km/h

range

2,852 km

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