Yokosuka D4Y Suisei

what is it?

The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (彗星, comet) is a twin-seat carrier-based dive bomber developed by the Japanese defence manufacturer Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal. Operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) throughout World War II, it was assigned the Allied reporting name Judy. Development of the aircraft began in 1938 as a carrier-based dive bomber to replace the Aichi D3A, and drew considerably upon the German Heinkel He 118.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 11.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 550 km/htop speed
• range 1,465 kmwithout refuelling
• size 4,250 kgmax take-off weight
• built 2,038made 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 4.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 11.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,465 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

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

spec sheet

first flight

1940-12

introduced

1942

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

2,038

role

dive bomber, reconnaissance, night fighter

origin

🇯🇵 Japan

makers

Nagoya, Aichi, Imperial Japanese Navy, Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal

engines

1× Aichi Atsuta AE1P 32 / Kinsei / Aichi Atsuta

crew

2

length

10.2 m

wingspan

11.5 m

height

3.7 m

max take-off weight

4,250 kg

top speed

550 km/h

range

1,465 km

ceiling

10,700 m

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