Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka
| MXY-7 Ohka | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ohka Model 11 replica at the Yasukuni Shrine Yūshūkan war museum. | |
| Role | Kamikaze aircraft |
| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal |
| First flight | October 1944 (unpowered), November 1944 (powered). |
| Introduction | 1945 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service |
| Produced | 1944–1945 |
| Number built | 852 |
The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka (櫻花 Ōka?, "cherry blossom"; 桜花 in modern orthography) was a purpose-built, rocket powered human-guided anti-shipping kamikaze attack plane employed by Japan towards the end of World War II. United States sailors gave the aircraft the nickname Baka (Japanese for "fool" or "idiot").
The MXY-7 Navy Suicide Attacker Ohka was a manned flying bomb that was usually carried underneath a Mitsubishi G4M2e "Betty" Model 24J bomber to within range of its target. On release, the pilot would first glide towards the target and when close enough he would fire the Ohka's three solid-fuel rockets, one at a time or in unison, and fly the missile towards the ship that he intended to destroy.
The design was conceived by Ensign Mitsuo Ohta of the 405th Kōkūtai, aided by students of the Aeronautical Research Institute at the University of Tokyo. Ohta submitted his plans to the Yokosuka research facility. The Imperial Japanese Navy decided the idea had merit and Yokosuka engineers of the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho, or in short Kugisho) created formal blueprints for what was to be the MXY7. The only variant which saw service was the Model 11, and it was powered by three Type 4 Mark 1 Model 20 rockets. 155 Ohka Model 11s were built at Yokosuka, and another 600 were built at the Kasumigaura Naval Air Arsenal.
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