Wind Fighter Squadron

WIND FIGHTER | Chapter 1

Reppū and Kyōfū

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The vast torque generated by the 42-liter high-displacement Kasei engine pulls the aircraft steadily forward. Despite its massive size, the agility of the aircraft is surprisingly good. Glancing back briefly, Flight Petty Officer Kaneyoshi Mutō of the trailing formation is in his usual position. The distance and altitude difference between my aircraft and his remain the same as always. Regardless of whether it's pouring rain or in strong winds, the spacing he maintains never changes. It's a terrifying skill, even though he's my subordinate.

While marveling at the skill of the trailing formation, the aircraft carrier Hiryū comes into view ahead. Personally, I don't like the portside bridge, which I'm not accustomed to for shifting my gaze, but a military man shouldn't voice arbitrary likes or dislikes, especially since I'm an officer. I signal Mutō for landing and begin my descent. My partner, equipped with the large-diameter Kasei engine, has a massive head. Essentially, the forward visibility is terribly poor. Therefore, I extend a bit to focus on the Hiryū's flight deck. The landing speed is ridiculously fast compared to that of the Type 96 fighter. Hence, the difficulty of landing is incomparable to that of the Type 96. However, it's no big deal for me. I maneuver past the stern and land on the Hiryū, hooking onto the third wire splendidly. My landing skill alone is praised (tears), my only moment to shine.

Following suit, Mutō also enters the landing posture. Even without looking, I know what he's doing. Like me, he'll effortlessly catch the third wire. Unlike me, he's among the top in aerial combat skills within the Navy. While others envy having such a reliable subordinate, as an incompetent superior with a capable subordinate, my feelings are somewhat complicated.

. . .

The plane operated by myself and Mutō is called the Type 0 Mode 21 carrier-based fighter, nicknamed Reppū. Originally, given the penchant for abbreviation in the Imperial Japanese Navy, it should have been called the "Zero," but the name "Reppū" has now become established. According to one theory, there was consideration within the Imperial Navy to change the standardized names of fighters from numbers to objects, specifically to anything with "wind" in it, and one of those involved somewhat impulsively popularized the name "Reppū." However, the veracity of this is uncertain. Well, as someone who values substance over a name, whether it's called the Zero or the Reppū doesn't matter to me.

Compared to the previous generation Type 96 carrier fighter, the Reppū is roughly twenty percent wider in wingspan and a whopping forty percent longer in total length, making it a monstrous fighter in simple terms. With a length of 10,5 meters and a wingspan of 13,5 meters, subjectively, it feels twice as large as the Type 96, yet it's said to be even more compact than initially designed. Its weight has also doubled from one and a half tons to three tons compared to the Type 96. Propelling this heavy aircraft is the large-diameter, high-displacement Kasei engine. It delivers nearly 1.500 horsepower, almost two and a half times the output of the Type 96's Kotobuki 41 engine, providing the Reppū with a top speed of 560 kilometers per hour, which is over 100 kilometers per hour faster than the Type 96. However, reportedly, the higher-ups at the Aviation Bureau had actually expected a top speed of over 600 kilometers per hour from the Reppū. Therefore, amidst considerable opposition from many involved parties and crew members, the decision was made to opt for the large-diameter, high-output Kasei engine.

In fact, it seems that the higher-ups had originally preferred the 18-cylinder version of the Kinsei engine. However, the development of this 18-cylinder version of the Kinsei engine has been unexpectedly challenging. As a result, the Kasei engine, which was being concurrently developed as a backup, was chosen as the next best option. However, even with the Kasei engine, the Reppū struggles to reach speeds of over 600 kilometers per hour due to its weight and size. Therefore, efforts are underway to improve the output of the Kasei engine while hastening the practical application of the 18-cylinder version of the Kinsei engine. As for the crucial armament, it has been significantly reinforced compared to the Type 96 carrier fighter, featuring twin 7,7 mm machine guns and twin 20 mm cannons, constituting a heavy armament. There are ongoing trials to determine the optimal armament, with plans for potentially four 20 mm cannons or two 20mm cannons and two 13 mm machine guns in the future.

Moreover, what changed the most compared to the Type 96 is that the Reppū has been endowed with torpedo bombing capabilities. It seems this was some idiot's idea after seeing that the Reppū is not much different in size from the Type 97 carrier attack bomber. As a trial, they experimented using practice torpedoes on land and found that although it requires more runway distance than the Type 97, it is indeed feasible. The Japanese Navy, which loves to "kill two birds with one stone," eagerly jumped on this idea. Additionally, although not confirmed, information about torpedo-carrying or torpedo bombing-capable aircraft being planned for German fighters and future US carrier-based fighters supposedly bolstered this idea. It seems the Japanese are a people who get anxious if others are doing something and they're not.

Furthermore, this same idiot, feeling even more emboldened, apparently attempted to bestow dive-bombing capabilities upon it. However, this not only required additional equipment but also the strengthening of the aircraft itself, resulting in a significant increase in weight. Ultimately, it seems this aspect was abandoned. Nevertheless, this idiot couldn't let it go. So, they equipped the Reppū with gear that fighter pilots would simply consider a nuisance, such as reinforcing the hardpoints under the wings to enable low-altitude bombing. As a result, the Reppū can now carry a total of 10 bombs: one 800-kilogram bomb or two 250-kilogram bombs under the fuselage, and six 50-kilogram bombs under the fuselage and two under each wing. Additionally, to counteract the fuel inefficiency of the voracious Kasei engine, the Reppū can be equipped with additional fuel tanks of 200 liters each under the fuselage and wings, with even 330 liters under the fuselage reportedly possible.

Furthermore, lacking a suitable carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft, the Imperial Navy seized upon the high-speed performance of the Reppū. It seems that by converting the Reppū into a two-seater, they saw it as killing two birds with one stone—a high-speed reconnaissance aircraft. It's a spur-of-the-moment idea, but the engineers went ahead and realized the Navy's too-easy request. This aircraft was given the cumbersome name "Type 1 carrier-based two-seater fighter reconnaissance attack aircraft," but now it's commonly known as the "Kyōfū." The Kyōfū, compared to the base Reppū, experienced a decrease in top speed due to increased air resistance and weight, down to 520 kilometers per hour. However, it still proved significantly faster than the Type 97 carrier attack bomber or the Type 99 carrier dive bomber. Therefore, it practically became the successor to these aircraft, not only as a reconnaissance aircraft but also as a carrier-based attacker. As a result, primarily those who had transferred from carrier-based attackers were assigned to the Kyōfū.

Lastly, this seems to be a recently made decision, but it appears that the Type 99 will be phased out from all aircraft carriers soon. This is mainly due to the significant increase in the deployment of machine guns and autocannons on naval vessels in recent years. The Type 99, which gets within a few hundred meters of enemy ships before dropping bombs, is expected to suffer a high probability of being shot down before releasing its payload, leading to severe losses in aircraft and crew. Consequently, all aircraft carriers will be dominated by the Reppū and its derivative, the Kyōfū. In other words, all aircraft on carriers will be both fighters and attackers.

This will undoubtedly have significant implications for naval strategy in the future, but as a mere junior officer, I was still unaware of these developments.