| K8W | |
|---|---|
| Role | Floatplane trainer
Type of aircraft
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| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Watanabe |
| First flight | 1938 |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Number built | 3 |
The Watanabe K8W was a Japanese floatplane trainer designed and built by Watanabe for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
In 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy drew up a specification for a 12-shi[a] primary floatplane trainer to replace its Yokosuka K4Y or Navy Type 90 Primary Seaplane Trainer. The specification was issued to the established builders of aircraft for the Navy, Kawanishi and Watanabe and to the relative newcomer Nihon Hikoki (also known as "Nippi").[2] The specification required use of the same Gasuden Jimpu radial engine used by the K4Y, and the three designs showed little changes from the aircraft they were to replace.[3]
Watanabe's design, which was given the short designation K8W1, was, like the other two designs, a single-engine biplane with a fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage and a wooden wing, with two floats. The trainee and instructor sat in individual open cockpits.[4] The first of three prototypes made its maiden flight in 1938.[4] The Watanabe design was judged inferior to that of the Kawanishi design, and thus did not enter production.
Data from [3]
General characteristics
Performance
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| Watanabe Ironworks |
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| Kyushu Aircraft Company |
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| Allied reporting names |
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| Japanese Names |
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| Fighters (A) |
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| Torpedo bombers (B) |
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| Shipboard reconnaissance (C) |
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| Dive bombers (D) |
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| Reconnaissance seaplanes (E) |
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| Observation seaplanes (F) |
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| Land-based bombers (G) |
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| Flying Boats (H) |
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| Land-based Fighters (J) |
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| Trainers (K) |
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| Transports (L) |
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| Special-purpose (M)1 |
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| Floatplane fighters (N) |
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| Land-based bombers (P) |
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| Patrol (Q) |
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| Land-based reconnaissance (R) |
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| Night fighters (S) |
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1 X as second letter is for experimental aircraft or imported technology demonstrators not intended for service, 2 Hyphenated trailing letter (-J, -K, -L, -N or -S) denotes design modified for secondary role, 3 Possibly incorrect designation, but used in many sources | |
