Kugisho R2Y2

The Kugisho R2Y2, sometimes referred to as the Yokosuka R2Y2, was a Japanese experimental transport aircraft developed toward the end of World War II. Conceived in 1943 by the Imperial Japanese Navy’s aircraft design bureau Kōkū‑genshō (Kugisho) and built at the Yokosuka Naval Air Arsenal, the R2Y2 was intended to replace aging transport types such as the Ki‑57 and to provide a high‑speed, long‑range platform for personnel and cargo. The airframe featured a low‑wing, all‑metal construction with a retractable tricycle landing gear, an uncommon choice for Japanese designs of the period. Power was supplied by two Nakajima Homare 21 radial engines delivering approximately 1,850 horsepower each, driving four‑blade propellers and giving the aircraft a maximum speed near 540 km/h. Its spacious fuselage incorporated a pressurised cabin, allowing operations at altitudes up to 9,000 meters, and a rear cargo hatch for quick loading. Although only a prototype was completed before Japan’s surrender in 1945, the R2Y2 demonstrated advanced aerodynamic and structural concepts that later influenced post‑war Japanese transport designs and showcased the nation’s capacity for sophisticated aeronautical engineering despite wartime constraints.