Kokusai Ku.7 Manazuru ("Buzzard")
Kokusai Ki.105 Ohtori ("Buzzard")

---

This late 1942 design was the largest glider built in Japan. It took its first flight in August of 1944, and remained an experimental type for the rest of the war. It could accommodate either 32 fully armed troops or one 8-ton tank. It featured non-retractable landing gear and a swinging loading door in the rear of the central nacelle. A powered version using two engines was initially designated Ku-7-II, but was later designated as the Ki-105.  The Ki-105 first flew in April 1945, with nine prototypes being tested. Plans called for 300 aircraft of this type to be produced and used to carry fuel supplies from the Sumatran oilfields to Japan (despite the fact that 80% of the fuel load would have been consumed during the trip), but these plans did not see fruition before the war's end. The Allied codename of "Buzzard" was applied to both the glider and the powered versions. Note: translation of Manazuru = Crane, translation of Ohtori = Phoenix

Kokusai Ku.7 / Ki.105

Type:           Glider (Ku.7) / Transport (Ki.105)
Service: 	Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF)
Crew:           n/a
Armament:       none  

Specifications:
        Length:         65' 4.25" (19.92 m)
        Height:         n/a
        Wingspan:       114' 10" (35 m)
        Wing area:      n/a
        Empty Weight:   n/a
        Max Weight:     Ku-7: 26,455 lbs (12000 kg)
	Payload:	7,225 lb (3300 kg)

Propulsion: (Ki-105)
        No. of Engines: 2
        Powerplant:     Mitsubishi Ha-26-II 14-cylinder radials
        Horsepower:     940 hp

Performance: (Ki-105)
        Range:          1553 miles (2500 km)
        Cruise Speed:   137 mph (220 km/hr)



Additional information on this aircraft can be found at Wikipedia HERE.

Additional color schemes for this aircraft can be found here.



(go to Kokusai page)

If you don't see the table of contents at the left of your screen, CLICK HERE to see the rest of this website!