World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe H8K flying boats, also designated as the Japanese Navy Type 2 Large Flying Boats, entered service in Feb 1942. While two of them were used in the ineffective bombing of Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii on 4 Mar 1942, most of the 131 H8K flying boats built were used as long-range reconnaissance aircraft. They were generally regarded as among the best flying boats of the era.

ww2dbase36 aircraft of the H8K2-L Seiku ("Clear Sky") variant design were built between 1942 and 1945. They were personnel transports with capacity for 64 passengers.

ww2dbaseOf the 167 examples built, only four survived the war. One of them was taken by the US and was not returned until 1979.

ww2dbaseThe Allied code name for the H8K design was "Emily".

H8K Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

H8K3

Machinery	Four Mitsubishi Kasei 22 radial engines rated at 1,850hp each
Armament	5x20 mm Type 99 cannon, 5x7.7mm Type 97 machine guns, 2x800kg torpedoes or 1,000kg of bomb or depth charges
Crew	10
Span	38.00 m
Length	28.15 m
Height	9.15 m
Wing Area	160.00 m²
Weight, Empty	18,380 kg
Weight, Loaded	24,500 kg
Weight, Maximum	32,500 kg
Speed, Maximum	465 km/h
Rate of Climb	8.10 m/s
Service Ceiling	8,760 m
Range, Maximum	7,150 km

H8K2 Seiku

Machinery	Four Mitsubishi Kasei 22 radial engines rated at 1,850hp each
Armament	1x20mm forward cannon, 1x13mm rear machine gun, 64 passengers
Crew	10
Span	38.00 m
Length	28.15 m
Height	9.15 m
Wing Area	160.00 m²
Service Ceiling	8,760 m

Photographs