Project Z (bomber project)

Project Z (also called the "Z Bombers Project") was a military project of the Empire of Japan, similar to the Nazi German Amerikabomber project, to design an intercontinental bomber capable of reaching North America.

Project Z
The G5N Shinzan, one of the aircraft built to meet the project's requirements
General information
Project for	Long-range strategic bomber
Service	Imperial Japanese Army
Proposals	Nakajima Fugaku Kawasaki Ki-91 Kawanishi H8K conversion
Prototypes	Nakajima G5N Shinzan

The planned aircraft

The Project Z aircraft was to have six 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) engines; the Nakajima Aircraft Company quickly began developing engines, proposing twinned Nakajima Ha-44 engines (the most powerful aircraft engine available in Japan at the time).^[1]

Designs were presented to the Imperial Japanese Army, including the

• Nakajima G5N Shinzan, with 6 prototypes bilt;
• Conversion of the Kawanishi H8K (sometime wrongly designated G9K Gunzan), concept only;
• Nakajima Fugaku (sometime wrongly designated G10N), project only;
• Kawasaki Ki-91, scale model only.

None, save for the G5N, developed beyond prototypes or wind tunnel models. Late in the war, Project Z and other heavy bomber projects were cancelled.

See also

• Amerikabomber
• American Theater (World War II)