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Funryu (‘Raging Dragon’) SAM

At the end of the war, Japan was subjected to massive raids by American B-29 bombers. The beginnings of the program date back to 1943, when Kaigun Gijutsu Kenkyujo (Naval Technological Institute) started the first research on the possibility of designing and building surface-to-air and air-to-ground missiles [1] . The obtained results were analyzed by three other institutions: Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijutsu-sho (Kugisho, First Armory of the Navy), Dai-Ni Kayaku-Sho (Secondary Gunpowder Office) and Kure Kaigun Kosho (Armory of the Navy at Kure ) and at the beginning of 1944 the program was forwarded to further development work in Kugisho. A new cell of Funshin Kenkyu-Bu (Office of Missile Research) was created in Kugisho, which included 40 Navy officers (all with technical education) and 200 technicians and designers. By the end of the war, four rockets were developed at Funshin Kenkyu-Bu.

At the beginning of 1945 a number of works on rocket technology were transferred to the 1st Naval Aviation Technical Arsenal in Yokosuka. There, with the involvement of a number of well-known experts, they worked on the Funru 1 program - the creation of a rocket-controlled projectile of the ground-to-ship class to destroy enemy ships. This line of work remained only on paper. In connection with the intensification of air raids, this team was offered to develop an anti-aircraft missile.

Funryu 2

The first is Funryu 1, designed as an air-to-surface (ASM) missiles whose specific role is anti-ship. Funryu 1 is very similar to a mini plane. The warhead containing 8,821 pounds of explosives and the guide is through radio control. Funryu 1 testing was carried out with missiles dropped from the modified Mitsubishi G4M bomber. However, it appears that the means to effectively control missiles while on flight will require a lot of time to be refined and with the increase in US bombing attacks against Japan, it was decided that efforts should be directed towards surface-to-air missiles (SAM). So, Funryu 1 was saved and became the only ASM from the Funryu family.

Funryu 2

Work on missile technology in Japan began late, and there was no information about similar work in other countries. Therefore, Japanese specialists had to create everything from scratch. As the power plant decided to use solid propellant rocket motors. At that time, the fleet had three types of such engines: Ro-Tsu, Ro-Sa and Ro-Ta, but for the anti-aircraft missile developed a special solid propellant "Cordit ST 44", which developed a thrust of 2400 kgf for 3.5 s.

From the aerodynamic point of view, the Funr 2 SAM system had a classic aircraft layout. Approximately in the middle of the cylindrical body four wings were attached crosswise, and on the nozzle - four stabilizers. A pair of ailerons and a pair of steering wheels were located on the wings. The Funru 2 model was blown through the wind tunnel, and various flight phases were simulated, but the studies were not completed - there was some kind of incompleteness in the entire shape of the rocket. In addition, its first and only start-up showed not very good handling. It is possible that was the result of not quite successful placement of control surfaces.

The nose of the projectile was made of duralumin. It housed: warhead weighing 50 kg and control equipment - command receiver, descrambler, two gyros, dry battery and steering machines. The back of the nose compartment was closed with a steel cover, which also served as the front cover of the engine. In the plane of this cover case disassembled into two parts. The tail section of the hull was occupied by a solid-fuel engine, which housed 18 powder checkers and an igniter. The motor housing and nozzle were made of steel.

Funryu 3

The "Special Type Fudanshin 3 Type" was an anti-aircraft guided missile equipped with a liquid fuel rocket engine based on the 2 type, and it was a concept only and was not manufactured.

Funryu 4

Designing the "Funryu 4" SAM began shortly after the start of work on the Funryu 2 rocket. The total length of the rocket was 4000 mm, wingspan - 1600 mm, case diameter - 600 m. The launch weight of the rocket was 1900 kg. The calculated flight characteristics should have been: maximum speed - 300 m / s, flight range - 30 km, ceiling - 20 km. The height of 10 km was to be gained in 1 minute.

As a power plant, it was decided to use the LRE KR-20 with a load of 1500 kgf with a fuel reserve for 5 minutes of work. The same engine was supposed to be used on the J8M1 Suusui rocket fighter (Japanese version of the German Me 163). Since the engine thrust was less than the launch weight of the rocket, the launch was supposed to be carried out at an angle of 45 ° to the horizon, and the climb was largely due to aerodynamic forces. In the process of ground testing of the power plant, various combinations of fuel components were tested, for example, 80 percent hydrogen peroxide and methanol.

The overall layout of the Funryu 4 SAM in general repeated the layout of the Funryu 2 rocket. Inside the case were tanks with fuel components, a warhead weighing 200 kg, a cylinder with nitrogen for displacing components in the LRE, a radio receiver, batteries, two gyros and fuses.

A simple autopilot was used and radar command guidance with a computer (and probable human assistance) to drive into coincidence the sightlines of two radars, one tracking the target, and the other tracking the missile. The control system was a radio command with the original single-channel command transmission system. The pulse frequency of the main signal was 1000 Hz, divided into groups. After every 200 pulses there was a short pause. The combination of these five groups of 200 impulses and constituted a set of control commands: up, down, right, left and an explosion. Tracking the target and the rocket was supposed to be carried out visually, using optical means, as well as radar. The command to explode the projectile was issued automatically when the signal reflected from the target in the radar coincided with the signal reflected from the missile defense system. Such a control system, in general terms, coincides with some modern systems.

In accordance with this project, a prototype of the Funri 4 rocket was made in Nagasaki’s arsenal, the bench tests of which began (and immediately ended) on August 16, 1945, that is, one day after the end of hostilities. Shortly thereafter, the soldiers with dynamite destroyed all the equipment associated with the Funryu program, so nothing fell into the hands of the Americans that would be connected with these missiles.