| Hatsukaze | |
|---|---|
 Hitachi Hatsukaze at theNational Air and Space Museum | |
| Type | Four-cylinder air-cooled invertedInlinepiston engine |
| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Hitachi |
| Major applications | Kyushu K9W Kokusai Ki-86 |
| Number built | 1,376 |
| Developed from | Hirth HM 504 |
| Variants | Ishikawajima Tsu-11 |
TheHitachi Hatsukaze (初風, Hatsukaze - fresh wind), also known as theHitachi GK4 (short Navy),Hitachi Army Type 4 110hp Air Cooled Inline (Army long),Hitachi Ha47 (Army Hatzudoki) andHa-11 model 11 (unified), was Hitachi's fourth design in a series ofaircraft engines built in Japan prior to and duringWorld War II. The original Hatsukaze was a license-builtHirth HM 504. Hatsukaze engines were air-cooled, four-cylinder, inverted inline engines developing around 82 kW (110 hp).[1]
Hatsukaze engines were produced in very large numbers, as the powerplant for the license-builtBücker Bü 131Jungmann variants that were the standard primarytrainers for theImperial Japanese Navy andImperial Japanese Army.
The naval version of the engine was designated GK4, the army version as Ha47.
TheHatsukaze Model 12 was the power section linked to acompressor to create a primitivejet engine called amotorjet; the resultingIshikawajima Tsu-11 was intended to powerYokosuka MXY7 Ohka Model 22flying bombs. The standard Hatsukaze Model 11 engine was modified at a Navy arsenal by replacing the propeller drive shaft and engine front crankcase cover with a step-up gearbox. The gearbox increased engine output shaft RPM at a 1:3 ratio. At engine speed of 3,000 rpm, the compressor section was operating at 9,000 rpm. The compressed air was then ducted into a combustion chamber where a liquid fuel was sprayed and burnt. The heated compressed air then exits through the tailpipe providing static thrust of 180 kgf (397 lbf). It is likely that about 1/3 of the total thrust was contributed by adding the combustion chamber aft of the compressor.
The Tsu-11 was also selected to power theYokosuka MXY9 Shuka ("Autumn Fire"), a trainer intended to prepare pilots for the Mitsubishi J8M rocket-powered interceptor. Neither of these aircraft entered service, however, as their development took place too late in the war.
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