Kimura HK-1

The Kimura HK-1 was a glider built in Japan in 1939 to investigate the possibilities of tailless aircraft. It was a single-seat design with an open cockpit, swept wings, and a single tail fin. The HK-1 made a total of 169 test flights between 15 December 1939 and 7 March 1940, towed aloft behind a car.

HK-1
Role	Research glider
National origin	Japan
Manufacturer	Ito Airplane Works
Designer	Hidemasa Kimura
Introduction	1939
Retired	1940
Status	Cancelled
Number built	1
Developed into	Kayaba Ku-2

By this time, the glider's success had attracted the attention of the Army, which arranged to purchase the aircraft. It was taken to the Tachikawa factory for testing, but crashed after only 13 flights, on 16 April 1940. The design proved sufficiently interesting for the Army to commission further research into the tailless concept, which would lead to the Kayaba Ku-2.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Length: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
• Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 14.0 m² (151 sq ft)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 85 km/h (53 mph, 46 kn)

References

• Wooldridge, E.T. "Japanese flying wings". History of the Flying Wing. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
• 日本飞翼的短暂研究 Archived 2012-02-13 at the Wayback Machine