Junkers Ju 90 transport

On 25 July 1938, Mitsubishi entered into nego­tiations with Junkers on behalf of the IJA to work with the German company to produce a bomber version of the Ju90 transport. Ten were to be completed and flown to Japan. The IJA even allocated the designation Ki-90 for the bomber. However, Junkers eventually declined Mitsubishi’s proposal citing its involvement in filling domestic orders for air­craft.

Junkers Ju 160 transport

The Ju 160 was an improved Junkers Ju60, the latter having lost to the Heinkel He 70 in the fast, small airliner market. Lufthansa pur­chased 11 Ju 160A-0 and 10 Ju 160D-0 6-pas – senger aircraft, putting them into service in 1935-36. Two would end up in Manchuria, registered as civilian aircraft. The UN pressed them into service as the LXJ.

L. V.G. DJX

The D. IX provided the inspiration for the Seishiki-1 which used an imported Mercedes Daimler lOOhp engine, later licence-built in Japan. The Seishiki-1 was completed in 1916 but the biplane’s poor performance resulted in further development being cancelled.

Rohrbach R flying boat

The Navy was very interested in the metal air­craft construction techniques used by the German company Rohrbach. Mitsubishi was asked to study the techniques and the two companies would form Mitsubishi-Rohrbach GmbH in Berlin in June 1925. A total of three Rohrbach flying boats were to be imported, the R-l, R-2 and R-3, known collectively as the Mitsubishi Experimental Type-R flying boats. Although these aircraft would prove to have poor take-off and alighting that denied them military service, they did provide invaluable experience to Mitsubishi when it came to metal stressed skin construction.