The Human Inside the Missile: Japan’s Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka

Japan’s Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka placed a human pilot inside a weapon designed for a one-way attack. The operational Model 11 was carried toward its target beneath a bomber, released into a glide and accelerated with rocket motors during the final approach. Its speed near the target did not remove the vulnerability of the larger aircraft carrying it into range. This documentary explains the relationship between the pilot, the explosive payload and the launch aircraft. Those details distinguish Ohka from a conventional fighter diverted to a suicide mission, and from other experimental Japanese attack projects. The weapon entered combat during the final months of the Pacific War, when Japan faced overwhelming pressure at sea and in the air. Surviving museum examples and naval accounts help explain its operation and limitations. They also return attention to the people placed inside a system whose intended use offered no return flight. Sources and further reading: Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196246/yokosuka-mxy7-k1-ohka/ Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/yokosuka-mxy7-ohka/ Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka (Baka Bombs) https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-pacific/okinawa/yokosuka-mxy-7-ohka.html