The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka

The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka was a purpose-built, rocket-powered human-guided anti-ship missile employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the final stages of World War II. Developed in 1944, its name, Ohka, meaning "cherry blossom," symbolized the fleeting nature of its existence, as it was essentially a piloted flying bomb designed for one-way missions. The craft was constructed primarily of wood to conserve strategic materials, featuring short, stubby wings and a streamlined fuselage, and was propelled by three solid-fuel rocket motors mounted in the tail. Pilots, often young and inexperienced, would guide the missile toward enemy warships after being released from a Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber. Despite its formidable 1,200-kilogram warhead and ability to reach speeds exceeding 600 mph in its terminal dive, the Ohka proved largely ineffective due to the vulnerability of its motherships to Allied fighters. The concept, while undeniably desperate and emblematic of Japan's wartime strategy of sacrifice, ultimately failed to alter the tide of the Pacific War and became a somber symbol of the country's waning military fortunes.

00:00 Introduction
00:48 Origins
03:58 Specifications
04:38 Variants
07:09 Operations

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