Kawasaki KH-4
The Kawasaki KH-4 was a Japanese-built development of the Bell 47, retaining its famous bubble canopy and exposed lattice tail boom. Kawasaki produced it under licence and adapted it for training, police, agricultural, and utility work across Japan. Its simple piston engine and two-blade rotor made it a practical post-war helicopter at a time when Japan was rebuilding its aviation industry. The KH-4 is historically important because it helped establish Kawasaki as a helicopter manufacturer.
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Did you know?
The Kawasaki KH-4 is a Japanese-built Bell 47 derivative, recognisable by the same bubble canopy and open lattice tail boom.
Specifications
| Length | 9.9 m (33 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 10.7 m (35 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 3 |
| Persons on board | 4 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 1.2 t |
| Range | 230 NM (426 km) |
| Maximum speed | 90 kt (167 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 ft (3,658 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 8,000 ft (2,438 m) |
| Engines | 1x Lycoming VO-540 |
| Units built | 211 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Kawasaki KH-4 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Kawasaki, the KH-4 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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