Kites used as AA defense by Japanese

[old iron]

I was reading through the excellent histories of Japanese ships in the Pacific War posted on combinedfleet.com and found mention of the Japanese using kites that had attached explosives as a defense again air attack. Mention of this can be found in http://www.combinedfleet.com/Noto_t.htm near the end of the file.

Does anyone know more about this military use of kites? Are any of these kites still extant?

[The Inspector]

No, but has anyone else hit a kids stick and tissue kite while flying? A buddy and I were out putting around in his old 150 about 40 years ago and rounding out onto final to land, we heard a He ll of a BANG!! and saw the remains of a light blue kids kite wrapped around the leading edge of the right wing for a couple of seconds

[maxum96]

No, but has anyone else hit a kids stick and tissue kite while flying? A buddy and I were out putting around in his old 150 about 40 years ago and rounding out onto final to land, we heard a He ll of a BANG!! and saw the remains of a light blue kids kite wrapped around the leading edge of the right wing for a couple of seconds

Or how about hitting an R/C airplane?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znCa-oCfacg

[Aeronut]

Out of interest it should be pointed out that during May 1940 the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough conducted windtunnel trials at the request of the UKs Air Defence command on Cody type B Kites.
These were the type of Kites that Sam Cody had used to carry men to height for military observation prior to his becoming the first person to fly a powered aircraft in the UK.
Whatever the result of the trials were, it was the kite balloon rather than the kite that became the icon of the anti aircraft barrage.

[astixjr]

Did the kites used by the Japanese bring down or damage any U.S. Aircraft? For that matter, how many German planes were brought down or damaged by barrage balloons over Britain? My mother talks about them making a big impression on her as a child growing up in Lewisham, London during the war. I only recall seeing one photo of a German V1 that was damaged by a barrage tether cable but surely there were other cases, right?

[tom d. friedman]

1st I've heard of this!!

[shrike]

Did the kites used by the Japanese bring down or damage any U.S. Aircraft? For that matter, how many German planes were brought down or damaged by barrage balloons over Britain? My mother talks about them making a big impression on her as a child growing up in Lewisham, London during the war. I only recall seeing one photo of a German V1 that was damaged by a barrage tether cable but surely there were other cases, right?

I don't think that was ever the intent. Rather like a marked minefield, the idea was to disrupt attacks, by making the enemy fly at a less than optimum altitude, or channeling them into prepared, and more heavily defended corridors.
A barrage balloon and cables flown by a ship would force an attacker to make deflection shots rather than strafe down the length of the vessel.

[Chief]

When we flew into and out of Yokota Air Base during the 1970's and 1980's, the Japanese farmers always had kites, as well as colored streamers attached to very, very long bamboo poles off the approach end of the runway; trying to disrupt our landings and send us a message not to fly over their fields.

Once, I flew into Narita and they were there also. I'm not sure if they are still there.