The H6K emerged from domestic development informed by close study of foreign aircraft. Japanese teams visited Short Brothers and bought British designs, while possible purchases from the United States remain disputed. They could evaluate and develop these systems at a time when comparable transfers of contemporary heavy bombers would have been far less likely. Procurement and technical observation helped naval aviation knowledge move between future wartime opponents.
Notable Point · 13:26-14:23
Foreign purchases fed Japanese flying-boat development
Japanese study visits and purchases from Britain and possibly the United States show how openly flying-boat technology circulated between major powers during the interwar years.