Kawasaki Ki-102
| Kawasaki Ki-102 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1944 |
| Production time: |
October 1944 - |
| Number of pieces: |
218 (Ki-102-B: 15) |
The Kawasaki Ki-102 "Randy" (Japanese: キ 102 ) was a Japanese fighter aircraft in World War II .
development
Kawasaki began in 1942 with the development of a successor model for the heavy fighter Ki-45 ("Nick"). The prototype of this twin-engined two-seater Ki-96 fighter was completed in September 1943. But then the army command decided to have the Ki-96 redesigned into an attack aircraft. Three prototypes had been commissioned under the designation Ki-102, the first machine was ready in March 1944. It carried a 57-mm cannon with 150 rounds in the front of the fuselage, plus two 20-mm cannons and a 12.7-mm MG in the radio seat . A pilot series of 20 followed and series production began in October 1944. During a test flight over Tachikawa, the Ki-102 was able to shoot out an engine from an American B-29 with a 57 mm bullet . When the B-29 attacks intensified, the Ki-102 was equipped with exhaust gas turbochargers. The test then showed a climbing ability to an altitude of 10,440 m. As a result, the Ki-102 order received the highest level of urgency. Due to the events of the war, however, only 15 machines were built, which were very much feared by B-29 crews. A night fighter version Ki-102 C was also built. Despite numerous obstacles, a total of 218 Ki-102s were built, but only 15 of them were Ki-102 B high-altitude machines .
Versions
- Ki-102-B - high altitude fighter aircraft
- Ki-102-C - night fighter plane
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| span | 15.57 m |
| length | 11.45 m |
| height | 3.70 m |
| Wing area | 34.00 m² |
| Empty mass | 4,950 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 7,300 kg |
| Top speed | 580 km / h at an altitude of 6,000 m |
| Rise time | 18 min at an altitude of 10,000 m |
| Summit height | 11,000 m |
| Range | 2,000 km |
| Engines | 2 × Mitsubishi Ha-112-IIru, each 1,500 PS (approx. 1,100 kW ) |
| Armament | 1 × machine cannon (MK), 57 mm 2 × MK, 20 mm 1 × MG, 12.7 mm |
| Bomb load (if necessary) | 500 kg |
literature
- Peter Alles-Fernandez (Ed.): Aircraft from A to Z. Consolidated PBY – Koolhoven FK 55. 2nd volume, Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1988, ISBN 3-7637-5905-0 , p. 424
