Kawasaki Ki-61
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien / Ki-100 | |
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Type: | Fighter plane |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
December 1941 |
Commissioning: |
1942 |
Number of pieces: |
~ 3000 Ki 61 + 275 Ki 100 |
The Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien" ( German Schwalbe ) was a fighter and one of the few Japanese aircraft with a V-12 engine in the service of the Army Air Force .
development
The construction of the machine was strongly influenced by the Heinkel He 100 and the He 112 . It is interesting that the Japanese bought both types of aircraft from the Germans and then tested them extensively in Japan. The machines acquired in Germany also included the Messerschmitt Bf 109 single-seater hunting machine . The chief designer was Takeo Doi , who had been trained by the German Richard Vogt , his predecessor in the office of chief designer at Kawasaki.
The prototype of the Ki-61 flew for the first time in December 1941. The first machines (Ki-61-I) came to the task forces in the summer of 1942. Many other variants followed, with improvements in armament, armor and the engines as well as in the fuselage and the full view canopy.
There were also German influences with regard to the on-board weapons of the Kawasaki. There were 20-mm MG-151/20 Mauser guns imported by which the "Tony" (the code name for the Allied "Hien") had a strong armament. Although there were initially only four 12.7 mm machine guns, up to four 20 mm cannons were installed very early on. Some versions, such as the Ki-61-I-KAId, were even armed with 30 mm automatic cannons.
Even as a fighter-bomber which was Ki-61 use. She could carry a bomb load of 500 kg under the wings (2 × 250 kg bombs).
However, this agile hunter also had weaknesses: the engine, like the He 100 , had constant problems with the cooling systems. Towards the end of the Pacific War there was also a loss of quality in production, as Japanese industry suffered from the heavy air raids by the Allies and many skilled workers were recalled for military service.
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data (Kawasaki Ki-61-Ib) |
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crew | 1 |
span | 12.00 m |
length | 8.75 m |
height | 3.70 m |
Empty mass | 2,630 kg |
Takeoff mass | 3,470 kg |
Engine | a V-12 engine Kawasaki Ha-40 (Heerestyp 2) (876 kW / 1,191 PS) |
Top speed | approx. 600 km / h |
Climb rate at 5,000 m | 5:31 min |
Service ceiling | approx. 11,500 m |
Operational range | approx. 1,100 km |
Armament | 2–3 × 20 mm cannons, 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns, some also 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns |
External load | 500 kg bombs under the wings 2 × 200 liter additional tanks |
Kawasaki Ki-100
The Kawasaki Ki-100 was actually an interim solution and arose out of necessity. There were not enough V-12 engines available for 275 Ki-61 airframes that had already been produced . Experts decided to equip these cells with the Mitsubishi Ha-112 radial engine with up to 1,103 kW (1,500 hp ) (this engine was also used in the Ki-46 "Dinah"). Although the aerodynamics of the front of the Ki-61 were lost, the performance losses were not too significant.
The first aircraft with this radial engine took off from the ground for the first time in February 1945. This interceptor joined the Japanese Army Aviation Home Defense Associations in March 1945. There he was able to hold his own against the Allied bomber streams. Of a further 121 Ki-100, 118 machines had a shortened rear fuselage with a full-view canopy (Ki-100-Ib). Some Ki-100s were equipped with turbochargers to bring more power at higher altitudes.
Like the Ki-61 , the Ki-100 was also suitable as a fighter-bomber. Despite the character of a stopgap, the Ki-100 turned out to be one of the best Japanese fighter planes.
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data (Kawasaki Ki-100) |
---|---|
crew | 1 |
span | 12.00 m |
length | 8.82 m |
height | 3.75 m |
Empty mass | approx. 2,600 kg |
Takeoff mass | approx. 3,500 kg |
Engine | a Mitsubishi Ha-112 radial engine (Heerestyp 4) (1,118 kW / 1,520 PS) |
Top speed | approx. 580 km / h |
Climb rate at 5,000 m | approx. 6 min |
Service ceiling | approx. 11,000 m |
Operational range | approx. 1,400 km |
Armament | 2 × 20 mm cannons with 120 rounds 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns with 200 rounds |
External load | 500 kg bombs under the wings 2 × 200 liter additional tanks |
About 3,300 aircraft of the Ki-61 and Ki-100 were manufactured. There were also some test and prototypes such as the Ki-64. Today only a few Kawasaki "Hien" exist.
See also
literature
- Encyclopedia of Airplanes ISBN 3-89350-055-3
- Bunrin-do No. 98 June 1978
Web links
- ww2warbirds Ki-61 ( Memento from May 13, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
- ww2warbirds Ki-100 ( Memento from July 4, 2003 in the Internet Archive )