Mitsubishi Ki-30

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Mitsubishi Ki-30
Mitsubishi Ki-30
Type: Light bomb plane
Design country:

Japanese EmpireJapanese Empire Japan

Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi / Rikugun

First flight:

February 28, 1937

Commissioning:

1938

Production time:

1938 to 1941

Number of pieces:

704 (Mitsubishi)
68 (Rikugun)

The Mitsubishi Ki-30 is a Japanese single-engine bomber of the Second World War . A total of 772 copies were built of it. The allied code name is Ann .

history

Development began following a request of the Japanese army after a light bomber in May 1936 as competition pattern for Ki-32 from Kawasaki . Like these, it was designed in all-metal construction with a rigid, streamlined chassis. The Ki-30 was a cantilever middle- wing aircraft and was the first Japanese light bomber to have an air-cooled radial engine .

Two prototypes were built. The first received a Mitsubishi Ha-6 engine and flew for the first time on February 28, 1937. The second was equipped with a more powerful Nakajima Ha-5KAI. With this drive, the Ki-30 convinced in a comparison flight with the Ki-32 despite the lower maneuverability compared to the competitor model, so that 16 upstream machines were ordered. These could be delivered in January 1938, and series production started in March of the same year. The first combat use took place in 1938 in the Sino-Japanese War , where the machines proved themselves well. Later on, the Ki-30 operated mainly from the Philippines .

Production in the Mitsubishi main plant ended in April 1940 after 704 aircraft, but from 1939 to 1941 another 68 aircraft were manufactured under license at Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo in Tachikawa . When the war developed more and more to the disadvantage of Japan and there was no longer sufficient fighter protection for the bomber units, the Ki-30 suffered heavy losses, so that it was withdrawn from the front row and used in the hinterland. At the end of the war, many Ki-30s were used in kamikaze missions.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 2 (pilot / gunner)
length 10.34 m
Wingspan 14.55 m
height 3.66 m
Wing area 30.58 m²
Empty mass 2230 kg
Takeoff mass normal 3322 kg
drive an air-cooled 14-cylinder double
radial engine Kawasaki Ha-5KAI
power    950 PS (approx. 700 kW)
Top speed 432 km / h at an altitude of 4000 m
Marching speed 380 km / h
Rise time 10.36 min at 5000 m altitude
Service ceiling 8570 m
Range maximum 1700 km
Armament one fixed and one movable 7.7 mm machine gun
Bomb load normal 300 kg
maximum 400 kg

Web links

Commons : Mitsubishi Ki-30  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files