# Japanese fighters training Aircrafts



## gekho (Jul 29, 2011)

Before and during World War II, Japan did not have three branches in its military; rather, the army and the navy each had their own air service. Since they worked independently of each other, the Japanese army and navy created separate air forces suited to their specific needs. The army built Japanese aircraft and trained to fight the Russians overland and the navy prepared to fight Britain and the USA on the open seas. This organization of Japanese air power was detrimental for obvious reasons. Some less believable circumstances exacerbated the problem though. For instance: army and navy plane factories were kept separate from one another. They acted like competitors! Both branches kept their design secrets to themselves, there was no standardization of simple mechanics like screws and framing, and they each employed different electrical systems. A classic example of this over-arching problem was the superiority of the navy’s Zero to the army’s Hayabusa. Had the navy been willing to share the Zero (and the army willing to accept the helping hand) Japan might have scrapped the Hayabusa altogether. Simple economies-of-scale would have meant a much greater number of battle-ready fighters for the Japanese war effort. Furthermore, neither air service developed a heavy bomber on par with those of Britain or the United States until they finally co-operated in 1944 on the massive 6-engine Fugaku. This collusion was too little, too late however, as the Fugaku never made it to service.

Besides this stubbornness in regards to co-operation, the two branches also hid their weaknesses and losses from each other. For example, the army was not made aware of the navy’s 1942 rout at Midway until 1945. Both Japanese air forces were very well trained and both met with great success in the Sino-Japanese war and the early Pacific campaigns. Japan easily gained air superiority over China. In 1941, most first-string Japanese pilots had somewhere between 500 and 800 flying hours. Roughly half of army pilots had seen combat against China and Russia (around 10% for the navy). Unfortunately, Japan did not have a proper plan in place to replace lost pilots and by 1944 – due to time and fuel constraints – most replacement pilots were lucky to have 120 flying hours before entering combat. Early on though, the Japanese aircraft were deadly instruments. On December 7th, 1941 the naval air force surprise-attacked Pearl Harbour, ushering in a new era of naval aviation. Just a few days later navy planes sunk the British battleship Prince of Wales and the cruiser Repulse near Malaya. Japan had created a new paradigm: air support became a necessity for naval fleets. As the war progressed the Japanese air forces quickly lost ground to the faster, more heavily armed and armoured American air force. When the American B-29s began bombing over the Japanese islands, lightly-armed Japanese fighters had difficulty bringing them down. Japanese planes also lacked the advantage of airborne radar. This discrepancy led Japan to begin kamikaze – a suicide tactic where a plane is loaded with explosives and crashed directly into its target – attacks on U.S. shipping. A successful, if desperate, doctrine, kamikaze attacks caused the US more naval losses than ever before or since. The attacks were first used in the Battle of Leyte Gulf but were most notorious in the Battle of Okinawa. Kamikaze was too little, too late as well as Japan felt the full focus of the US military after the German surrender. Between 1940 and 1945 Japan produced nearly 75,000 aircraft. The US produced nearly 300,000. Japanese losses by the time of surrender were 43,110.


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## gekho (Jul 29, 2011)

Four Ki-10 single-seat fighter prototypes made their appear-ance in the spring of 1935, designed by Takeo Doi (who had succeeded Richard Vogt as Kawasaki's chief designer).The Ki-10 was selected in competition with Nakajima's Ki-11 low-wing monoplane, the Japanese Army preferring the Ki-10 biplane's manoeuvrability to its opponent's slightly superior speed. Production Ki-10-1 aircraft were powered by the 633kW Kawasaki Ha-9-IIa liquid-cooled engine, 300 of which were built be-tween 1935 and 1937 and went into service as the Army Type 95 Fighter. They featured biplane wings of unequal span, braced by N-struts and with ailerons on the upper wing only. The divided undercarriage had wheel spats. The all-metal structure was alloy sheet and fabric-covered. Armament comprised two synchronised 7.7mm Type 89 machine-guns. The improved Type 95 Model 2 had increased wing span and length, and vertical tail surfaces of greater area. This version remained in production until December 1938, 280 being completed. Meanwhile during 1936-7 three experimental variants, incorporating modifications to improve performance, were tested but rejected for production. The Ki-10 had excellent dogfighting qualities and proved itself during the second Chinese incident. It took part in the fighting against Russian forces at Nomonhan, although by then (1939) it was largely outclassed. The Ki-10 was coded Perry by the Allies


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## Wayne Little (Jul 30, 2011)

Look forward to more of this thread....


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## Gnomey (Jul 30, 2011)

Good stuff! Looking forward to more.


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 31, 2011)

Me too!


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## gekho (Jul 31, 2011)

The A2N was originally developed as a private venture by Nakajima for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was based loosely on the Boeing Model 69 and Boeing Model 100, examples of both having been imported in 1928 and 1929 respectively. Takao Yoshida led the design team. Two prototypes, designated 'Type 90 Carrier fighter' in anticipation of Navy acceptance were ready by December 1929. Powered by Bristol Jupiter VI engines, these were rejected, not being regarded as offering a significant improvement over the A1N. Jingo Kurihara carried out a partial redesign and another prototype, the A2N1, powered by a 432 kW (580 hp) Nakajima Kotobuki 2, was completed in May 1931. The type was adopted by the Navy in April 1932. In 1932, Minoru Genda formed a flight demonstration team known as "Genda's Flying Circus" to promote naval aviation and flew this type. A two-seat trainer was later developed from the Type 90 as the A3N1 and 66 of these were built between 1936 and 1939.


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## gekho (Jul 31, 2011)

Designed for use as a primary or intermediate trainer (role change being achieved by the use of a different engine in the same airframe) the Tachikawa Ki-9 unequal-span two-seat biplane appeared in late 1934. The first of three prototypes was flown on 7 January 1935, powered by a 261kW Hitachi Ha-13a radial. A similarly-powered second prototype was followed by the third with a 112kW Nakajima NZ seven-cylinder radial. Tests indicated centre of gravity problems for the proposed primary trainer and the Ki-9 was developed in the higher-powered intermediate training role only. Production deliveries began in 1935. Designated the Army Type 95-1 Medium Grade Trainer Model A and later given the Allied codename 'Spruce', the Tachikawa biplane had complex split-axle landing gear with fairings over the top of the wheels. In 1939 this was modified and simplified, the fuselage slightly shortened and all-up weight reduced. The resulting Army Type 95-1 Model B or Ki-9 Kai had improved manoeuvrability and flight characteristics. Both versions were used widely for blind-flying training with a folding hood over the rear cockpit, and at least one was modified with a glazed canopy over the rear cockpit for use as a staff officer transport. Production by Tachikawa totalled 2,395, ending in 1942. At least another 220 Ki-9s were constructed by Tokyo Gasu Denki in the last two years of the war. The Japanese army's standard basic trainer, the Ki-9 was also flown in wartime by Japanese satellite countries and postwar by Indonesia.


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## gekho (Jul 31, 2011)

The Ki-9 was originally planned to be manufactured in two versions using the same basic airframe, but with different engines for service as either a primary or intermediate trainer. However, when the lower-powered form proved to be unsuitable due a center of gravity issue, design of a new airframe was ordered for the basic trainer version, and was given the new designation of Ki-17. Compared to the Ki-9, the Ki-17 had equal-span wings, a slimmer fuselage and a revised tailplane. It was powered by a 112 kW (150 hp) Hitachi Ha-13a radial engine. The first prototype flew in July 1935. The only major change made to subsequent production aircraft was the deletion of the upper-wing ailerons to eliminate oversensitive control inputs.

The Ki-17 was introduced to service as the “Army Type 95-3 Basic Grade Trainer Model A” under the former aircraft naming nomenclature system. Tachikawa manufactured 560 Ki-17s between 1936 and 1943 and the type saw service with the Army Air Academy and flight training schools.


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## Wayne Little (Jul 31, 2011)




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## bobbysocks (Jul 31, 2011)

on the Tachikawa Ki-9/Army Type 95-1 Medium Grade Trainer.... i especially like the 55 gal drum in the pilots seat. its either an extra gas tank or delivery or used for ballast so the pilot can fly front seat.


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2011)

A Japanese army requirement of 1927 for a new single-seat fighter was contested by Nakajima, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi. All the designs were parasol-wing monoplanes developed in Japan by teams wholly or partly led by Europeans, in the case of Nakajima the French engineers Mary and Robin, Structural failure of the Mitsubishi prototype led to severe testing of the survivors, which were then also eliminated. The Nakajima: prototype, company designation NC, had a slim tapering monocoque fuselage, an uncowled Jupiter radial engine, and elaborate strut bracing connecting wings, fuselage and the wide-track landing gear. Nakajima persevered with the design and built six more prototypes, the last of the series being tested extensively by the Japanese army and accepted for production as the Army Type 91 Fighter Model 1. Retaining the same basic configuration as the NC prototype, this was virtually a redesign which resulted in a considerably refined airframe. Production of the Type 91 terminated in 1934 with the 450th aircraft; of these 22 were Army Type 91 Fighter Model 2 aircraft with modified engine cowlings. A Type 91 was converted for carrier operations and with spatted wheel fairings was submitted for the navy 7-Shi experimental fighter competition, but was rejected. The only other modification from standard army configuration was the use of a three-bladed propeller.

Introduced from 1932 onwards, the Type 91s were deployed in action with the four squadrons of the 11th Air Battalion operating with the army Kanto Command in Manchuria against the Chinese. In. 1933 the Type 91 was the principal army fighter and constituted the standard equipment for the newly formed air wings (or Hiko Rentai).


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2011)

The aircraft was based on the Yokosuka Navy Type 91 Intermidiate Trainer, but stability problems led to a redesign by Kawanishi in 1933. It entered service in 1934 as Navy Type 93 Intermidiate Trainer K5Y1 with fixed tail-skid landing gear, and remained in use throughout the war. Floatplane types K5Y2 and K5Y3 were also produced. After the initial 60 examples by Kawanishi, manufacture was continued by Watanabe (556 aircraft built), Mitsubishi (60), Hitachi (1,393), First Naval Air Technical Arsenal (75), Nakajima (24), Nippon (2,733), and Fuji (896), for a total of 5,770. These aircraft were the mainstay of Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service's flight training, and as intermediate trainers, they were capable of performing demanding aerobatic maneuvers. Two further land-based versions, the K5Y4 with a 358 kW (480 hp) Amakaze 21A engine and the K5Y5 with a 384 kW (515 hp) Amakaze 15, were projected but never built.


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2011)

The Aichi H9A (Navy Type 2 Training Flying Boat) was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service flying boat used during the first years of World War II for crew training. An uncommon type, it was not encountered by Allied forces until spring 1945, and was never assigned an Allied reporting name. The H9A was a twin-engined, parasol-wing flying boat, designated by Aichi as their AM-212 design, and was designed in response to an Imperial Japanese Navy requirement for an advanced seaplane trainer for future crew members of the four-engined Kawanishi H8K "Emily" flying boat. Design work started in January 1940 and the first of three prototypes was flown in September 1940. The aircraft had a normal crew of five (pilot, co-pilot, observer, flight engineer and a radio-operator) but seating was provided for an additional three pupil crew members. It is noteworthy that the H9A was the only flying boat that went into production by a major nation that was designed specifically as a trainer. From May–June 1942, the Aichi H9A was employed in a variety of second-line roles, including anti-submarine missions along the Japanese coasts, transport, paratroop training and liaison. Thirty one total examples were built.


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## Gnomey (Aug 1, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Aug 2, 2011)

When in mid-1935 Kawasaki, Mitsubishi and Nakajima were instructed by the Imperial Japanese Army to build competitive prototypes of advanced fighter aircraft, Nakajima responded with a single-seat monoplane fighter derived from the company's Type P.E., which it had started to develop as a private venture. Service trials proved, the Kawasaki Ki-28 to be fastest of the three contenders, but the Nakajima Ki- 27 was by far the most manoeuvrable and, on that basis, 10 pre-production examples were ordered for further service evaluation. Following further testing m late 1937 the type was ordered into production as the Army Type 97 Fighter Model A (Nakajima Ki-27a). Late production aircraft which introduced some refinements, including a further improved cockpit canopy, had the designation Ki-27b.

Nakajima could not have guessed that 3,399 aircraft would be built, by Nakajima (2,020) and Mansyu (1,379), before production came to a halt at the end of 1942, but the type's entry into service over northern China in March 1938 gave an immediate appreciation of its capability, the Ki-27s becoming masters of the airspace until confronted later by the faster Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighters. At the beginning of the Pacific war the Ki-27s took part in the invasion of Burma, Malaya, the Netherlands East Indies and the Philippines. Allocated the Allied codename 'Nate' (initially 'Abdul' in the China- Burma-India theatre), the Ki-27 had considerable success against the Allies in the initial stages before more modern fighters became available. When this occurred they were transferred for air defence of the home islands, remaining deployed in this capacity until 1943 when they became used increasingly as advanced trainers. As with many Japanese aircraft, their final use was in a kamikaze role.


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## gekho (Aug 2, 2011)

In 1935, the Imperial Japanese Army held a competition between Nakajima, Mitsubishi, and Kawasaki to design a low-wing monoplane to replace the Kawasaki Ki-10 (Army Type 95 Fighter) biplane. The new fighter was to have also a better performance than the experimental Mitsubishi Ki-18. The results were the Nakajima Ki-27, the Kawasaki Ki-28, and the Mitsubishi Ki-33 (a modification of the Mitsubishi A5M carrier-based fighter). The Nakajima design was based on its earlier Ki-11 monoplane fighter which lost to the Ki-10 in the Type 95 Fighter competition. When the follow-up Nakajima Ki-12 proposal with a liquid-cooled engine and retractable landing gear was deemed too complex by the Japanese officials, the Ki-27 was designed by Koyama Yasushi to have an air-cooled radial engine and fixed landing gear. The aircraft had the Nakajima trademark wing with a straight leading edge and tapered trailing edge which would reappear again on the Ki-43, Ki-44, and Ki-84.

The Ki-27 made its first flight on 15 October 1936. Although it had a slower top speed and worse climb performance than its competitors, the Army chose the Nakajima design for its outstanding turning ability granted by its remarkably low wing loading. The Army ordered 10 pre-production samples (Ki-27a) for further testing, which featured an enclosed cockpit with sliding canopy and larger wings. The type was officially accepted into service in 1937 as the Army Type 97 Fighter. In addition to Nakajima, the Ki-27 was also manufactured by Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd and Manshukoku Hikoki Seizo KK, with a total of 3,368 built before production ended in 1942.


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## gekho (Aug 2, 2011)

The Ki-27 was the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's main fighter until the start of World War II. When placed into combat service over northern China in March 1938, the Ki-27 enjoyed air superiority until the introduction of the faster Soviet-built Polikarpov I-16 fighters by the Chinese. In the 1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol against the USSR in Mongolia, the Ki-27 faced both Polikarpov I-15 biplane and the I-16 monoplane fighters. In the initial phase of the conflict, its performance was a match for the early I-16 models it faced, and considerably superior to the I-15 biplane. With clearly better trained and experienced Ki-27 pilots, the IJAAF gained aerial superiority. The deficiencies of the Ki-27 included a lack of armor protection for the pilot, absence of self-sealing or fire suppression in the fuel tanks and inadequate armament of two 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns. Despite these faults, whenever Ki-27s managed to scatter an enemy formation and engage in dogfights, the Soviets had little chance of escaping unscathed.

Later the Soviet Air Force started to receive improved and new types including an improved I-16. The faster, more heavily armed, armored and more robust I-16 proved to be superior to the Ki-27. The new I-16 also allowed Soviet pilots to routinely escape from the Ki-27 in a dive. The VVS started to use new combat tactics consisting of flying in large tightly knit formations, attacking with altitude and/or speed advantage, and hit-and-run (high-energy) tactics. Consequently, as Japanese pilots began to be exhausted by the strain of constant combat, losses soon became heavy, and as a result, in spite of the Ki-27's excellent maneuverability and early performance, the Japanese claim of 1,252 downed enemy aircraft (six times the official Soviet losses number and three times as high as the actual number of committed Soviet aircraft in total) is clearly unrealistic. Top scoring pilot of the incident and top scoring IJAAF pilot on the Ki-27 and overall World War II IJAAF ace was Warrant Officer Hiromichi Shinohara, who claimed 58 Soviet planes (including a IJAAF record of 11 in one day) whilst flying Ki-27s, only to be shot down himself by a number of I-16s on 27 August 1939.

The preference of Japanese fighter pilots of the Ki-27's high rate of turn caused the Army to focus almost exclusively on maneuverability, a decision which came back to haunt them later as it handicapped the development of faster and more heavily-armed fighters. The Ki-27 served until the beginning of World War II in the Pacific, escorting bombers attacking Malaya, Singapore, Netherlands East Indies, Burma and the Philippines (where it initially fared poorly against the Brewster Buffalo). The type also saw extensive action against the American Volunteer Group in the early months of the war. Soon outclassed by the American Curtiss P-40s, the Ki-27 was replaced in front line service by the Nakajima Ki-43, with surviving examples continued to serve as a trainer. The Ki-27 was also exported for use with Manchukuo and Thai armed forces, seeing combat with both. In Thai service, Ki-27s reportedly damaged two P-51 Mustangs and shot down one P-38 Lightning. Near the end of World War II, a few Ki-27s were equipped with up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) of explosives for a kamikaze role.


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## gekho (Aug 2, 2011)

An Imperial Japanese Navy specification of 1934 for a single-seat fighter with a maximum speed of 350km/h then seemed an almost unattainable target. However, Mitsubishi's Ka-14 prototype designed to this requirement, and flown for the first time on 4 February 1935, demonstrated a top speed of 450km/h in early trials. Unfortunately it had some aerodynamic shortcomings, and the inverted gull-wing of.this aircraft was replaced by a conventional low-set monoplane wing in the second prototype which, with a 436kW Nakajima Kotobuki 2-KAI-1 radial engine, was ordered into production as the Navy Type 96 Carrier Fighter Model 1 (Mitsubishi A5M1). The generally similar A5N2a which followed, powered by the 455kW Kotobuki 2-KAI-3 engine, and the A5M2b with the 477kW Kotobuki 3 engine, were regarded as the Japanese navy's most important fighter aircraft during the Sino-Japanese War. Two experimental A5M3 aircraft were flown with the Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs engine, but the final and major production version was the A5M4, built also as the A5M4-K tandem two-seat trainer. All versions of the A5M were allocated the Allied codename 'Claude', and when production ended a total of 788 had been built by Mitsubishi, including prototypes; a further 303 were built by Watanabe (39) and the Omura Naval Air Arsenal (264). The Japanese army had also shown interest in the A5M, resulting in the evaluation of a Ki-18 prototype generally similar to the Ka-14, but although fast this was considered to be lacking in manoeuvrability. Mitsubishi produced two re-engined and improved Ki-33 prototypes but they, too, were considered insufficiently manoeuvrable and no army production contract resulted. At the beginning of the Pacific war the A5M4 was in first-line use, but its performance was found inadequate to confront Allied fighters and by the summer of 1942 all had been transferred to second-line duties, many surviving A5M4 and A5M4-Ks being used in kamikaze attacks in the closing months of the war.


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## gekho (Aug 4, 2011)

The Kyushu K11W was designed by Watanabe to meet an Imperial Japanese Navy requirement for a crew trainer. A mid-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear, the K11W accommodated a pilot and radio operator/gunner in a canopied cockpit above the wing, with the instructor, bomb-aimer and navigator in acabin below the wing. Power was provided by a 384kW Hitachi GK2B Amakaze 21 radial engine. First flown in prototype form during November 1942, the K11W was soon ordered into production as the Navy Operations Trainer Shiragiku (white chrysanthemum), these aircraft having the company designation K11W1. Almost 800 were built by Kyushu from 1943 to 1945, being used extensively by the navy. In the closing stages of the Pacific war many K11W1s were used in kamikaze attacks. In addition to this standard version, a small number were built of all-wooden construction under the designation K11W2 and equipped for use in ASW and transport roles. The K11W1 spanned 14.98m, had a maximum take-off weight of 2640kg and had a maximum speed of 230km/h. The same basic design was used for a dedicated anti-submarine aircraft, the Kyushu Q3W1 Nankai (south sea), which reached only prototype form.


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## gekho (Aug 4, 2011)

Designed as a more advanced, specifically designed seaplane fighter. The first N1K1 prototype took off on its first flight on May 6, 1942. Service trials aircraft were delivered to the Japanese Navy starting in August of 1942. Early production aircraft were powered by 1460 hp MK4C Kasei 13 engines, but later production aircraft were powered by 1530 hp MK4E Kasei 15 engines which differed only in minor details. The Kyofu entered service with the Japanese Navy in July of 1943. Production was slow in gearing up and by December of 1943, it had reached only 15 aircraft per month. By the time that the Kyofu entered service, Japan had been thrown back onto the defensive, and the Kyofu was never to serve in the offensive fighter role for which it had been designed. Instead, the the N1K1 was assigned as an interceptor based at Balikpapan in Borneo, a role for which it had never been intended. Even though the Kyofu was a rugged and efficient floatplane, it was no match for the single-seat Allied fighters. Production was terminated in March of 1944 after the delivery of only 89 production aircraft. Later in the war, one Kyofu unit was assigned as an interceptor with the Otsu Kōkūtai operating from the inland Lake Biwa on the Japanese home island of Honshu.


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## gekho (Aug 4, 2011)

In December of 1941, the Kawanishi engineering team proposed to their management that it might be a good idea to produce a land-based version of the company's N1K1 Kyofu seaplane fighter. Kawanishi management thought enough of the idea that they decided to go ahead with the project as a private venture. Initially, few changes over the N1K1 were planned other than the replacement of the floats with retractable land undercarriage. However it was decided to replace the 14-cylinder Kasei engine with an eighteen-cylinder Nakajima Homare air-cooled radial which, it was hoped, would deliver 2000 hp. To take advantage of the increased power, a new four-bladed propeller with a diameter of 10 feet 10 inches was to be fitted. However, since the original mid-wing configuration of the Kyofu was retained, a very stalky undercarriage was required in order that the prop be able to clear the ground. This in turn required a rather complex scheme of double landing gear retraction, in which the legs contracted as they folded into the wing wells. The aft portion of the fuselage was deepened to give more vertical stabilizing area and included a retractable tailwheel. A unique feature of the N1K1-J was its set of combat flaps. Whereas flap extension was manually controlled on the Kyofu seaplane, the flaps on the landplane version had the ability automatically to change their angle in response to changes in g-forces during manoeuvres. This automatic operation freed up the pilot from having to worry about his flaps during combat, and eliminated the possibility of a stall at an inopportune time. The land based fighter made its maiden flight on December 27, 1942. Since the aircraft was a private venture, it had no military designation, and was known as the Model X-1 experimental land based fighter by the manufacturer. The engine was the 1820 hp Nakajima Homare 11 radial. It was armed with two 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns in the fuselage and two 20-mm Type 99 Model 2 cannon housed in underwing gondolas. Since the Homare 11 had been accepted for production before the completion of its final tests, it was plagued with teething troubles. The early Homare engine failed to develop its rated power, the propeller torque during takeoff was excessive, and the visibility during taxiing was poor. However the aircraft had pleasant flying characteristics and the automatic combat flaps gave the aircraft exceptional manoeuvrability.

By July of 1943, four prototypes had been built, and one was handed over to the Navy for trials. The performance was disappointing, the maximum speed being only 357 mph (403 mph had been promised). However, it was faster than the Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen and was more manoeuvrable and longer-ranged than the faster Mitsubishi J2M2 Raiden. By this time, the Japanese Navy was in desperate need of fighters capable of countering the Vought F4U Corsair and the Grumman F6F Hellcat, and gave authorization for Kawanishi to proceed with further development of the land-based version of the Kyofu under the designation N1K1-J Shiden (Violet Lightning) Interceptor Fighter. The J indicated that it was a landplane development of the original N1K1. Further prototypes and service trial aircraft were built during 1943. They were fitted with the more powerful 1990 hp Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 radial. The cowling was modified and featured an additional lower lip scoop. Individual exhaust stacks were fitted, and an external oil cooler was mounted on the port side of the cowling behind and below the cooling gills. Two additional 20-mm Type 99 Model 2 cannon were installed in the wings just outboard of the external underwing cannon gondolas.

Quantity production was ordered by the Navy as the Navy Interceptor Fighter Shiden Model 11. By the end of 1943, 70 aircraft had been built at the Naruo Works, and the first aircraft had been delivered by the Kawanishi plant at Himeji. The N1K1-J entered service with land-based squadrons of the Japanese Navy early in 1944. Armament consisted of 2 7.7-mm machine guns in the fuselage and four 20 mm cannon in the wings (2 in the wing, 2 in underwing gondolas). The first large unit of Shidens to be deployed was the 341st Kokutai (Air Corps), which was transferred to Luzon from Formosa on October 20, 1944. The N1K1-J was first encountered by American forces in combat over Formosa and the Philippines. It was assigned the Allied code name George. It quickly established itself as one of the toughest and most troublesome Japanese fighters yet to be met in combat. It was a truly exceptional combat aircraft in the hands of an experienced pilot. It proved itself superior to most US shipboard fighters that it encountered, and many experienced Shiden pilots regarded the previously-formidable Grumman F6F Hellcat as a particularly easy "kill".


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## gekho (Aug 4, 2011)

The N1K1-J was, however, not without its faults. Operations were plagued by frequent undercarriage malfunctions, the complex double-retraction landing gear causing lots of problems. Aircraft availability was frequently limited by insufficient maintenance crews and by logistics problems. The Homare engine was rather unreliable and was a maintenance headache. The wheel brakes were so bad that most pilots chose to land their Shidens on the grass alongside the runway in order to shorten the landing run. The N1K1-Ja Model 11A differed from the Model 11 in having all four of its 20-mm cannon inside the wing, and it dispensed with the fuselage-mounted machine guns. The N1K1-Jb Model 11B had four improved 20-mm cannon in the wing, was fitted with two underwing racks for bombs of up to 550 pounds in weight, and late production N1K1-Jb fighters had completely redesigned, square-tipped vertical tail surfaces. The N1K1-Jc Shiden Model 11C was a specialized fighter-bomber version similar to the Model 11B but with four underwing bomb racks. At least one N1K1-J used in the Philippines was captured by US forces. It was repaired and tested by American Technical Air Intelligence Unit pilots at Clark Air Base. The respect that American pilots had for the airplane was found to be fully justifiable. Following the fall of the Philippines to US forces, the Shiden was met in large numbers during the invasion of Okinawa. A Japanese military communique reported an engagement in which a unit of 34 Shidens met a force of 70 Allied fighters, destroying 20 of them against a loss of only twelve of their number. Shidens also equipped the 343rd Kokutai the First Air Fleet based at Tinian, and were later based at Shikoku in Japan in defense of the home islands during the spring of 1945.

Late in 1944, a Shiden was modified as the N1K1-J-Kai with a supplementary rocket unit to increase power for short periods. The rear portion of the fuselage was modified to house a rocket motor. Several aircraft received this modification, but the conversion never achieved operational status. The Shiden Special Attack aircraft was a variant capable of carrying out suicide attacks. In early 1945, four Shiden 11s were modified for this mission, but were never expended. A total of 9 prototype and 520 N1K1-J production aircraft were built by the Naruo plant, and 468 N1K1-J production aircraft were built by the Himeji plant. This brought total production of the Shiden to 1007 examples, including prototypes. Production of the N1K1-J was phased out at the Narou plant in December 1944 in favour of the improved N1K2-J. Production of the N1K1-J at the Himjei plant was halted by the damage caused by B-29 raids.

Although the N1K1-J was an outstanding fighter, it did have some serious defects. Its Homare 21 engine was notoriously unreliable, and the complex doubly-retracting landing gear was subject to frequent failures. Even before the N1J1-J entered production, work had already begun at Kawanishi on correcting some of its more glaring defects, in particular its long and complex landing gear. The result of these changes was the Shiden-Kai (Violet Lightning--Modified). Given the designation N1K2-J, the aircraft was completely redesigned so as to use fewer components in order to simplify its construction. More non-critical materials were to be used. Another step towards simplification involved the use of pre-formed sheet construction. Perhaps the most easily-noted innovation was the use of a low-mounted wing in place of the original mid-mounted wing. This permitted a shorter set of landing gear legs to be used, and the complex double-retraction system which had caused so many problems could be eliminated. In addition, the fuselage was lengthened and the tail surfaces were redesigned. The result was a virtually new aircraft, although the unreliable 1990 hp Homare 21 engine of the N1K1-J was retained. Armament was four 20-mm cannon, all mounted internally to the wing.

The first N1K2-J prototype took off on its maiden flight on December 31, 1943. It was handed over to the Japanese Navy for trials in April of 1944. Although the Homare 21 engine was still mechanically unreliable, the Navy liked the aircraft so much that they authorized quantity production of the N1K2-J to be its standard land-based fighter and fighter-bomber even before the service trials were completed. Production aircraft were designated Navy Interceptor Fighter Shiden Kai (Violet Lightning Modified) Model 21. In addition to the Kawanishi plant at Naruo, the Shiden Kai was ordered into production at the Himeji works of Kawanishi. Shiden Kai fighter aircraft were also ordered into production from the Dai-Nana Kokuki Seisakusho (7th Airframe Works) of the Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. at Tsurashima, from the Aichi Kokuki K. K. at Eitoku, from the Showa Hikoki K. K. at Shinonoi, and from the Naval Air Arsenals at Hiro, Omura, and Koza. A further seven prototypes had been completed by June of 1944, However, the prototypes began to experience a long series of teething troubles, which proved difficult to correct. The Shiden-Kai program began to slip its schedules, and by the autumn of 1944 the N1K2-J production lines were beginning to experience shortages of vital components due to B-29 attacks against the factories of Kawanishi's subcontractors. By the end of 1944, only 60 Shiden Kais had been delivered by the Naruo factory, and production at Himeji did not begin until March of 1945. The other manufacturers in the Shiden Kai pool were never able to produce more than a handful of aircraft.

The Shiden Kai was to become perhaps the best all-round fighter to be operational in the Pacific theatre. It was fast, powerful, and maneuverable, and was well-armed and armoured. In the hands of an experienced pilot, the Shiden-Kai was the equal of any Allied fighter, even the later models of the P-51 Mustang which began to appear over Japan in the spring of 1945. In one notable action, on February 16 1945 over Yokohama, Warrant Officer Kinsuke Muto of the 343rd Kokutai in an N1K2-J single-handedly battled a dozen F6F Hellcats. He shot down four of them before the rest were forced to break off combat and return to their carrier. However, against the B-29, the N1K2-J was less successful, since its climbing speed was insufficient and the power of the Homare 21 engine fell off rather rapidly at higher altitudes.

A two-seat trainer version, the N1K2-K Shiden Kai Rensen (Violet Lightning Modified Fighter Trainer) was planned, but only a few examples were produced by fitting a second seat behind the pilot's seat of some existing N1K2-J airframes. The Shiden Kai had its centre of gravity too far aft, and to correct this problem the N1K3-J Shiden Kai 1 Model 31 was built, which had the Homare 21 engine moved forward six inches. This freed up enough space to permit two 13.2-mm machine guns to be fitted in the engine cowling. Two prototypes were built at Himeji, but this model was never put into production. The N1K3-A Shiden Kai 2 Model 41 was a carrier-based variant of the N1K3-J. It too was never put into production. In an attempt to overcome some of the operational problems caused by the still unreliable Homare 21, the N1K4-J Shiden Kai 3 Model 32 and its carrier-borne variant the N1K4-A Shiden Kai 4 Model 42 were developed. These were powered by the 2000 hp NK9H-S Homare 23 fuel-injected radial. Two prototypes of the N1K4-J and one of the N1K4-A were built in the spring of 1945 at Naruo. The carrier-based aircraft was accepted for production as the Shiden 41, but was later abandoned since by that time Japan's carrier forces had been completely destroyed.

One of the weaknesses of the Shiden Kai was its rather lacklustre high-altitude performance. It had proven to be ineffective against the B-29 owing to its poor climbing ability. In search of better high-altitude performance, the N1K5-J Shiden Kai 5 Model 25 was planned, powered by a 2200-hp Mitsubishi MK9A eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial. However, the sole prototype of the N1K5-J was destroyed prior to completion during a B-29 raid in June of 1945. Another high-altitude interceptor version of the Shiden Kai was to be based on a Homare 44 engine equipped with a three-speed mechanical supercharger. The end of the Pacific War brought an end to all these projects. Only 415 production examples of the outstanding N1K2-J fighter were built, owing primarily to construction snags and delays resulting from the continuous B-29 raids on the Japanese homeland in the last year of the war. With the exception of Kawanishi's Naruo and Himeji plants, the other companies involved in the production pool were late in getting started and delivered only a token number of machines before the war ended. It is fortunate for the Allies that this outstanding aircraft was not available in greater quantity.


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## Gnomey (Aug 4, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## Wayne Little (Aug 9, 2011)

Cool!


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## gekho (Aug 10, 2011)

With its relatively low-powered radial engine, two-blade propeller and twin rifle-calibre machine-gun armament, the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (peregrine falcon) was the most dangerously underestimated Japanese fighter of the early months of the Pacific war; yet, with its outstanding manoeuvrability, it gained complete mastery over Brewster Buffalos and Hawker Hurricanes in Burma. It was the result of a 1937 design which emerged as a light- weight fighter-bomber that required no more than its 709kW to meet its speed demands. In common with other Japanese fighters of the time, however, its armament was puny by RAF standards, and it possessed neither armour nor self-sealing fuel tanks. As the Allied air forces pulled themselves together after the first shock of defeat, the Ki-43-I's weaknesses were discovered and increasing losses suffered, resulting in the introduction of the Ki-43-II (codenamed 'Oscar' by the Allies), with pilot armour, rudimentary self-sealing fuel tanks and reflector gunsight; the engine was also changed to the 858kW Nakajima Ha-115 radial which increased the top speed to 530km/h, roughly the same as that of the Hurricane Mk II. The Ki-43-IIb entered mass production in November 1942, first with Nakajima and six months later with Tachikawa. Final variant was the Ki-43-III with 917kW engine and a top speed of 576km/h, but relatively few examples reached operational units. The Ki-43 was numerically the most important of all Japanese army air force aircraft, production totalling 5,886, plus 33 prototypes and trials aircraft.


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## gekho (Aug 10, 2011)

Of similar general configuration to the Ki-43, the Nakajima Ki-44 prototypes incorporated the manoeuvring flaps that had been introduced on that aircraft, and carried an armament of two 7.7mm and two 12.7mm machine-guns. First flown in August 1940, the Ki-44 was involved in a series of comparative trials against Kawasaki's Ki-60 prototype, based on use of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, and an imported Messerschmitt Bf 109E. The result of this evaluation, and extensive service trials, showed the Ki-44 to be good enough to enter production, and it was ordered under the designation Army Type 2 Singleseat Fighter Model 1A Shoki (demon), company designation Ki-44-Ia, which carried the same armament as the prototypes. A total of only 40 Ki-44-I aircraft was produced, including small numbers of the Ki-44-Ib armed with four 12.7mm machine-guns, and the similar KI-44-Ic with some minor refinements.

When introduced into service the high landing speeds and limited manoeuvrability of the Shoki made it unpopular with pilots, and very soon the Ki-44-II with a more powerful Nakajima Ha-109 engine was put into production. Only small numbers of the Ki- 44-IIa were built, the variant being followed by the major production Ki-44- Ilb. The Ki-44-IIc introduced much heavier armament, comprising four 20mm cannon or, alternatively, two 12.7mm machine-guns and two 40mm cannon, and these proved to be very effective when deployed against Allied heavy bombers attacking Japan. Final production version was the Ki-44- III with a 1491kW Nakajima Ha-145 radial engine, an increase m wing area and enlarged vertical tail surfaces. Nakajima had built a total of 1,225 Ki-44s of all versions, including prototypes, and these were allocated the Allied codename 'Tojo'. They were deployed primarily in Japan, but were used also to provide an effective force of interceptors to protect vital targets, as in Sumatra where they defended the oil fields at Palembang.


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## Wayne Little (Aug 10, 2011)

Keep 'em coming!


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## rochie (Aug 10, 2011)

great pictures, need to get a Ki43 and a Ki44 for my stash of kits


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## Gnomey (Aug 10, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Aug 12, 2011)

The Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in summer 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A (Ki-54a). The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. Named Hickory by the Allies, the Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war.


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## gekho (Aug 12, 2011)

In response to the rapid emergence in Europe of twin-engine heavy fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 110, the army ordered development of a twin-engine, two-seat fighter in 1937, and assigned the proposal by Kawasaki Shipbuilding the designation of Ki-38. This only went as far as a mock up, but by December of that year, the army ordered a working prototype as the Ki-45, which first flew in January 1939. Results from the test flights, however, did not meet the army's expectations. The Ha-20 Otsu engine was underpowered and failure-prone, while the airframe suffered from nacelle stall. The Ki-45 did not enter use, but the army, insistent on having a working twin-engine fighter, ordered Kawasaki to continue development. Kawasaki responded by replacing the engines with the proven Nakajima Ha-25. Flight tests were promising. In October 1940, the army ordered continued improvements such as switching to 805 kW (1,080 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-102 engines. This craft, designated Ki-45 Kai, was complete in September 1941 and was officially adopted for use by the army in February 1942 as the "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter".


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## gekho (Aug 12, 2011)

The Ki-45 was initially used as a long-range bomber escort. The 84th Independent Flight Wing (Dokuritsu Hikō Chutai) used them in June 1942 in attacks on Guilin, where they encountered, but were no match for Curtiss P-40s flown by the Flying Tigers. In September of the same year, they met P-40s over Hanoi with similar results. It became clear that the Ki-45 could not hold its own against single-engine fighters in aerial combat. It was subsequently deployed in several theaters in the roles of interception, ground, ship attack and fleet defense. Its greatest strength turned out to be as an anti-bomber interceptor, as was the case of the Bf 110 in Europe. In New Guinea, the JAAF used the aircraft in an anti-ship role, where the Ki-45 was heavily armed with one 37 mm (1.46 in) and two 20 mm cannons and could carry two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs on hard points under the wings. 1,675 Ki-45s of all versions were produced during the war. The first production type (Ko) was armed with two 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine gun in the nose, a single 20 mm cannon in the belly, and a trainable 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun in the rear cabin, and this was followed with the Otsu with the lower 20 mm cannon replaced by a 37 mm (1.46 in) tank gun, to counter B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. While the firepower was devastating, manual reloading meant that only two rounds could be fired per minute. The next type (Hei) restored the 20 mm cannon, and this time placed an automatic 37 mm (1.46 in) gun in the nose. A later addition was twin obliquely-firing 20 mm cannon behind the cockpit and removal of the underside 20 mm guns.

Soon after entering service, the Ki-45 was assigned to home defense, and several were dispatched against the Doolittle raid, though they did not see action. The craft's heavy armament proved to be effective against the B-29 Superfortress raids which started in June 1944. However, its performance was insufficient to counter B-29s flying at 10,000 m (32,800 ft). Modifications such as reduction of fuel and ordnance were attempted to raise performance to little avail, and in the end aircraft were used effectively in ramming attacks. An example of a ramming attack was the kamikaze attack on USS Dickerson on 2 April 1945 off Okinawa. The commanding officer and 54 crew were killed when a Toryu clipped the stacks from astern, and rammed the bridge. A second Toryu hit the foredeck, opening a 7 m (23 ft) hole in the deck. The ensuing fires demolished the ship, and after the surviving crew was rescued by fellow fast transports and ex-destroyers Bunch and Herbert, the ship was towed out to sea and scuttled. In 1945, the forward and upward-firing guns showed some results with the commencement of night time bombing raids, but the lack of radar was a considerable handicap. By the spring of 1945, the advent of American carrier-based fighters and Iwo Jima-based P-51s escorting B-29s over the skies of Japan brought the Ki-45's career to an end.

The next version, the Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc, was developed specifically as a night fighter, which were supposed to be equipped with centimetric radar in the nose; due to production difficulties, this did not occur. The aircraft took part in night defense of the Home Islands and equipped four sentais from the autumn of 1944 to the War's end. They obtained notable successes, and one Ki-45 sentai claimed 150 victories and of these claimed eight USAAF B-29 Superfortresses in their first combat. The Ki-45 was to be replaced in the ground-attack role by the Ki-102, but was never wholly supplanted by the wars' end. Three Ki-45s fell into communist Chinese hands after World War II. Unlike most captured Japanese aircraft that were employed in the training role, the three Ki-45s were assigned to the 1st Squadron of the Combat Flying Group in March 1949 and were used in combat missions. These aircraft were retired in the early 1950s.


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## rochie (Aug 12, 2011)

great pictures


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## Wayne Little (Aug 12, 2011)

Ki-45 is a cool looking bird with some cool schemes and markings....


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## Gnomey (Aug 12, 2011)

Interesting stuff!


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## razor1uk (Aug 15, 2011)

A very well put together thread, eagerly awaiting more, certainly a good introduction for developing curiosity for HJIM-A/N aircraft.


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## gekho (Aug 18, 2011)

Sometimes described as a cross between a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and a North American P-51 Mustang, the Kawasaki Ki-61 certainly had the distinctive nose shape associated with an inverted V-12 inline engine, the Kawasaki Ha-40 being in effect a Daimler- Benz DB 601A built under licence. The Ki-61's designers, Takeo Doi and Shin Owada, had moreover worked under the German Richard Vogt, In December 1940 they were instructed to go ahead with the Ki-61, and one year later the prototype was flown. The first production Ki-61-I fighters were deployed operationally in April 1943 when the 68th and 78th Sentais arrived in New Guinea. Named Hien (swallow) in service (and codenamed 'Tony' by the Allies), the new aircraft proved popular with its pilots, being unusually well-armed and armoured, and the type was at least a match for opposing American fighters. Its armament (of four 12.7-mm machine-guns) proved inadequate to knock down enemy bombers, however, and the Ki- 61-I KAIc was introduced with a pair of 20-mm cannon in the nose, these being replaced in a small number of Ki-61- I KAId fighters by two 30-mm cannon. The Ki-61- I and Ki-61-I KAI remained in production until 1945, but in 1944 they were joined in service by the Ki- 61-II with more powerful Kawasaki Ha- 140 engine (producing 1119-kW); with a top speed of 610km/h this would have been an excellent fighter but for constant engine problems; yet when fully serviceable the Ki-61-II was one of the few Japanese fighters fully able to combat the Boeing B-29 at its normal operating altitude, particularly when armed with four 20-mm cannon. Excluding prototypes and development aircraft, production totalled 1,380 Ki-61-Is, 1,274 Ki- 61-I KAIs and 374 Ki-61-Ils.


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## gekho (Aug 18, 2011)

The Ki-61 looked so different compared with the usual radial-engined Japanese fighters that the Allies at first, believed it to be of German or Italian origin, possibly a license-built Messerschmitt Bf 109. The first Ki-61 seen by Allied aircrew had been misidentified as a Bf 109 by USAAF Capt. C. Ross Greening during the Doolittle Raid. In early reports, when it was thought to have been a German fighter, the Ki-61 had been code-named "Mike". The final, and better known code name adopted was "Tony", because the Ki-61 looked like an Italian aircraft. The new Ki-61 Hien fighters entered service with a special training unit, the 23rd Chutai, and entered combat for first time in early 1943, during the New Guinea campaign. The first Sentai (Air Group/Wing) fully equipped with the Hien was the 68th in Wewak, New Guinea, followed by the 78th Sentai stationed at Rabaul. Both units were sent into a difficult theatre where jungles and adverse weather conditions, coupled with a lack of spares, quickly undermined the efficiency of both men and machines. Because the Ki-61 was so new, and had been rushed into service, it inevitably suffered from teething problems. Almost all of the modern Japanese aircraft engines, especially the Ki-61's liquid-cooled engines, suffered a disastrous series of failures and ongoing problems, which resulted in the obsolescent Ki-43 still forming the bulk of the JAAF's fighter capability. Initially, this campaign went successfully for the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF), but when the Allies re-organized and enhanced the combat capabilities of their air forces, they gained the upper hand against the JAAF. High non-combat losses were also experienced by the Japanese during this campaign. For example, while in transit between Truk and Rabaul, the 78th lost 18 of its 30 Ki-61s. Even with these problems, there was some concern in Allied aviation circles regarding the Hien:

The new Japanese fighter caused some pain and consternation among Allied pilots, particularly when they found out the hard way that they could no longer go into a dive and escape as they had from lighter Japanese fighters. ...General George Kenney [Allied air forces commander in the Southwest Pacific] found his P-40s completely outclassed, and begged for more P-38s to counter the threat of the new enemy fighter. However, the increasing numerical strength of Allied bomber units, along with inadequate anti-aircraft systems, imposed crippling losses on Japanese units. Approximately 100 out of 130 Japanese aircraft based in the Wewak area were lost during the attacks of August 17–21 1943. By the end of the campaign, nearly 2,000 Japanese aircraft had been lost in air attacks from up to 200 Allied aircraft at a time, around half of which were B-24s and B-25s armed with fragmentation bombs. After the Japanese retreat, over 340 aircraft wrecks were later found at Hollandia.

The Ki-61 was also utilised in Southeast Asia, Okinawa, China and as an interceptor during US bombing raids over Japanese home islands, including against Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. The Ki-61 was notable for many reasons: initially identified as of either German or Italian origin, these aircraft were capable of matching Allied aircraft such as the P-40 in speed, and as evaluation had already showed, were superior in almost every respect. However, the armament of the early Hien was lighter, but still sufficient for most purposes. Some authors claim that the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was measurably superior.[23] The Ki-61 carried a great deal of fuel, but due to having self-sealing fuel tanks, it did not have the reputation for being "easily flammable", as were many other Japanese aircraft. Owing to the additional weight, the Ki-61's performance and agility suffered when its armament was increased, but it still remained capable with a 580 km/h (313 kn) maximum speed. The cannon armament was needed to counter the Allied bombers, which proved to be difficult to shoot down with only 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine guns. The empty and maximum weights for the Ki-61 prototype (2 × 12.7 mm/50 in + 2 × 7.7 mm/.303 in) were 2,238 kg (4,934 lb) and 2,950 kg (6,504 lb), respectively; for the Ki-61-I basic (4 × 12.7 mm/.50 in) 3,130 kg (6,900 lb); and for the Ki-61-KAI (2 × 12.7 mm/.50 in + 2 × 20 mm), 2,630 kg (5,798 lb) and 3,470 kg (6,750 lb). A number of Ki-61s were also used in Tokkotai (kamikaze) missions launched toward the end of the war. The Ki-61 was delivered to 15th Sentai (group/wing), as well as some individual Chutaicho (junior operational commanders) in other Sentai, and even to operational training units in the JAAF. The aircraft was largely trouble-free in service except for the liquid-cooled engine which tended to overheat when idling on the ground and suffered from oil circulation and bearing problems.


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## Gnomey (Aug 19, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## Wayne Little (Aug 20, 2011)




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## gekho (Aug 25, 2011)

Best of all Japanese fighters available in quantity during the last year of the war, the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (gale) not only possessed a reasonable performance but (unusual among Japanese aircraft) carried a powerful armament capable of knocking down the heavily armed and armoured American bombers. Not flown in prototype form until April 1943, the Ki-84 met with immediate approval by Japanese army air force pilots, but was subjected to lengthy service trials which undoubtedly delayed its introduction to combat operations. Production got under way at Nakajima's Ota plant in April 1944, pre-production aircraft having equipped the 22nd Sentai in China the previous month. Immediately afterwards 10 sentais of the Ki-84-I, codenamed 'Frank' by the Allies, were deployed in the Philippines to confront the advancing American forces. In an effort to accelerate production of the excellent new fighter, Nakajima opened up a new line at its Otsonomiya plant, and as Boeing B-29 raids began to take their toll of Japanese cities a new 'bomber destroyer', the Ki-84-Ic, was produced with an armament of two nosemounted 20mm cannon and two wing-mounted 30mm cannon. Some measure of the importance attached to the Ki-84 may be judged by the fact that in the last 17 months of war 3,382 aircraft were completed, this despite the tremendous havoc wrought by the B- 29 raids and the fact that, owing to such damage at Musashi, Nakajima's engine plant had to be transferred elsewhere.


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## gekho (Aug 25, 2011)

The Kawasaki Ki-61-II with the company's Ha-140 engine was seen as an interim high-altitude interceptor to tackle the USAF's Boeing B-29s at their cruising altitude of some 9000m. However, development of the Ha-140 as a reliable powerplant was terminated finally when the Akashi factory where the engine was built was destroyed during an air raid. With the requirement becoming daily more urgent, Kawasaki was instructed to convert the 275 Ki-61-II airframes gathering dust in the Kagamigahara factory with alternative powerplant. No other similar engine was available and adaptation of the slender fuselage of the Ki-61 to allow installation of a large-diameter radial engine at first appeared impractical. However, Kawasaki's design team converted three airframes to serve as prototypes, installing a Mitsubishi Ha-112-II engine which had the same power output as the unreliable Ha-140. When the first of these was flown, on 1 February 1945, Kawasaki discovered that it had a first class fighter, one that some commentators have described as Japan's premier fighter aircraft of the Pacific war. By the end of May 1945 all of the remaining 272 Ki-61 airframes had been converted to the new configuration, entering service as the Army Type 5 Fighter Model 1A, which was identified by the company as the Kawasaki Ki-100-Ia.

With the Ki-100 proving such a success, it was decided to initiate production of this aircraft, the resulting Ki-100-Ib differing only by having the cutdown rear fuselage and all-round-view canopy that had been designed for the proposed Ki-61-III. A total of 99 of this version was built before production was brought to an end by the growing weight of USAAF air attacks. A more effective version had been planned, to be powered by the Mitsubishi Ha-112- Ilru engine which incorporated a turbocharger to improve high-altitude performance, but only three of these Ki-100-II prototypes had been built and flown by the end of the war.


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## Gnomey (Aug 25, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## Wayne Little (Aug 26, 2011)

Excellent, the Ki-100's are from the 5th Sentai, denoted by the stylized V


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## gekho (Aug 30, 2011)

The famous Mitsubishi A6M, popularly known as the 'Zero', was the first carrierborne fighter in the world capable of outperforming any contemporary land-based fighter it was likely to confront. Because of inept Allied intelligence it was able to achieve immediate air superiority over the East Indies and South East Asia from the day Japan entered the war. Designed under the leadership of Jiro Honkoshi in 1937 as a replacement for the neat but obsolescent A5M, the prototype A6M1 was first flown on 1 April 1939 with a 582kW Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 radial; production A6M2 fighters with two wing-mounted 20mm guns and two nose-mounted 7.7mm guns were fitted with the 708kW Nakajima Sakae 12 radial, and it was with this version that the Japanese navy escorted the raiding force sent against Pearl Harbor, and gained air superiority over Malaya, the Philippines and Burma. In the spring of 1942 the A6M3 with two-stage supercharged Sakae 21 entered service, later aircraft having their folding wing tips removed. The Battle of Midway represented the Zero's combat zenith; thereafter the agile Japanese fighter found itself ever more outclassed by the American F6F Hellcat and P-38 Lightning. To counter the new American fighters the A6M5 was rushed to front-line units; this version, with Sakae 21 engine and improved exhaust system, possessed a top speed of 565km/h, more A6M5s (and subvariants) being produced than any other Japanese aircraft. It was five A6M5s of the Shikishima kamikaze unit that sank the carrier St Lo and damaged three others on 25 October 1944. Other versions were the A6M6 with water-methanol boosted Sakae 31 engine and the A6M7 fighter/dive-bomber. Total production of all A6Ms was 10,937. (The reporting name'Zeke' was given to the A6M, and 'Rufe' to a float version, the A6M2-N.)


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## gekho (Aug 30, 2011)

More pics


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## gekho (Sep 1, 2011)

The Nakajima A6M2-N, known to the Allies as the "Rufe", was merely the seaplane version of the carrier-based Mitsubishi A6M Reisen fighter, the famous Zero. The Japanese Navy saw the need for this type of combat aircraft in 1940. What was required was a single-seat fighter that could be used primarily in military installations on small Pacific islands, where it was impossible to build landing fields. The design was entrusted to Nakajima, which was already building Zeros along with the Mitsubishi company. The new plane was almost identical in structure and configuration with the Zero, except for the central and side floats and some minor structural changes. And its performance was not greatly inferior to that of the Zero. A total of 327 aircraft were built between 1941 and 1943. They were in service until the end of the war.


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## Wayne Little (Sep 2, 2011)




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## gekho (Sep 4, 2011)

The Mitsubishi J2M Raiden was designed by the same team that had designed the famous A6M Zero, though the Raiden was not as successful as its predecessor. The emphasis on the design was for a quick-response interceptor, and the requirements for the aircraft specified that it to climb to 19,685 feet (6000 meters) in about five minutes, and have a speed of 373 mph at that altitude. The high performance requirement meant that a powerful engine was essential, and the large-diameter engine that was chosen resulted in an interesting placement of the engine somewhat farther back in the fuselage. This allowed the front part of the nose to be more tapered to reduce drag, though it required the use of an extension shaft between the engine and the reduction gear. The first prototype flew on March 20, 1942, and after some modifications it went into production in October of 1942. Subsequent teething problems meant that the Raiden would not go into service until December of 1943, and by then the model version was the J2M3. Engine changes, turbochargers, and superchargers were tried on different models, though reliability with the aircraft continued to be a problem. The Raiden was used until the end of the war, gaining notable success against Allied bombers in the defense of the Japanese home islands.


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## johnbr (Aug 27, 2017)

*Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki*


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## Old Wizard (Aug 28, 2017)




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## johnbr (Aug 31, 2017)

Mitsubishi A6M5 Model 52 Type 0 Zero Navy Fighter. left to waste away 1946


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## johnbr (Aug 31, 2017)

Mitsubishi J8M1 Navy Experimental 19-Shi Rocket-Powered Interceptor Fighter _Shusui_ (Sharp Sword


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## Old Wizard (Aug 31, 2017)




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## johnbr (Oct 28, 2018)




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## Wurger (Oct 28, 2018)




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## Gnomey (Nov 1, 2018)

Good shots guys!


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## johnbr (Nov 2, 2018)

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden prototype 
Kawanishi, N1K1, Shiden

Reactions: Bacon Bacon:
1 | Like List reactions


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## Wurger (Nov 2, 2018)




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## Gnomey (Nov 30, 2018)

Nice shot!


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 30, 2018)

Beautiful aircraft!


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## Wayne Little (Dec 3, 2018)

Awesome.


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