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unfortunately, not a single airframe survived. Even the engines are rare, the only intact specimen surviving, that I know of, being buried somewhere in a crate at NASM: a shame for an engine with a long career powering two generations of IJAF medium bombers, a torpedo bomber, a transport and even an interceptor.The Ki-44 was said to be a real joy to fly by the TSAIC pilots who flew captured units. Seems as though WE liked it better than the Japanese did.
It would be great to return a unit to the air, wouldn't it? Even if you can't find a restorable engine, the engine was of conventional employment, unlike our J2M Raiden with the engine mounted far back and driving the prop via an extension shaft, and you COULD run another type of radial if you could get your hands on an airframe.
Well, Corea was part of the possessions of Japan till '45. Some ki-44s based in Taiwan were used by Chinese indipendentists against Maoists, so the plane career didn't end with ww2.My friend's dad flew in WW Korea and gave me a B&W photo of a Ki-44 the USAF had placed up as a gate guard. What a Ki-44 was doing in Korea is anyone's guess. Unfortunately that photo is in storage at the moment. So there might be one kicking around in Korea. Can't remember the base's name but it is written on the back with the date. Next time I rotate back I'll try and fetch it out.
Why didn't Japan employ radar equipped patrol boats 200 miles out from the coast? That would give Japanese interceptors plenty of time to climb to altitude and maneuver to optimum attack position.B-29 was that hard to intercept and shoot down! ... at least over Japan with the ocean approach we had.