Ki-100 and N1K-J performance

[proton45]

A couple of issues to consider when thinking about these fighters...

The Ki-100 was very dependable in a high speed dive...the build quality of the Ki-100 was much better then the Ki-84. Pilots often felt that they could not depend on their Ki-84 in combat conditions, also the HA-45 was very unreliable...pilots could not run their engines at full power for very long (if at all). However, the Kinsei engine, that is found in the Ki-100, was rated at a lower HP then the HA-45...but it had a much more dependable reputation under combat use.

The Ki-100 gave pilots the confidence to push their machine to the extremes needed to take advantage of their enemy's mistakes. Yes...the faster fighter has the power to dictate the terms of the engagement, however...that assumes that both fighters see each other at the same time. Shooting down the enemy frequently happens without the "victim" knowing their number is up...and most fighters, on patrol, do not cruse around at full speed all the time.

 

[razor1uk]

As far as I'm aware, the 61's and 100's were designed/built with european style self sealing tanks and armours as Ing./Dr. Voight (spelling) did some design teaching work with rhe design teams pre-Japans AoW/DoW.

 

[Jenisch]

The latest update of Mike Williams' website includes TAIC report on the George.

Its unfavourable features were: poor stalling and accelerated stalling characteristics; ineffective brakes and rudder brake action; weak undercarriage; complex gear and flap system; poorly balanced controls and heavy ailerons at high speed.[/I]

No mention to "low speed" as a negative point. For already some time I'm thinking that the aircraft that had a speed advantage didn't necessarily enjoyed a notorious superiority over the other.

 

[hurricane55]

The Ki-100 and N1K were two of the three best Japanese air superiority fighters of the late war, along with the Ki-84. They were excellent dogfighters, combining the maneuverability of the Zero with self sealing fuel tanks and other improvements. The Ki-100 was also an effective bomber interceptor, being able to quickly shoot down high flying B-29 superfortresses.