Greg Boeser
1st Sergeant
The Ki-43 was designed as an air superiority fighter, with emphasis on range and maneuverability. The initial design envisioned a pair of Ho-5 12.7 mm machine guns in the nose. Problems with the early Ho-5 explosive ammo resulted in one or both being replaced with Type 89 7.7mm machine guns on early models. Once the Ho-5's ammo problem got sorted, two 12.7mm guns became the norm.
The Ki-44 was developed at the same time as a dedicated interceptor, with a more powerful engine and twice the firepower of the Ki-43, but at the expense of range and maneuverabilty.
The Ki-61 was another interceptor design but used a license built DB 601, same firepower as the Ki-44.
The Ki-44 was developed at the same time as a dedicated interceptor, with a more powerful engine and twice the firepower of the Ki-43, but at the expense of range and maneuverabilty.
The Ki-61 was another interceptor design but used a license built DB 601, same firepower as the Ki-44.