What plane do you wish had sawservice

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It was never built past a wooden mockup stage. The type II prototype was built however it was never flown.

The Tachikawa Ki-94

The Tachikawa Ki-94 was to have a development life just the opposite of the Yokosuka R2Y Keiun in the aspect that the Ki-94 began as a radical and advanced thinking aircraft only to become, in the end, a much more conventional one.

In the summer of 1942, the aircraft firm of Tachikawa Hikoki K.K. and Koku Hombu ( Army Air Headquarters ) were in the midst of discussing and formulating the requirements and needs of a heavily armed, high-altitude interceptor. The Imperial Army desired to have a fighter, with a pressurized cabin for the pilot, which could attain a top speed of 497mph with a range of 1,864 miles. Knowing these guidelines were rather lofty, the Koku Hombu gave contracts to both Tachikawa, who would produce an aircraft to meet the guidelines, and to Nakajima who would produce an aircraft, also of a high-altitude type, but would not have to meet or exceed the range specifications placed upon the Tachikawa designers.

Tachikawa set about the process of creating an airframe and powerplant combination to meet the Koku Hombu's desires. In so doing, they laid out a very novel aircraft. The Ki-94, as it was now officially known, was a twin-boom, pusher-puller aircraft. Mitsubishi Ha-211 Ru 18-cylinder, air cooled radial engines were mounted in the front and rear of the fuselage, each driving a four-bladed air screw. The Ha-211 Ru could develop up to 2,200hp. a piece. The proposed armament was heavy, consisting of two 37mm Ho-203 cannon and two 30mm Ho-105 cannon, all firing forward. Tachikawa estimated the top speed of the Ki-94 to be upwards of 485mph at 32,810ft. As the design progressed, a full size wooden mock-up was built and was completed in late 1943.



The full-scale, wooden mock-up of the Ki-94-I, late 1943. From J.A.P.W.

When Tachikawa displayed the mock-up to the Army Air Headquarters, Tachikawa was in for a disappointment. The design was deemed to be too complex in the eyes of the Koku Hombu and they also felt the projected performance was rather optimistic. And thus, the Ki-94 project was scrapped. That the Hoku Hombu required of Tachikawa to create such a high-performance aircraft with high requirements and then, when a design proposed to meet them was of the unorthodox, to call it too complex and the figures inflated is rather difficult to understand but does go to illustrate how the thinkers of the old still retained sway...something which was to hamper the German aircraft designers as well. Only when the need was desperate did the more radical designs get the green light.

Given that their initial design was dismissed, Tachikawa was not to let Nakajima go unchallenged. They set about designing an aircraft using the guidelines given by the Koku Hombu to Nakajima, who was putting forth their Ki-87 project. The Tachikawa entry was a conventional airframe, powered by a Nakajima [Ha-44]12, 18-cylinder, turbosupercharged radial engine which developed 2,400hp. This engine drove a six-bladed propeller. The cabin was pressurized and the aircraft was given the armament array of two 30mm Ho-105 cannon and two 20mm Ho-5 cannon, all mounted in the wings. This design was approved by the Hoku Hombu, the aircraft designated the Ki-94-II ( the scrapped earlier Ki-94 design was named the Ki-94-I ). An order was placed for one static test airframe, three prototypes, and eighteen pre-production aircraft.



The first prototype of the Ki-94-II fitted with the stop-gap 4-bladed prop to speed completion. From J.A.P.W.

The first prototype of the Ki-94-II was to be ready on July 20, 1945 but delays caused this date to be pushed back two weeks. One of the delays was that the six-bladed air screw was not completed and in order to press ahead with the flight testing, a four-bladed propeller was fitted until the standard six-bladed prop could be delivered. Flight trials were slated to begin on August 18, 1945 with a second Ki-94-II under construction to be fitted with the six-bladed air screw. However, the end of the war stopped the construction of the second prototype and also it found the first prototype still being readied for its maiden flight, the Ki-94-II never taking to the air.
http://members.aol.com/pelzig/ki94.html

 

[Anonymous]

It looks structurally unsound to me. I doubt it could have executed high G manuvers.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The Type I probably not, but the Type II inwhich a prototype was built probably could have. If you look though she is a traditional fighter and not of a twin tail boom design. The last 3 pictures are of a Type 2, the top 2 are of the wooden mock up of the Type I.

 

[Anonymous]

I was only considering the type I, the type II is nothing special at all, it lacks the rear engine and is just a very big fighter which would have been grossly underpowered.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

XP-55 - WITH A MERLIN!

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

always thought that was a bit of a strange concept............

 

[cheddar cheese]

Yes the XP-54, 55 and 56 were developed under the concept of "strange aircraft" but they didnt possess any real advantages over normal aircraft so they were never accepted...

 

[Anonymous]

XP-55 (July 1943 - notice swept wings)

XP-56 (Sept. 1944 - notice swept wings)

=S=

Lunatic

 

[FLYBOYJ]

SWEET!

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

and stupid.........

 

[Nonskimmer]

XP-55 (July 1943 - notice swept wings)...XP-56 (Sept. 1944 - notice swept wings)

Trying to tell us something, RG?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yea - Jack Northrop either has ESP or he's an ailen!

 

[mosquitoman]

The Xp-56 looks like a Me163 with a prop

 

[Anonymous]

Just pointing out that swept wings were being invesitaged in the US as early as 1943.

 

[Nonskimmer]

I figured as much.
They were certainly interesting designs.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

well would you look at that, we were researching swept wing tailless aircraft in 1943 as well...........

 

[Soren]

I was only considering the type I, the type II is nothing special at all, it lacks the rear engine and is just a very big fighter which would have been grossly underpowered.

With 2,400 hp ? I can tell you the P-47 was bigger, and most had a less powerful engine aswell, however i never hear you mention that fighter as underpowered !

Btw don't be fouled by the workers small size in comparison to the a/c, as Jap's were usually very small back then. (Remember how Allied test-pilots felt in a Zero cockpit ? )

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah I was just about to say the same thing except that Soren the P-47 was slightly smaller.

Ki-94-II
High-altitude Fighter
Crew: One
Powerplant: One Nakajima [Ha-44]12 18-cyl., air-cooled radial
rated at a maximum of 2,450hp.
Armaments: Two 30mm Ho-105 cannon, two 20mm Ho-5 cannon;
can carry one 1,102lb. bomb
Speed:
Max Speed at sea level: NA
Maximum Speed projected at: 442mph at 39,370ft.
Range: 1,305 miles
Climb: 17min. 38sec. to 32,810ft.
Ceiling: 48,170ft.
Dimensions:
Span: 45ft. 11 3/16in.
Length: 39ft. 4 7/16in.
Height: 15ft. 3 1/16in.
Wing Area: 301.388 sq. ft.
Weights:
Empty: 10,340lbs.
Loaded: 14,220lbs.
Deployed: One prototype produced, one partially built

P-47 Thunderbolt
Type: Fighter-Bomber
Manufacturer: Republic
Crew: One
First Flight: May 6, 1941
Service Delivery: June 1942 (56th Fighter Group)
Final Delivery: N/A
Production: 15,677

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimensions:
Wing Span: 40 ft. 9.25 in. (12.43m)
Length: 36 ft. 1.75 in. (11.02m)
Height: 14 ft. 8 in. (4.47m)
Wing Area: 300.0 sq. ft (27.87m2)

Weights:
Empty: 9,950 lb. (4513 kg)
Maximum Take-Off: 17,500 lb. (7938 kg.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performance:
Max. Speed, Clean: 433 mph (697 km/h)
Service Ceiling: 41,000 ft. (12495m
Range with drop tanks: 1,00 miles (3058m)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armament:
Eight 12.7mm (0.5 in.) machine guns in wings

Bombload:
Up to 2,500 lb. (1134 kg) of bombs carried externally

Powerplant:
XP-47B:
Model: Pratt Whitney XR-2800 Double Wasp
Type: Radial Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 1,850 hp (later 2,000 hp)

P-47B:
Model: Pratt Whitney R-2800-21 Double Wasp
Type: Radial Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 2,000 hp

Later P-47C:
Model: Pratt Whitney R-2800-59 Double Wasp
Type: Radial Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 2,300 hp

P-47D:
Model: P&W R-2800-21W or -51W Double Wasp
Type: Radial Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 2,300 hp or 2,535 hp

XP-47H:
Model: Chrysler XIV-2220-1
Type: Inverted Vee Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 2,300 hp

XP-47J:
Model: Pratt Whitney R-2800-57 (C) Double Wasp
Type: Turbocharged Radial Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 2,800 hp

P-47N:
Model: Pratt Whitney R-2800-77 Double Wasp
Type: Radial Piston Engine.
Number: One Horsepower: 2,800 hp


So lets see. The Ki-94-II was only about 3ft bigger then the P-47. The wing span was about 5 ft bigger then the P-47 though, which did give the Ki-94 more wing area. Height was only about 1ft more for the Ki-94-II. Only the P-47J, M, N had more powerful engines then the Ki-94-II so I dont think the Ki-94-II would have been as bad you think it would have RG_Lunatic. I dont know though since it never flew but you cant say it would have been all that bad either since well basically you dont know.

 

[MP-Willow]

I would have liked that Ki-94 mk-1, it might not have flown well or at all, but with a little work it might be nice. But it would look like the cockpit would be very hot evenif it was under pressure.

How about the midget fighters that were to hang under the bombers!

 

[Anonymous]

The Japanese proved over and over they were unable to make such an engine. "Designing" it and printing an HP number on a tech sheet does not mean anything. That goes for all these fantasy specs, they are all based upon nothing but smoke and wishful thinking of the Japanese engineers and military personel.