Kawasaki Ki-61

Kawasaki Ki-61
Pays	Japon
Rôle	Chasseur
Premier vol	En décembre 1941
Numéro construit	3075

Lla Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (飛燕, « hirondelle volante ») est un avion de chasse japonais de la Seconde Guerre mondiale utilisé par l’Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. La désignation de l’armée japonaise a été « Chasseur de type 3 de l’armée » (三式戦闘機). Les services secrets alliés ont d’abord cru que les Ki-61 étaient des Messerschmitt Bf 109 et plus tard un Macchi C.202 italien, ce qui a conduit à la « Tony », affecté par le Département de la guerre des États-Unis. C’était le seul chasseur japonais produit en série de la guerre à utiliser un moteur inlin V refroidi par liquide. Plus de 3 000 Ki-61 ont été produits. Les premiers prototypes ont vu l’action au-dessus de Yokohama pendant le raid de Doolittle le 18 avril 1942, et ont continué à voler des missions de combat tout au long de la guerre.

Source: Kawasaki Ki-61 sur Wiki

Kawasaki Ki-61
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Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	301

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General Characteristics

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Flying Swallow) was a fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service during World War II. It was designated the « Chasseur de type 3 de l’armée » and was notable for being the only mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war to utilize a liquid-cooled inverted V-12 engine, a design unique among its contemporaries which predominantly used air-cooled radial engines. Allied forces initially misidentified the Ki-61 as a German or Italian fighter, assigning it the reporting name « Tony. » Its liquid-cooled engine, relatively high speed, and robust construction (including self-sealing fuel tanks and armor protection) set it apart from other Japanese fighters optimized for pure maneuverability.

Property	Typical Value (Ki-61-I Kai Hei)
Rôle	Single-Seat Fighter / Interceptor
National Origin	Japon
Fabricant	Kawasaki Kokuki Kogyo K.K.
First Flight	En décembre 1941
Service Entry	1943
No. Built	Over 3,000 (all variants)
Crew	1 (Pilot)
Length	8.94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Envergure	12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
Max Takeoff Weight	3,470 kg (7,650 lb)

Powerplant and Performance

Engine: 1 x Kawasaki Ha-40 (Army Type 2) inverted V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine (a license-built version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601A).
Power Output (Ha-40): 877 kW (1,175 hp).
Power Output (Later Ha-140 in Ki-61-II): 1,119 kW (1,500 hp) (though Ha-140 had reliability issues).
Maximum Speed (Ki-61-I at 5,000 m): Approx. 580 km/h (360 mph).
Maximum Speed (Ki-61-II at 6,000 m): Approx. 610 km/h (379 mph).
Service Ceiling: 10,000 m (32,810 ft) (Ki-61-I).
Time to 5,000 m: Approx. 7.0 minutes.

Armament and Variants

Armament Varied Significantly by Sub-Variant:
- Ki-61-I-Ko/Otsu: Early versions typically carried two 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns in the fuselage and two 7.7 mm (or later 12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings.
- Ki-61-I Kai Hei: Equipped with two 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns in the fuselage and two imported German 20 mm Mauser MG 151 cannons in the wings.
- Ki-61-I Kai Tei/Ki-61-II KAI: Later versions standardized on the Japanese 20 mm Ho-5 cannon (two in the nose, two in the wings) for a significant firepower increase.
External Stores: Could carry two drop tanks (e.g., 200 L) or two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs on wing racks.
Key Development: When the problematic Ha-140 liquid-cooled engine was no longer available due to factory destruction, Kawasaki adapted the airframe to use the reliable Mitsubishi Ha-112 radial engine, creating the highly successful Ki-100 fighter.